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Why is Robin Padilla still on top?

Robin appears in an event in Tondo, Manila to encourage youths to take advantage of DepEd's Abot Alam to seize education opportunities.
Robin appears in an event in Tondo, Manila to encourage youths to take advantage of DepEd's Abot Alam to seize education opportunities.

Robin Padilla seems to be making the right moves.

While the sun might not have always shone throughout his career of over three decades—starting as a young action star in the ‘80s—hitting highs and lows unimaginable for a showbiz personality, who would have thought he would stay on top of his game?

With the dearth of action films - his staple -- it was always believed that Robin will plunge to oblivion, the same way his contemporaries have fallen.

But Robin refused to budge, undaunted even as the writing would seem very clear on the wall.

Transformation

He has transformed himself through the years—from comedian (La Visa Loca) to TV host (Pilipinas Win na Win) to dramatic actor (Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw), even to rom-com heartthrob (Till I Met You). This, apart from his childlike charms, bad boy charisma with a haunting aura that still leaves audiences in awe, made him sustain his presence as lead player in the industry. At times, we still witness his brutal honesty, particularly in dealing with family matters, which makes him more controversial, yet acceptable and human— something people can relate to.

Robin’s other amazing trait is his willingness to take big risks. His roles may not be as appealing to the mainstream audience as a Vice Ganda comedy, an Anne Curtis drama, or a romance flick headlined by his nephew Daniel Padilla, but they are too significant, provocative and meaningful to pass over.

Comeback

His big comeback after a lull in projects in 2012 , was this kind of gamble that paid off. His unconventional role – that of a senator exposing government corruption in the 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry 10,000 Hours earned Robin rave reviews and best actor plums.

He followed it up with Sa Ngalan ng Ama, Ina, at mga Anak, where Robin played Ongkoy Parojinog, leader of the Kuratong Baleleng. While it had a modest box-office take, the film nevertheless gave a historical perspective on the infamous crime gang.

Robin has also spread his wings from his comedic TV appearances to being part of the avante-garde suspense drama Jasmine on TV5, where he’ll portray a former police officer attempting to apprehend and unmask Jasmine Curtis Smith’s stalker.

But the most-anticipated film in Robin’s recent string of ambitious projects is his upcoming entry to this year’s MMFF, Bonifacio: Gusto Mo Ba Siyang Makilala?, which Robin sees as the most substantive, refreshing and engaging tale on the life and tragic death of the nationalist and revolutionary hero every Filipino must experience. Robin, who is at the forefront of film production, revealed that he has been pulling out all the stops just to tell Andres Bonifacio’s “true story” for more Filipinos to understand and appreciate.

‘Abot Alam’

Robin has also been so admired by the people he entertains not only because of his talent and prominence, but also with his advocacies, from his drive against malaria to an education initiative to help build a free pre-school for Muslim children. He further pushes this education advocacy with his recently-announced support of the Education Department’s “Abot Alam” program that brings back out-of-school youth to the classroom, and assists them in employment opportunities. Robin is actively involved in awareness campaigns about “Abot Alam” through his continuing commercial endorsement of Talk and Text, the program’s key corporate supporter. Talk and Text organizes on-the-ground community events where Robin talks about how “Abot Alam” can help out-of-school youths regain education opportunities.

Indeed, there’s no stopping Robin, whose family is nominated in the 2014 Yahoo! Celebrity Awards as the Celebrity Family of the Year. Clearly, he is here to stay and deserves to remain on top, not only due to his undaunted quest to achieve, but also because of his unrelenting efforts to reach out and help.