Ryan Agoncillo preps for bike adventure in the Himalayas

Ryan Agoncillo —SCREENGRAB

Don’t be surprised if you don’t see Ryan Agoncillo in the noontime variety show “Eat Bulaga” for a couple of weeks later this year.

According to Ryan, this is because he is set to fulfill one of his biggest, longtime dreams—that is, going on a motorcycle adventure on some of the world’s highest motorable roads in the Indian side of the Himalayas.

Ryan said he would be riding with a group of six experienced Filipino riders. Training for the trip had already begun, he added.

“It is gnarly up there. The terrain is beautiful but very dangerous. It’ll be summer when we get there, but the hottest temperature we can expect is roughly 6 degrees Celsius,” said the riding enthusiast, who often takes his bike to work. “Altitude sickness could present problems, so we are really conditioning ourselves. We have to be physically fit.”

While this trip would mean being away from his dabarkads for quite some time, this opportunity, he said, would simply be too good to pass up.
“It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said.

Ryan, a seasoned television host, was named most trusted entertainment-variety show presenter at the recent Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brands Awards.

“Show biz can be a noisy industry; a lot of things are being constantly said. But to be one of the voices whom people trust is very heartening,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the ceremonies.

Although celebrities are also being marketed as brands—especially in this digital age—staying true to one’s self is still the way to go, according to Ryan.

“The message you put out is crucial. If you want people to listen, you have to choose the things you say wisely, and make sure that what you say and what you do are the same and truthful,” he said, on how to earn the confidence of the audience.

“We can choose the way to package ourselves, especially these days. I am a presenter and a father. I guess I am lucky that the things I wanted for my career jibed with what actually happened in my life,” Ryan said.

“But it is really down to who you are, because how you are perceived, you cannot control,” he added.

Ryan pointed out that being honored was “thrilling” and “very special,” because the night’s other awardees included acclaimed broadcast journalists Mike Enriquez and Jessica Soho—two of his idols growing up.

“Mike and Jessica used to be my bosses when I was 19, 20 years old, working at GMA 7’s news and public affairs department,” recalled Ryan, whose earliest television jobs included a hosting gig in the show, “Mornings@GMA,” in the late 1990s.