One of the last events that I covered before we all went on a lockdown back in 2020 was the Manhunt International pageant held at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao, that was February 23, 2020. Paul Luzineau of The Netherlands was crowned and Manhunt Philippines Daumier Corilla finished in the Top 16.
Fast forward, two years after the last pageant was held, the Manhunt International is happening again and now on their 21st edition the pageant is set this coming October 1 and the Philippines is hosting the pageant again.
Now, our guy for the month of September is none other than Manhunt Philippines 2022, the now 25 year old stand out from Global Asian Models 2019, Joshua de Sequerra.
A former athlete of College of Saint Benilde Blazers in both Basketball and Volleyball 6’4” Joshua is all set to go on a hunt for the second Manhunt title for the Philippines.
From being an athlete Joshua is now working as a property analyst for a real estate company and on the side he also does some modeling gig, well I guess you can’t take modeling away from this tall and handsome guy as it runs in their blood, with his mom being Binibining Pilipinas Maja 1992, Marina Pura Benipayo.
One little fact about Joshua is that he is now a father to a cute baby boy, yeap that’s no secret as Manhunt International now allows candidates who are already daddies.
We get to know more of Joshua de Sequera in the coming weeks as the finals night comes nearer.
What made you join Manhunt International? Did they
hand-pick you or you did go through a series of screenings and
competition?
“Matagal na kasi akong model, 8 years na akong
model then 2 years and a half na kong nasa Empire/Mercator, I won Global Asian Models
2020 tapos out of nowhere lang fun story lang last April I got a call from
Jonas Gaffud, he asked me if I could represent the Philippines sa
Manhunt.
Eh that time kasi I just lost around 50 or 60lbs ,
kasi I used to weigh around 245lbs due to the pandemic diba then I just lost
all of that I was 175lbs. He told me if I could represent the Philippines, so
syempre big honor yun pero yung problem was Manhunt is not a modeling
competition na lahat payatot kailangan batak diba, so I took the challenge kahit
4-5 months of preparation lang kumpara dun sa ibang countries na maybe 1
year of 1 year and a half to get their body right, ako I took the challenge na
in a few months of hard work kaya naman gawin.”
How different or similar it is between being an
athlete, a model, and a property specialist.
“Actually I think I could connect all of them, one
thing I could say about the three me being a collegiate athlete, a model, and a
real estate agent is all of them binebenta mo yung talent mo.”
Your mom was also a beauty title holder, did she
influenced you to join pageants and in the modeling world?
“Sya yung nag inspire sa akin to be a model, I know
it’s weird kasi babae sya and lalaki, usually diba dapat babae anak mo dun
dapat, then the guy usually play sports, pero yun akin is I used to go to her
shows every time when we still live in Balibago in Pampanga and every time she
would have a show, dati kasi yung mga show sa fashion week sa MOA dun lagi dati
eh, they would book a hotel for her dun sa area na yun and me and my brother
would go. Pagshow time na nya she would tell us “o gusto nyo ba sumama sa show,
gusto nyo manuod or gusto nyo na lang dito sa hotel mag order kayo food” ganon.
My brother si Mark he would usually just watch TV sa hotel, ako lagi akong
sumasama kasi every time she goes out of that stage nakikita ko yung mga tao na
nakatingin sa kanya parang dyosa sya grabe sobrang angas I want to experience
that, but not in a dyosa way obviously hahaha diba parang pag tingin sa akin
“ui lupit tangkad nito” I’ve always dream of that since I was 12 or 13 years
old nung napapanuod ko sya. Now I am super happy I get to do that”
Which do you think is more difficult, being an
athlete or being a model?
“Wow, for me ha I mean I love modeling and everything,
my experience as an athlete, I have been an athlete for 16 years now, 8 years
model and 16 years athlete, yung hirap na pinagdaanan ng mga model ngayon to
have yung body na gusto nila is twice as harder sa volleyball kasi of course
there’s injuries diba tapos everyday you train 5 to 6 hours a day, Sunday lang
yung rest day mo na sometimes you’re too tired to visit your own family so for
me when it comes to schedule, time, pagdating sa pagod yung sports talaga ang
mas mahirap sa dalawa.
Pero yung modeling talaga is more of a mental thing
kasi you’re selling yourself to the agencies, sa mga gumagawa ng shows and you
have to be better than other models we have to stand out and that for me is
that’s the edge naman of modeling kasi sa sports naman any height basta
talented (it’s good to go) kasi sa industry (modeling) kailangan ng
looks.”
Have you joined other pageants before?
“When it comes to pageantry, modeling competitions
you can consider me a newbie talaga, kasi model talaga ako eh so yung pageants
and competitions are literally new to me. This is my second one (Manhunt
International), the first one was Global Asian Modeling.”
Going to the competition in less than two months,
what preparations have you made so far?
“When it comes sa body I’ve come a long way kasi
I’ve gained 20lbs of muscle in the past four months and for me that’s a record
I never packed on so much muscle in my life in that short span of time, but
other than that kasi yun nga since 1 and a half months na lang diet na so more
on high protein diet with low carbohydrate, low sugar para yung katawan mas
tuyo, all the fat burns out pero yung muscle stays.
I wouldn’t say naman na I am not preparing for like
yung mga sa mga lakad(Pasarela), mga formal wear ganun kasi yun nga 8 years na
kong model so medyo sanay na ko dun sa part na yun so right now I am only
focusing on sa katawan ko.”
What’s the best thing about being a father?
“The best thing about being a father is that
syempre yung anak mo nakikita mong lumalaki, yung mga hindi mo nakukuha nung
bata ka nabibigay mo sa kanya, ako I am not a rich guy enough lang minsan
pupunta kami ng toy kingdom and I would get him a medyo expensive gift kasi I
want him to experience the best in life that I couldn’t experience before,
right now wala syang pake kasi one and half palang haha so you can’t see the
expression of joy, but yung sa akin is ipagpapatuloy ko yung ganun.”
How did fatherhood change you?
“It changed me alot kasi before I used to be very
selfish, I used to think of myself lang, na basta mabuhay ako, basta kumita
ako, basta maka ipon ako, now it’s not like that eh now I need this money for
my kid, for my partner.
Sometimes I kinda forget my own dreams that I set
out for, kasi once you have a kid you are now preparing him for his own dreams
diba, you are trying to help him out with his own dresms and sometimes nawawala
na yung sayo, ofcourse kung kaya naman ipag sabay, tinatry kong ibalance lang
yung dreams naming lahat.”
What’s one advice you got from your parents when it
comes to modeling and being a young dad?
“They gave me alot of advice before, pero yung
pinaka nagstandout sa akin is she told me na now that you are a young dad na, I
warned you diba na enjoyin mo muna yung 20’s mo yan yung mga sinabi nya sa
akin.
Blessing is a blessing naman whatever age you are
it is just a number lang talaga, hindi mo man naenjoy yung 20’s mo, but atleast
now you get to experience enjoying your 20‘s with your son diba that stucked
with me.
The world doesn’t revolve around you anymore, it
revolves around your kid na.”
6 years from now, how do you see yourself?
“I’m gonna be 31 years old, 6 years from now I see
myself still in the industry pero to be honest I want to tackle commercials,
yun nga pag aartista din, explore, I want to try.
Gusto ko sana financially stable na kami, siguro
makalipat na kami sa malaking bahay na ganun, that’s what I see, success in
terms of the growth of my family.”
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