Mr. M doubted Joey Marquez would last long in showbiz. How wrong he was

Director and talent manager reminisces about fun times with actor-athlete
Jan 21, 2021

WHEN Johnny Manahan — known as “Mr. M” in the showbiz world — first met Joey Marquez, the former Star Magic impresario didn’t think he would last in the cutthroat circles of showbiz.

“He came in, and I said, ‘O, basketball player. Baka sandali lang ‘to, tapos na ‘yan,’” Mr. M recalled to SPIN Life in a conversation with the editors of Summit Media.

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The journeyman Marquez had begun his career with Great Taste, before moving to the Gilbey’s Gin Tonics where he played with the great Robert Jaworski. He was in Alaska (then known as Hills Bros. Coffee Kings) before he decided to become an actor for good. In his seven-year career as a baller, he’d also represented the country in the ASEAN games in China.

“But Joey had the wit, you know?” said Manahan. “Surprisingly, he became the heart of the show [Palibhasa Lalake]. He was the funny guy.”

He also had fond memories of another athletic actor — Richard Gomez, who was also Marquez’s co-star in the long-running sitcom that Mr. M directed.

“Syempre he was the other way around [compared to Marquez]. Artista siya then he got into sports. He excelled at almost every: baseball, fencing, volleyball, he was with the Philippine team,” was how Manahan described “Goma.”

He also recounted some of the antics the two got into while on the set of Palibhasa.

"Those were fun times,” said Mr. M. “Ang gulu-gulo nila 'pag nagte-taping kami! Pero masaya. I would ask my AD [assistant director], ‘Saan sila? Mag-umpisa na tayo!’ ‘Direk, nasa dressing room!’ ‘Anong dressing room?’ ‘Direk, nagpu-pusoy!’”

Apparently, Marquez and Goma were not averse to a little high stakes card games. “Iniimbita pa si Ipe [Phillip Salvador], from the other studio.”

Marquez would go on to have a long career in showbiz (and politics as well, though Mr. M didn’t make any mention of that). The erstwhile talent manager particularly praised his performance in 2013’s On The Job.

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“He went into drama, can you believe?” said Mr. M of the role.

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