Ex-‘PBB’ housemate takes role as goodwill ambassador seriously

Richard visits SOS village

“Quarantine life started out fairly difficult for me,” said young actor Richard Juan, who lost an important acting gig in the drama series “Love Thy Woman” as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of my projects were canceled or shortened—including interviews with international celebrities, a shoot in Thailand, and, of course, ‘Love Thy Woman,’ which had to stop shooting in March due to the lockdown,” said Richard, who played Richie Tan in the series.

Richard, who is also an events host and model, kickstarted his show biz career by winning the People’s Choice award in the talent segment “You’re My Foreign” of “Eat… Bulaga!” He was also a housemate of “Pinoy Big Brother: 737.”

Richard said he made sure to keep himself busy even while at home. “I was able to accomplish many things. One of the highlights was when I got to support nine hospitals by sourcing, coordinating and air couriering PPEs, eye shields and surgical gloves from Hong Kong at the height of the demand,” he beamed.

Early this month, Richard signed up to become the goodwill ambassador of SOS Children’s Village Philippines, a nongovernment organization that focuses on providing “alternative care” to children who are at risk or have lost parental care.

Early this year, Richard assisted in distributing relief goods to affected families of SOS Children’s Village in Lipa, Batangas. In February, he organized a baking workshop for children and gave flowers to SOS mothers for Valentine’s Day.

Richard Juan during
baking session

As an ambassador, Richard will focus on youth empowerment. “First and foremost, I need to be a ‘kuya’ to the children in the village. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do—to inspire and motivate the youth,” Richard explained. “The vision of SOS is also something that resonates with me: ‘No child should grow up alone.’”

Richard is only the second celebrity to advocate SOS Children’s Village Philippines’ causes, following actress Kyline Alcantara. “My first encounter with them was back in December 2019, when I visited along with one of the brands that I was endorsing at a Christmas event,” he recalled. “I instantly connected with several kids there and I told myself that I will definitely be back, even just by myself or with my supporters (the Juanderers).”

When it comes to hosting, we asked him to discuss the skills of the following personalities: Luis Manzano, Robi Domingo and Billy Crawford.

“Luis is very versatile. He started from acting and has moved into hosting. He can handle pretty much any kind of show, both in English and Tagalog. He’s just awesome,” said Richard.

Meanwhile, Richard regarded Robi as a “very experienced” host. “We’ve collaborated for a couple of YouTube videos, and it’s clear to me that he’s well-versed and knowledgeable.

“I always hear the term ‘triple threat,’ but Billy is a show biz quadruple threat! He can sing, act, host, and, of course, dance,” Richard observed. “He started his career in entertainment super early and has done so many things around the world—and he’s not even 40 yet. That just amazes me so much.”