Why Vic Sotto remains at the top of his game

Vic Sotto enjoys a resilient career and remains relevant to audiences.

From Mondays to Saturdays, he is in his cool, funny man element as part of the noontime variety show leader Eat, Bulaga’s hosting ensemble. Then, Vic hops to the conservative Batangueño father character named Barak in the weekend sitcom, Daddy’s Gurl.

Despite his hectic schedule, Vic delivers and never shortchanges his fans.

By the looks of it, the 67-year-old has embraced the adage, “Health is wealth.” With his Bossing moniker on TV, one can say that Vic is in charge of his healthy lifestyle.

“(It’s about eating the) right food and (taking the) right food supplements and vitamins,” said Vic of his diet and health regimen in a recent press conference via Zoom. He couples that with an exercise routine and a positive outlook in life. “Yun ang pinaka-importante para sa akin bukod dun sa mga supplements and all that,” shared he.

“In the past years (and up to this day), na inabot tayo ng pandemya, most of us have become health conscious,” added Vic and reflected that in the used-to-be normal times “(people) sometimes tend to forget the importance of being healthy, (knowing) kung ano yung kinakain natin and (if) we get enough sleep. ‘Pag sinabi nating kalusugan, yan dapat ang ating bossing.”

Vic is a “walking advertisement” of someone who commits to a healthy way of life and savors more the joys of pursuing one’s work passion and spending quality time with friends — and more importantly, family.

“Alam mo kasi si Tali parang entertainer namin nung nanay niya,” shared Vic of a day in his and wife Pauleen Luna’s life with daughter Tali. “Kwento nang kwento sa kanyang pretend games, yung mga make-believe niya, dire-diretso yun, walang tigil yun.”

His four-year-old baby girl can speak straight and in complete sentences, added the host-actor. The child and parents have graduated from baby talk.

Since Tali, also the family’s source of happiness, is a bundle of energy, Vic attributes to staying healthy his being able to keep up with her.

“May kalikutan na yung bata, (she would challenge me by saying,) ‘You can’t catch me. You can’t catch me. Okay, let’s play hide and seek. I’ll count one to 10 and you hide and I’ll look for you,”’ recalled he. “Kailangan may energy ka, hindi lang sa physical pati sa pagsalita dahil parang talo ata si Pauleen sa kadaldalan.”

Vic, who has adjusted well to the work-from-home setup, is happy to witness the growth of Tali and her many firsts.

“Marami akong nakita na firsts, yung first na salitang malinaw,” he enumerated, “first sentence, yung first song na natutunan niya, magaling yung tenga niya… kahit sounds like lang… nakakatuwa yung ability niya sa music. She’s very music-minded at ang memory niya grabe.” One of his latest discoveries about Tali is her being a fan of BTS and a member of BTS Army. “She knows the songs Dynamite and Butter,” said he.

Asked how he is as a father to Tali and older children like Danica (Pingris), Oyo, Paulina and Pasig City Mayor Vico, Vic said: “Being a father, I try my best… alam naman natin na, through the years, I’ve been very busy with my work. I just want to give credit sa mga nanay ng aking mga anak dahil sila talaga ang mga magagaling maghubog, mag-guide. Ako naman, eh, magsasalita lang naman ako ‘pag kinailangan na ang aking advice. Basta ‘pag dating sa mga anak (ko), hindi naman ako ganun kahigpit, yung tama lang… yung sakto lang, saktong disiplina at ako’y nagpapasalamat lang and thankful na mababait yung aking mga anak, hindi sila naging problema sa akin, eh, at thankful ako na magagaling yung mga nanay nila.”

The veteran comedian is at the top of his game, be it at work or at home, because he again prioritizes his health. He has found a partner in BossMax3, a dietary supplement and coffee made from Mangosteen Xanthone, to maintain the lifestyle he has already started. Its coffee and capsule are part of his diet. The product, according to its team, boosts one’s immune system, strengthens the bones and joints, improves heart health, and enhances mental health. With that, Vic is able fulfill his responsibilities on- and off-camera. (BossMax3 Mangosteen Xanthone is available at Mercury Drugstores, Watsons, and other leading drugstores nationwide.)

“Mas maliksi at ang utak ko mas mabilis (I’m more agile and I think faster),” said he, “Mas parang tumaas yung energy level mo and napansin ko parang hindi ako basta-basta nagkaka-sipon, nagkaka-ubo, nagkaka-sakit. I don’t remember the last time that I had a cold or cough.”

Aside from sticking to a healthy diet, Vic emphasized the importance of having an optimistic outlook on life, a tip on how to grow old gracefully.

“Kung may problema ka, ‘wag mong problemahin (If you have a problem, don’t dwell on it),” said he. “‘Wag mong problemahin yung problema, hayaan mo siya. Magkakaroon ng solusyon yan. Kasi isa yun sa mga malakas na maka-stress sa atin… na minsan eh, nag-o-overreact lang naman tayo na hindi naman ganun ka bigat yung problema, pinabibigat natin.”

However, Vic also acknowledged that there are “mabibigat na problema” that one could encounter and thought that there’s a solution to every problem. “Di tayo bibigyan ng problema ng Panginoon na hindi natin kayang ayusin,” added he. “Kung hindi natin kaya, hingi tayo ng tulong sa Kanya (If we find it too much to bear, we ask help from Him). (We have to be) thankful for all the blessings, for everything, the good, the bad. Dapat thankful pa rin tayo sa lahat ng bagay. Maging thankful tayo sa Panginoon, thankful tayo sa ating family at sa ating mga kaibigan.”

Being grateful, too, is a way of life.