Jericho—the face that launches soaps

Jericho Rosales and Arci Muñoz

It’s hard to leave the Philippines, even for a while,” Jericho Rosales said of why he turned down acting projects abroad.

His last international gig was the soap series, “Kusina Cinta,” that aired in Malaysia in 2014. “I didn’t get to do anything else after that, because I had to stay away for a longer period of time. It was difficult, because my family and work are here,” explained Jericho.

He was first seen on Malaysian television in 2008 opposite Malaysian actress Carmen Soo in “Kahit Isang Saglit,” which also aired in Manila and Singapore.

His 2000 drama series, “Pangako sa ’Yo,” which also featured Kristine Hermosa, was shown in Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, as well as in territories in West Africa and Latin America.

“It makes me feel giddy when people, even in Africa, would call me Angelo (his character in ‘Pangako sa ’Yo’) when they see me in public, or when a Chinese businessman would approach me at an airline lounge to have a photo with me because he said his wife liked me,” Jericho recalled.

According to ABS-CBN business unit head Ruel Bayani, “There’s no other Kapamilya actor who has sold more drama programs all over the world than Jericho. He introduced the Philippines to the rest of the world.”

Bayani claimed that the country’s best-selling soap series (in terms of global distribution) in 2015 was “Bridges of Love,” which also featured Jericho. This was why, Bayani said, Jericho remained the face of the network’s efforts to distribute its content to other parts of the globe.

“Whenever ABS-CBN joins the annual Mipcom [event] in France, all the Kapamilya shows would be presented, but Jericho’s would always be at the center for everyone to see,” Bayani added. “He is known to many foreign buyers.”

Mipcom, International Market of Communications Programs in English, is an annual trade show held in October in Cannes.

“I’ve always dreamed of sharing my work with people in different parts of the world, and ABS-CBN gave me that opportunity,” said Jericho, the star of the latest Kapamilya drama series, “Magpahanggang Wakas.”

Jericho said most of his followers on his social media websites were from outside the Philippines. “I make sure to post captions in English, or sometimes, I provide translations,” he told the Inquirer. “It’s an exciting time for me. I hope to help elevate the quality of soap operas in the Philippines. I keep thinking, I should always give my best in every project, because people in other places would want to watch it.”