Jake: No reason to feel insecure

LUCENA, Philippines  â€” Jake Vargas looks vibrant and well-rested even if, according to him, his five-day stay in the US was packed with work.

“It’s mostly for work,” said Jake regarding his US trip. “We did tape for Pepito Manaloto and only a little time was left for leisure but I really enjoyed the trip. It was already my third time there. We went to Universal Studios and Hollywood.”

The warm reception of Pinoys in the US delighted Jake no end. He recalled how our kababayan had instantly recognized him during the meet-and-greet held at the Seafood City Cerritos in California.

“They were so happy to see Pinoy celebrities. Nakakatuwa nga din kasi kilala nila ko, di naman ako ‘Da Who?’ sa kanila, hahaha. I didn’t know that a lot of them have been watching us through GMA Pinoy TV until that day when our group met some of them. I and the other members of the cast of Pepito like Kuya Bitoy (Michael V), Tita Manilyn (Reynes), Angel (Satsumi) and Kuya Arthur (Solinap) received a pleasant welcome. And they kept on talking about Walang Tulugan (German Moreno’s late night show). Marami ding nakakakilala sa akin dun.”

In the local showbiz front, Jake admits young stars are rapidly increasing by the number which makes competition stiffer. These days, the next big thing comes as fast as the blink of the eyes. Look how Jake’s popularity seems to pale in comparison with Daniel Padilla who was able to fill the Araneta Coliseum to the rafters during his birthday concert.

“Truth is, napag-uusapan namin yun nila Derrick (Monasterio), Kristoffer (Martin), Alden (Richards) parang for us his (Daniel) surname is already an advantage. But for me, there’s no reason to feel insecure; okey lang because each has a talent to show na kahit paano nakilala kami sa kanya-kanya naming talent na binibigay sa tao.”

Jake has been around showbiz for six years now and it doesn’t bother him a bit if people deem him to be climbing in the ladder of success in “a gradual pace.”

“For me, I want to take everything slowly but surely because I believe superstardom can’t happen overnight; in order to stay long in showbiz, dahan-dahan talaga.”

And it looks like everything is going smoothly for the 19-year-old actor. His hands are full with TV acting projects aside from out of town shows like the Pasayahan Festival here in Lucena. In fact, Jake came a few minutes ahead of his co-stars in the GMA 7’s afternoon prime Home Sweet Home and other Kapuso talents invited to join in the 26th Pasayahan Festival last May 28.

Pasayahan Festival is an annual event held in the last week of May in honor of St. Ferdinand, the patron saint of Lucena. Pasayahan, which means “to make happy,” has street dancing and festive parades. It also promotes the ways of life inherent among the people of Lucena. As the festival organizers put it: The costumes and floats are reminiscent of Mardi Gras in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.

This year, GMA Network participated in the grand parade with Jake and other Kapuso talents Raymart Santiago, Roxanne Guinoo, Arthur Solinap, Rochelle Pangilinan and Jillian Ward waving down the streets of Lucena on the brightly-decorated Kapuso float.

“Pasayahan Festival has a special place in the network’s heart since our previous partnerships with SM City Lucena has been very successful. We have also seen how the festival has grown into a unique festival. More than anything else, the network joins festival to reach out to all our Kapuso,” said Oliver Amoroso, AVP for Regional TV, regarding the network’s aim in joining in the festival.

“It’s GMA’s way of saying thank you for supporting our programs through the years. Regional TV is cognizant of the different request of the Kapuso fans in each locality. Through our festival participation, Kapuso fans are given a chance to meet their favorite Kapuso stars upclose and personal. Pasayahan Festival is the first festival parade participation of the Kapuso Network in South Luzon this year. It is just fitting that we have prepared a float for one of the network’s top programs, Home Sweet Home. As we noticed that there are a lot of request from teens in Quezon for Jake, Teejay Marquez and Ken Chan, the synergy team decided to bring them to Lucena. To add more fun and excitement to the Lucenahens, we also have brought Raymart, Roxanne, Rochelle, Arthur and Jillian.”

There were 12 floats that participated in the parade. It started at Brgy. Iyam (Quezon National High School) and ended at SM City Lucena where the network staged its Kapuso Mall Show. Dingdong Dantes and Max Collins graced the affair. Their participation added to the excitement and thrill of the estimated crowd of 5,000 who trooped to the mall.

Jake, too, perfomed in the show after the grand parade. He sang Maghihintay Sa ‘Yo and Sana Ako Na Lang.

Asked how would he assess himself as an actor, Jake replied, “I’m still attending acting workshops to learn more. Heavy drama is the most challenging for me to do. It’s too tough for me to cry on-cam kaya ‘yun talaga ang tina-try kong gawin ng tama.”

And what is his greatest achievement so far?

“I was given a good project, Tween Hearts, which lasted for two years.”

(GMA 7’s participation in the Pasayahan Festival will be featured in the weekly travelogue Let’s Fiesta on June 30 via the network’s regional stations in Bicol, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Dagupan, Ilocos, GenSan, Bacolod and CDO.)