Luis Manzano defends John Lloyd Cruz over viral videos

MANILA, Philippines — Besides Star Magic Manager Johnny Manahan, John Lloyd Cruz’s friend and fellow Star Magic talent, Luis Manzano, has come to the actor’s defense.

In an interview at "Tonight with Boy Abunda," Manzano was asked about his opinion on John Lloyd’s viral videos taken during the actor’s weekend vacation with actress Ellen Adarna and her friends.

Manzano told Abunda: “Base naman sa nakita kong video, wala naman s'yang inaagrabyado. Ang kung saka-sakali man, it would be better kung sakali 'di nakita ng tao.”

Luis added: “If I'm not mistaken, nag-apologize na s’ya. Siguro, he believes na a lot of kids look up to him naman. Baka he believes that at some degree, he has set a bad example. Baka lang. But at the end of the day, wala s’yang inaagrabyado, wala s’yang sinasaktan na tao, kung titingnan mo ‘yung video, he’s simply having fun. So, it doesn’t define who he really is.”

The show’s host, Abunda, agreed with Luis, saying: “Tama. People expect John Lloyd Cruz to be prim and proper, politically correct, etc. You know, I understand na ang kanyang kinalalagyan does not happen every day in his life, but I don’t confuse the public and the private John Lloyd.”

Luis is the host of ABS-CBN’s adaptation of South Korea’s hit mystery music game show “I Can See Your Voice,” the first game format to be localized by ABS-CBN in partnership with Korea’s CJ E&M.

Luis explained what makes the Pinoy version different from its South Korean counterpart. 

“What sets us apart is our humor that we Filipinos only have. This show is very casual and relax. We just want to create an atmosphere wherein you can laugh. There's no much tension in this show,” Luis said in a statement.

Despite being a seasoned host, Luis admitted that he still feels pressured especially when the representative of the Korean franchise visited the country.

“He said, 'In Korea, we have three hosts. Here, we have only you.' Apparently, in Korea, there’s one host, one comedian, and a singer. Well at least I have done two out of three,” he jokingly added.

“I Can See Your Voice” features six secret singers and a guest star who must guess who among the contestants is a SEE-nger (one who can sing) and who among them is a SEE-ntunado (one who cannot sing or tone deaf). To help the guest star make the cut, a group of SING-vestigators composed of Angeline Quinto, Alex Gonzaga, Kean Cipriano, Wacky Kiray and Andrew E will comment and give their opinions every round.

For the first round called “Stop, LOOKs and Listen,” the guest star must eliminate one secret singer based on how he or she looks. To help the guest star decide, a video profile showing the lives of the secret singers plus a very quick preview of their actual singing voice will also be played.

At the end of the round, the eliminated secret singer must step on the Stage of Truth and sing live to reveal if he or she is a SEE-nger or a SEE-ntunado. The eliminated secret singer will receive a consolation prize of P5,000.

The game gets tougher in the second round called “The Voice is Synching,” where the five remaining secret singers must lipsynch a song. If the secret singer is a SEE-nger, he or she will lipsynch to his or her own voice and if he or she is a SEE-ntunado, he or she will sing along to someone else’s voice. Two contestants must bid goodbye at the end of the round and will receive P10,000 each.

In the final round called “I Like to Prove it, Prove it,” the last three secret singers will have their last chance to convince the guest star to pick them as the winner. Each one will present a piece of evidence, such as a photograph or a medal, to prove that they can really sing.

The guest star again picks two contestant to eliminate, who will go home with P15,000 each. The last secret singer standing will be named the winner, get P25,000 cash, and sing a duet with the guest star. If the winner is a SEE-nger, he or she will automatically get to compete in "Tawag ng Tanghalan" of “It’s Showtime.” 

This week, “Mr. Pure Energy” Gary Valenciano and Broadway Diva Lea Salonga try their luck at guessing who the SEE-nger is. 

“I Can See Your Voice” is the first Korean game format localized by ABS-CBN. The show is a big hit in Korea and has been distributed in many countries worldwide. The show will premiere this Saturday and Sunday (September 16 and 17) at 9:30 p.m.