The road to success has always been hurdled with enormous encumbrances and impediments to test one’s endurance and capability to survive. We’re all brought to this world destined to bear what’s in store for us. The critical challenge for continuous existence only extenuates after putting in an empowering amount of persuasive assiduousness and wholehearted dedication to whatever one decrees to achieve.
As an unknown philosopher once said: “Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.”
Movie dramatic actor and singer-songwriter Jericho Rosales epitomizes the very quintessential exponent of one who rose from the disheartening state of abysmal depths to unfathomed heights after having triumphed over a wide array of insurmountable odds and trials along his topsy-turvy journey.
Born Jericho Vibar Rosales on September 22, 1979 in Quezon City, the boy had been engulfed with undulating tribulations at such tender age. His parents’ marital separation when he was barely 10 greatly impacted his formative years but that botched to totally wash away the lofty dreams massively building within his young mind.
Despite the difficulty to make both ends meet and keep his soul and body strappingly intact Echo, as he’s addressed by friends, still managed to simultaneously study and work. Unmindful of what his classmates might say, he dared to be a fish vendor in the morning before school, a pizza boy after classes and a jeepney barker or a driver during weekends. His meager earning justifiably augmented his family’s diminishing material resources.
Despite the deprivation of up-dated clothes and school paraphernalia, Echo sacrificed to wear tattered but clean shirts and rundown pants just to get over with his studies and fortunately enough, withstood the test of time.
“There were even time when I have to color my only rubber shoes (which I used for Physical Education) with black Pentel pen just to have something to wear with my daily uniform. Then, washed it back to white for my P.E.,” the low-keyed actor candidly confessed sans ignominy.
But life’s travails and tribulations never hang about for long to those who persevere and tried hard to attain their desired goals. Through his friends’ recommendation Jericho joined Eat Bulaga’s Mr. Pogi search, a segment of the popular noontime show discovering potential talents for TV, movies, and ramp.
Being good looking with a tremendous amount of appealing personality especially when perfectly outfitted, it wasn’t surprising at all when he ended up as Grand Finalist number 15 representing Marikina and as a dead-ringer of Charlie Sheen. Handsomely garbed in a fully embroidered black and white barong Tagalog, the street smart bedimpled looker was equipped with an innately creative skill and indisputable social deportment. It was easy for Jericho to be among the top three and eventually finished the contest as Mr. Pogi 1996 title holder.
With his prize money, Echo gifted himself with a bottle of his most obsessed cologne, treated his co-contestants to a snack-spree ( he promised them if he wins), and a big share, of course, for his mother and family.
I could only reminisce Echo’s well-deserved victory with such fondness having had personally witnessed the significant event that inevitably changed the life of the soon-to-be one of the Philippines’ most respected and multi-awarded young dramatic actors of his time. I felt I was part of that moving drama unfolding before my very eyes. I sat in the panel as judge together with Bernadette Alison (the wife of actor Gary Estrada) and James Cooper (the celebrated make-up artist closely identified with Maricel Soriano) …aside, of course, from the fact that as the featured fashion designer I provided the barong Tagalog for all the candidates.
It was a complete life-changing moment that gave Echo the break to rub elbows with celebrities he merely used to watch on TV and films…and now he’s suddenly a part of them. For a while, he became a regular cast of Eat Bulaga and a promising property of the network until guestings became as rare as raindrops in a summer day.
Good opportunities knock on deserving people and when a door closes, another opens.
The almost dismayed instant celebrity got a reviving breath when ABS-CBN stepped into the picture and signed him into a contract giving his nearly aborted dream that much-needed realization.
With an already growing fan base, developing physical attributes, ascertained confidence, and in the process of creating his own acting identity in the field where he’s deemed to excel, Echo’s journey went smooth sailing.
The 5’11 debonair actor, in search for more avenues to explore, joined a new all-male sing-and-dance group. Aptly tagged, The Hunks, the group was composed of equally handsome performers from his mother studio: Carlos Agassi, Piolo Pascual, Bernard Palanca, and Diether Ocampo. Suffice it to say that due to their individual status as celebrity actors and product endorsers this ala-Village People counterpart was a tremendous hit in all their local and overseas performances.
This directly ignited the ember in Echo’s passion for singing and composing which had been deeply-embedded within him. Together with friends Don Serenado on guitars, Jude Manota on Bass, and Aaron Ace Manio on drums, they formed The JEANS Band. Their maiden album, Loose Fit, was released in 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia under EMI Records through a Malaysian friend, Kish Ram.
But due to the mushrooming growth of boy bands and the stiff market competitions, Jericho decided to go solo and capitalized on his established showbiz career to take off. With the release of his solo album, Korona, the talented artist has finally found his niche where to carve his name and stamp his musical mark.
The album of 11 cuts, including the carrier single, “Paboritong Tag-ulan,” is fully loaded with soulfully penned lyrics, masterfully composed music, and cleverly chosen ditties: Beautiful In My Eyes, Dahil sa Pag-ibig, Paboritong Tag-ulan, Kasama Ka, Halaga, Bumuhos Man ang Ulan, Pusong Ligaw, Makita KangMuli, Ikaw Pa Rin, Paglisan, and Kamusta Ka Aking Mahal.
“Paboritong Tag-ulan”, the MTV directed by Paolo Valenciano, is Echo’s bouncy melodious Tagalog composition specially penned for his new bride, Kim Jones, a British-Filipino model and host who was born in the UK and raised in Australia. Kim came to the Philippines in 2010 to dip her toes in Manila’s modeling scene.
A dinner-date (sort of match-up) was set by their common friend, wife of co-actor Dominic Ochoa. After consistent persuasions, (Echo being in the state of “getting-away-from-it-all” following a string of troubled and failed relations with Angelika Dela Cruz, Kristine Hermosa, and Heart Evangelista, just to name a few), he finally agreed and the rendezvous paid off. The elusive bachelor was instantly smitten…and directly hooked!
After 8 months of dating and having realized to have found his perfect soulmate Echo stanchly proposed during his 34th birthday after a Sunday mass service. Eight months later, the lovely couple finally tied the knot in a beach wedding in Boracay on May 1, 2014. He even surprised his newly-wedded bride with a tattoo underneath his right arm which read: “Miss Jones.”
Truly a born-artist and a nature lover, Jericho’s concentration wasn’t on showbiz alone for he regularly indulges in strenuous physical sports like surfing which gave him and Kim more bonding time to discover deeper about one another. In this connection, Jericho made a pledge: “For me, I’m really trying my best to stay in shape because I promised that when I reach 50 I will be strong and in shape for her and our future kids!”
Take a share of Jericho Rosales’ life story and be part of him even for a moment as he performs and personally entertains his fans on Saturday and Sunday, August 16 and 17, respectively, when he goes on stage at the Fiesta in America at the Meadowlands Expo Center, 355 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, New Jersey 07094.
Echo will initially appear at the 2014 People’s Ball on Friday, August 15, at Double Tree by Hilton Newark Liberty International Airport.
Jericho Rosales will be joined by Concert King Martin Nievera, funny-bone tickler comedienne Fe de los Reyes, plus a bevy of Asian and Latino talents during the two-day largest east coast indoor festival of music, entertainment, culture, food, and business networking at the 2014 Fiesta in America.
To sponsor, exhibit, attend or for ticket information, pls. call 212.682.6610 or email: [email protected] or visit: www.philippinefiesta.com
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