Keith, Raisa and Joyce are the Secarats it girls

January 11, 2017

Keith Cruz (school uniform), Raisa Dayrit (school uniform) and Joyce Abestano (school uniform)

MANILA, Philippines - They are three of the rising heartthrobs in showbiz today. But there’s more to them than their crush-worthy looks.

Meet AJ Muhlach, Josh Padilla and Aki Torio, the reigning princes at Viva Artists Agency.

They are following in the footsteps of classic Viva matinee idols like Aga Muhlach, Gabby Concepcion and Raymond Lauchengco. And like them, AJ, Josh and Aki have talent to spare.

AJ is starting to carve a name for himself as a dramatic actor in the mold of older brother Aga. He has been acting for only less than a year but he already has a nomination under his belt (from the 2011 Golden Screen Awards for TV for his role in the hit teen-oriented TV series Bagets). He has since sparred with veterans like Gabby Concepcion and Dina Bonnevie in the teleserye P.S. I Love You. He will next be seen in another teleserye that promises to further hone his dramatic chops.

Aki is taking the comedy route. The half-Filipino, half-Japanese, who first hogged the limelight as a member of the dance pop group XLR8, is now winning more fans with his comic timing and likeability that he puts on display in Bagets. He is especially winsome with his heavily accented Tagalog on and off-screen. He will show it off in his forthcoming movie debut, Moron 5, direk Wenn Deramas’ follow-up to the blockbuster Praybeyt Benjamin. Aki is Viva’s bet for future Prince of Comedy.

Josh is a romantic leading man in the making. He has the boy-next-door looks with a toothpaste commercial-ready smile and that clean-cut upper-middle class air that sends the hearts of girls a-flutter. He is also a gifted singer just like his dad, ’80s pop hitmaker Gino Padilla. Very few other male stars his age have the same winning combination. Josh is also set to make his movie debut in Moron 5. Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

The past year has provided a good warm-up for these newbies. Now AJ, Aki, and Josh are ready for their close-up as the next generation of tinseltown royalty.