In a short message during the ‘Tawag ng Tanghalan’ portion of “It’s Showtime”, Jhong Hilario said goodbye to the show on Holy Wednesday, March 23. Jhong had been a co-host in the ABS-CBN noontime show for more than four years.
After hitting the gong, Jhong said,
“Last day ko na ngayon sa Showtime.” (It’s my last day at Showtime)
His co-hosts Mariel Padilla, Amy Perez and Vhong Navarro reacted by letting out long sad sighs. Vhong said,
“Jhong, mamimiss ka namin.” (Jhong, we will miss you.)
Jhong continued by saying,
“Mamimiss ko kayo. Gusto ko lang magpasalamat lahat sa inyo. Direk Bobet [Vidanes], thank you so much.” (I will miss you. I would like to thank all of you.)
Mariel wished him luck and said,
“I know you are going to be very good. And proud kami para sayo. “ (And we are proud for you.)
Although Jhong did not say on tv why he was leaving the show, he had signified his intention to run for public office way back October 2015.
The host revealed in an interview with PUSH that he will be running as councilor in Makati City, following the footsteps of his father, Virgilio Hilario, who will soon end his term as councilor.
Jhong said he wants to continue the works of his father, who has served as Barangay Captain for 18 years and as a Makati Councilor for nine years.
His father is a loyal member of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). So, Jhong will also be running under UNA, whose standard bearer is Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Will he give up his showbiz career if he wins?
Jhong says he hopes to copy the style of Tito Sotto, who, even as a Senator, is able to dabble in hosting at Eat Bulaga every now and then.
