Body Talk with Victor Aliwalas

It sounds like a cliché but it’s true: Victor Aliwalas, the New Yorker who speaks Filipino like a local, got into showbiz by accident.

His parents (names withheld upon Victor’s request — “For their privacy, you know” — his mother is from Sorsogon) are ranking officers of a Fil-Am association in New York which sponsors an annual Filipiniana affair with a fashion show of Filipino couture as side attraction two years ago.

“I was tapped to be one of the models by one of the couturiers we invited from the Philippines,” related Victor. “I said, ‘Why not?’ For fun, you know. I modeled a Barong Tagalog. One couturier said that if I ever came to the Philippines for vacation, I could be a model or an actor. I could do daw a photo shoot just for fun. So I did just that.”

The New York Business Administration graduate (major in Marketing and Finance, minor in Management Information System) was hooked. In barely two years, Victor has done four soaps at GMA (he’s under contract with the network’s Artist Center) — Marimar (as the lawyer of Marimar played by Marian Rivera), Kim Samsoon, Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan, an SRO tele-series Suspetsa and Kaya Kong Abutin ang Langit.

“Did I have any acting experience back in New York? None, never! But I’m getting the hang of it.”

Already, he’s making heads turn not only as an actor but also as a hunk, getting a lingering high when he was listed among the Top 10 Sexy Showbiz Bachelors by S magazine (“We’re the No. 1 glossy showbiz mag,” said Wilson Lee Flores, its editor-in-chief).

A Virgo (Sept. 7), Victor stands 5’10”; weighs 170 lbs.; and wears medium-size shirt, size-31 briefs and size-10 shoes.

How did you get that kind of body?

“I was asked the same question in a TV interview and I said that I was lucky to have beautiful parents. It’s in my genes.”

Both your mom and dad are Filipino, right?

“Yes, they are...from the Philippines talaga. I am a full-blooded Filipino.”

Is it hard to maintain that kind of body?

“Not really. As I said, it’s genetic. You see, some people work really hard and yet they can’t achieve their goal. Genetically speaking, the muscle definition just isn’t there. I’m lucky to have a nice genetic combination. Just the same, I try to work hard in the gym. And I observe a healthy diet.”

What kind of diet do you follow?

“It depends. If I don’t have a shoot coming up, I pretty much eat whatever I want. But then, if there’s a pictorial or a taping and I have to look mas defined, mas trim, I avoid eating salty, fatty and oily foods. I eat whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, chicken breasts minus the skin, mga ganoon. I make sure I take multivitamins, Centrum.”

You don’t take any minerals or supplements?

“If I’m trying to gain weight, I take protein isolate.”

Do you take anything for muscle enhancement?

“No, I don’t. I used to take creatine.”

Do you manage to take three square meals a day or, pinaka-mabuti raw, six small meals a day? 

“I’d like to but since I’m too busy I can’t take six small meals a day. It’s hard pala being an artista. Sometimes they want you to be muscular, sometimes naman they want you to be lean. What I do is eat when I can, and only when I’m hungry.”

Do you prepare your own meals?

“When I was staying in my relatives’ place, a maid would prepare our meals. But now that I have my own place, I prepare my own meals. Yes, I can cook. I learned how in my mom’s kitchen. Marunong akong magluto kaya puede na akong mag-asawa.”

What’s your favorite recipe?

“Chicken marinade. I soak the chicken in vinegar and spices and put it in the ref overnight. Then I either broil it or fry it.”

Favorite vegetables?

“Kangkong and broccoli.”

How much water do you take per day?

“About six to eight glasses, aside from juice drinks.”

Being the sporty type, do you sweat a lot?

“Actually, I don’t. It’s weird! Kahit mainit talaga, I don’t perspire that much. I don’t know if it’s healthy or unhealthy.”

Soda?

“Coke Zero. My favorite.”

Coffee?

“Not so much now. Before, when I worked in an office, I would drink coffee when I’m tired in the morning to perk me up.”

Tea?

“Yes, green tea.”

Hard drinks?

“When I’m out, Rhum and Coke.”

Do you smoke?

“No, I don’t.”

How often do you work out?

“I’m inconsistent, depending on my schedules. Sometimes I would go for a few weeks without working out and then I would work out really hard for two weeks straight. I try to do weights at home. But what really makes me lose weight fast is boxing.”

What’s your favorite sport?

“Golf.”

What part of your body needs improvement?

“I need to strengthen my legs, my thighs.”

What part of your body is most vulnerable?

“Wala. I’m invincible. Yabang, ‘no! Hahahaha!”

And what part naman is your favorite?

“My brains.”

Wow, why?

“’Yon ang pinaka-importante, di ba?

And what part of a girl’s body do you notice first?

“Her face, especially her eyes. But for me, the sexiest part of a girl’s body is the slope of her back.”

What else turns you on?

“She has to be smart. She must be a good conversationalist.”

With your schedule, do you get enough sleep?

“Oh my God, malabo talaga ang sleep ko...even before I joined showbiz. I’m not insomniac but I like to stay up late at night. I’m very productive and I’m always trying to do something. So I get only as much as six hours of sleep per night.”

Do you sleep in the nude?

“No, I don’t.”

Favorite sleep wear?

“Sando and boxers.”

How many pillows do you sleep with?

“Three. Two under my head and one I hug.”

Do you snore?

“I don’t.”

Do you talk in your sleep?

“Siguro...paminsan-minsan.”

Do you sleepwalk?

“No, I don’t.”

What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

“Brush my teeth.”

And the first thing that you do when you wake up?

“Check ‘missed calls’ and messages on my celfone.”

How’s your love life?

“I’m seeing somebody now, not from showbiz.”

And your sex life?

“I plea the fifth amendment to avoid self-incrimination. Hahahaha!”

Do you have a night life?

“I go out with friends, but not too often. But I’d rather stay home and watch DVDs.”

What kind of movies do you like?

“Action and romance.”

What was the last movie that you saw?

“500 Days of Summer.”

What’s your outlook in life? Are you an optimist, a pessimist or a worry wart?

“I’m always anxious. Yes, I’m a bit of a worrier maybe because I’m a perfectionist.”

How do you cope with stress?

“I get a massage at the spa. Or I listen to music. Or I swap stories with my family and friends.”

Favorite hangout?

“The Fort.”

Favorite hideaway?

“New York. My family is there.”

Name three women you find sexy.

“Ivanka Trump (daughter of Donald Trump) kasi sobrang ganda, powerful and matalino. Nicole Scherzinger (of Pussycat Dolls) kasi ang lakas ng sex appeal and she’s a Pinay making a big name for Filipinos internationally. And Angel Locsin who seems very nice and does a lot for charity. She’s very beautiful I have yet to meet her.”

And three men with bodies as nice as yours?

“Derek Ramsay. Matthew McConaughey. And Manny Pacquiao, my idol.”

Using only body language, how would you make a woman know that you like her?

“I approach her and tell her straight, ‘Know what, I like you!’ I don’t just look.”

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