JD (right) with dad Manila Mayor Isko Moreno
I don’t want to… Ayoko!” Joaquin “JD” Domagoso said, grumbling and laughing, when asked by the show biz press if he could see himself becoming a presidential son in the near future.
As early as now, rumors are rife that his father, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno, may run for president in the 2022 elections. And such talks were further fueled by Isko’s recent pronouncement that he would let “destiny decide” about that matter.
JD’s trepidation, however, stems mostly from his playful aversion to the prospect of having a security group following his every move.
“Ayoko ng bodyguard! I’m always with my manager, handlers [when I go to work]. But of course, being the president’s son will be tough—I wouldn’t be able to move around freely anymore. Iihi lang ako, i-check muna lahat ng bathrooms!” JD jestingly told reporters, after the recent pilot airing of GMA 7’s new weekly variety show, “All-Out Sundays.”
But in all seriousness, the 18-year-old show biz newbie said he was proud of the work his father has been doing for the city of Manila. And despite his comfortable upbringing, JD is well aware of his father’s humble roots and life in Tondo.
“He never lets us forget it… You got to be aware—a lot of people are suffering. And he’s out there trying to make a change,” JD said. “I don’t get to see him a lot because he’s so busy these days. But I know he’s like a superhero, saving other people.”Seeing him perform onstage, it was obvious that JD enjoys being in front of the cameras. Off-air, during commercial breaks, the slightest hint of music prompted him to bust out his dance moves—much to the amusement of the studio audience.
Joaquin “JD” Domagoso
“I’m enjoying myself … super. I just love the songs being played—OPM, English songs,” said JD, who couldn’t help but turn giddy when, at one point, more reporters started crowding around him. “So many cameras—one, two, three, four, five… I don’t know where to look!”
JD didn’t have to be talked into entering the entertainment industry. He has always been a hyperactive child, he related, and he knew that he had to channel his energy into something … somehow.
“Bibo talaga ako. Sa sobrang bibo ko, I realized that this is what I had to do eventually. That got me thinking, ‘What’s the perfect job for someone like me? Ah, show biz!’” he related, adding that his environment growing up may have something to do with his interest in this field. “I meet a lot of people because of Papa. Maybe because of that, I got better at interacting with people,” said JD, who kickstarted his foray into the biz after bumping into Wowie Roxas, his father’s former manager. “We’re family friends with Daddy Wowie. The topic was brought up. Then, we messaged each other afterwards. One day, Daddy Wowie talked to Papa.”
Aside from being a mainstay in “All-Out Sundays,” JD is also set to star in an upcoming comedy-thriller film, “Jolly Spirit Squad,” where he plays a ghost hunter. But though he has been booking more jobs recently, studies, he stressed, is still his top priority; bad grades wouldn’t be tolerated.
“I had to cancel a project because of my school schedule. I can’t miss it,” said JD, a first year, business entrepreneurship student at Southville International School. “Education comes first.”
Having a girlfriend can wait, too. “I don’t have one,” he insisted. “Huwag na muna! Matagal pa. Right now, I’m not ready yet.”
But he does have a celebrity crush. “Sanya Lopez!” he readily revealed.
Meanwhile, asked if his father has given him any advice in his pursuit for a career in show biz, JD said: “Listen—that simple. I had just entered this world, so the best thing I could do is listen to those who have been here for a while. Listen to my manager, my directors, my coactors to help myself get better at this.”