Alfred Vargas and son Christiano; Seth Fedelin. Image from Armin P. Adina
MANILA, Philippines — Some of the country’s hottest celebrities have surely made people smile. Now they are sharing the things that make them beam with glee.
“Pokemon makes me smile. As the Pokemon Ambassador in the Philippines, I’m trying to bring the community together here, and it always makes me happy. It’s one of my happy pills every morning,” Markki Stroem told INQUIRER.net on the sidelines of an event mounted by a dental services clinic in Quezon City.
Markki Stroem. Image by Armin P. Adina
Seth Fedelin, one of the hottest young stars in the country, fresh from the success of the mystery drama “Dirty Linen,” and now also part of another crime series, “Fractured,” kept it short and somewhat mysterious. When asked what makes him smile, the actor responded, “her,” without elaborating, while a sheepish grin is plastered on his bedimpled face.
The winners of the recently-concluded Misters of Filipinas pageant also attended the event, and shared the reasons they smile. Man of the World Philippines Kenneth Vincent Cabungcal said he always flashes a smile “because I want that to reflect on your faces. I want this to mirror on your faces.”
Mister Fitness Supermodel World Philippines Godfrey Nikolai Murillo, Mister Tourism and Culture Universe Philippines Drei Arias, and Mister Teenager Universe Philippines Lloyd Figeuras all said that their families make them smile.
First runner-up Brent Dalman said he always finds a reason to smile with the people around him, while second runner-up James Harley Lajos said “my Lord” makes him smile.
Man Hot Star Philippines RJ De Vera, for his part, said “life itself” makes him smile. “Every time I wake up, I think of the good things in my life so that I can have a good smile on my face,” he shared.
Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas, who at one time in his show biz career was one of the most desirable men in the industry, revealed that the things that make him smile have changed as he grew older.
“My priorities in life changed. Before, it was all about career, all about achievements. Now it’s all about family, it’s all about legacy,” he told INQUIRER.net in an interview after he announced the Quezon City government’s partnership with Urban Smiles for dental missions in the city’s districts.
“Two weeks ago, my eldest texted me for the first time. And it made me smile. ‘My child is now my textmate? Wow, I’m texting my child!’ The whole time we were in the hospital, I was texting her. She was making sure the house is in order. Wow, that made me smile!” said the public servant about his 12-year-old daughter Alexandria with wife Yasmine. He brought his four-year-old son Christiano to the event.
Vargas also imparted a piece of advice to those who are finding it hard to smile these days. “Take it easy, believe in the goodness of others and the goodness of the universe. A smile is free, a smile is contagious,” he said. EDV