Enchong Dee has always been a multi-tasker. Back in the day, he was an actor, a college student, a model and a member of his school’s varsity swimming team who went on to participate in the Asian and SEA Games. He acquitted himself well in all those endeavors — he built a reputation as a bankable actor in movies and TV, earned good grades and won over 400 medals as a swimmer.
? Enchong has since hung up his Speedos, but he continues to juggle his acting and modeling career with the occasional foray into hosting and singing. In fact, not only has he put out a second album under Star Music called EDM (Enchong Dee Moves), but he has also been tapped to host a show on the Knowledge Channel called AgriCOOLture.
? According to the Knowledge Channel’s official website, the show aims to educate people — primarily eighth and ninth grade students — on the country’s top agricultural fields. Enchong said he was thrilled when the opportunity to do the show came along because he grew up on the Knowledge Channel’s programs, and he’s eager to share them with a new generation of students.
“Naging parte po siya ng childhood ko,” Enchong told reporters at a press conference at which the Knowledge Channel’s new programming slate was announced. “I’m very happy that I was chosen by Knowledge Channel to be part of this. I’m sure it’s going to be fun and interesting.”
?According to Enchong, these days, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, kids name many jobs — call center agent, doctor, lawyer, nurse — all except those in the agricultural sector. He says this is primarily because they don’t believe a career in agriculture would pay enough for them to live on. That, Enchong explains, is exactly what his show will disprove.
“Dito sa AgriCoolture, ini-encourage namin ang mga bata na hindi lang mga big buildings, call centers or iba pang malalaking kumpanya ang pwedeng maging daan para magkaroon sila ng magandang kinabukasan,” he said. “Nagulat ako nung minsang nag-taping ako sa Costales Nature Farms. May nakilala nga ako doon who earns P5M a month. So yun, ini-encourage namin ang mga bata by showing them na maraming magandang oportunidad ang pwedeng maidulot sa kanila ng agriculture. I hope after watching, the kids will be encouraged to try their hand in agriculture. It is actually a very stable business. At the same time, the income is stable as well.”
All talk of money aside, Enchong said there are other benefits to pursuing a career in agriculture. “Well, besides the income, you can also have fun while doing the process. Yung pag-tatanim, hindi siya mahirap. Ipapakita din namin sa show na kahit nasa urban places ka, pwede ka pa rin mag-tanim. You can have a farm in your balcony or in your veranda, and you will enjoy the process. Because the next thing you know, you have fresh and organic food. Alam mong sa ‘yo nanggaling at ikaw mismo ang nag-alaga. So if you go into agriculture, you can earn and at the same time be healthy. Yun ang maganda sa ipapakita namin sa AgriCOOLture.”
? Enchong isn’t just paying lip service when he talks of the benefits of agriculture. When he was a boy growing up in Naga, his mother ran a piggery and a poultry business. “Lumaki ako na laging may manok na kinakatay sa bahay namin. Ganun yung childhood ko. Hindi malayo na bumalik kami sa ganung negosyo in the future, kasi may background na kami kung paano magpatakbo ng babuyan at poultry,” he said.
? These days, Enchong’s plate is full of tapings for AgriCOOLture, mall shows to promote his album and a healthy movie career (his latest, the romantic horror-comedy I Love You to Death under Regal Films). Enchong shared that the secret to doing many things and doing them well — at least as far as he’s concerned — is time management.
“Well, sa akin kasi when I was studying sa Naga, naging maganda yung childhood ko kasi scholar ako ng local government noon. But I had to make sure maganda yung grades ko at hindi ko rin napapabayaan yung sport ko, which is swimming. Yun yung naging responsibility ko noon. I was studying, swimming and working. It’s possible — you just have to be responsible and manage your time well.”