Being part of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an entirely new experience for United Kingdom-bred actor-model and former Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition housemate Jon Avila.
PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) caught up with Jon last December 24 at the annual Parade of Stars signaling the start of the 34th Metro Manila Film Festival. He was obviously in awe of the tradition.
"Oh my God! Hindi naman motorcade lang, it's parang full-blown experience. Parang Christmas regalo para sa akin, galing niya talaga," Jon told PEP at the tail end of the parade held in front of the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
Jon—who is part of OctoArts Films official entry, One Night Only—excitedly talked about the novelty of the entire experience for a neophyte actor like him.
"Nagpunta ako sa premiere night, so it's my first time to experience a premiere night. So, the end of the year is really good for me. Kasi I'm having a first experience in premiere night, first experience in Metro Manila Film Fest, first experience na nasa parada ako and it's really amazing. It's really overwhelming tapos masaya ang Christmas ko dahil nandito ang nanay ko. So, sobrang masaya ko, sobrang blessed."
FRIENDS WITH RUFA MAE. Jon was very vocal in the past in expressing his admiration for sexy comedienne, Rufa Mae Quinto. The feeling, apparently, is mutual as Rufa Mae generously acknowledged Jon's character, describing the actor-model to the press people as "mabait" and "tahimik lang."
PEP probed their current status and Jon said, "Okay naman. Nagkita kami just a minute ago, sobrang pawis sa likod niya and I want to give her a tissue kaya lang she had to go na." Jon maintained that they're good friends and that they manage to hang out occasionally amid their busy schedules.
Looking back, Jon said that 2008 is a good year for his personal life and career. He shared: "Napaka-overwhelming na I learned a lot as a person. I learned a lot as an artist, I learned a lot about relationships, ganun so sobrang masaya ko dahil maraming blessings. So, you could expect for me next year to keep more of my blessings and to learn more Tagalog."
Jon recently spent Christmas in Bulacan, giving toys and food to children