Benigno Ion Perez or also known as “Kuya Escort” and now Vice Ganda’s real-life partner got emotional on TV when he received his first-ever award from LionhearTV during the RAWR Awards held last November 14, 2019.
When Jhong Hilario passed the award to Ion, they placed a photo of Vice Ganda at the back of the trophy and Ion expressed his gratitude towards the latter for supporting him ever since he started.
He said, “Masarap mag trabaho kapag may inspirasyon ka. Nagkaroon ako nito, dahil itong nasa likod kasi siya ‘yung nag-advise sa ‘kin minsan, siya yung nagpu-push sa ‘kin.”
From kakanin vendor to Kuya Escort on ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime and now Breakthrough Artist of the Year awardee, it’s undeniable that netizens really appreciate his presence on the show as well as his effort to make the Unkabogable Star happy.
Moreover, Ion got teary-eyed when he shared on national TV that receiving such an award has never crossed his mind and humbly told his mom about his achievement.
He said, “Basta ako nagpapasalamat ako na binigyan ako nito, ni sa panaginip o guni-guni di ko po naisip na mabibigyan ako ganito. ‘Nay eto oh yung kasama mong magtinda ng kakanin, may award na! Hindi ko po lubos maisip na mabibigyan ako ng ganito. Maraming maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat, sa mga tao sumusuporta at susuporta pa sa akin, maraming marami salamat po.”
Now and then
It’s not a secret that Ion used to sell poultry at the wet market in Concepcion, Tarlac with his mom. One of the tactics he used to meet their sales quota was to go shirtless to attract consumers.
Before Ion got lucky to be part of the noontime show, it took his talent manager three years to convince him to join pageants. He joined the 2017 Misters of Filipinas and a year later he was hailed as the Mister Universe Tourism.
After that, he became part of Cosmopolitan Philippines’ bachelor list. He first met Vice Ganda on Gandang Gabi Vice in October 2017 with his fellow Misters of Filipinas.
