Known by his stage name David Licauco, David Alexander Sy Licauco is a Filipino actor and model. He is well-known for playing Malik in the GMA television drama ‘Mulawin vs. Ravena’ (2017) and Fidel de los Reyes y Maglipol in ‘Maria Clara at Ibarra’ (2022–2023). He is also referred to by the stage name “Pambansang Ginoo”.
Licauco began modeling on-campus for school event posters before breaking into the TV acting and modeling industries. On the beaches of Boracay, he showed off his modeling talents. He later got a modeling job thanks to Mr. and Ms. Chinatown on ABS-CBN, which gave him acting and modeling experience. He also walked in fashion shows, including Bench, Coca-Cola, and Cosmopolitan. He has also appeared on magazine covers, including Candy, Chalk, and Garage.
Despite frequently appearing on magazine covers and fashion shows, Vice Ganda’s leading role in the 2014 film ‘The Incredible Praybeyt Benjamin’ marked Licauco’s acting debut. He appeared in a cameo in the following year’s ABS-CBN television series ‘FlordeLiza’ and then had small roles in ‘Ipaglaban Mo!’, 2016’s ‘Magpakailanman’ and ‘Karelasyon’.
In the 2017 television fantasy series ‘Mulawin vs. Ravena’, Licauco played the lead role. Licauco’s popularity soared after he was cast as Malik, catapulting him to fame. As a result, he was offered roles in the television shows ‘Kapag Nahati ang Puso’ and ‘TODA One I Love’ in quick succession. In the romantic comedy ‘Heartful Café’ on the GMA Network in 2021, Licauco played his first major role. On the network’s Telebabad schedule, it made its debut on April 26, 2021.
Licauco’s breakout performance came in the 2022 screenplay ‘Maria Clara at Ibarra’, in which he played Fidel de los Reyes, the cheeky buddy of Dennis Trillo’s character Crisostomo Ibarra and potential love interest for Klay Infantes (Barbie Forteza). Licauco also sang the official theme song for the FiLay love team in the program, “Kailangan Kita,” released on December 23, 2022. His performance was dubbed by many media sites as the “Next Filipino Superstar,” not for his boy-next-door looks, but for his on-point acting talents. The anthem can be found on GMA Playlist and GMA Music.
Despite his popularity, an incident changed his life. He claimed that becoming involved in an automobile accident was one of the most significant events in his life. It happened as he and his friends were about to return to Manila from a short trip to Tagaytay.
Despite suffering minor injuries, David admitted that the sudden death of his best friend had a profound impact on him. David also stopped playing varsity basketball after that car accident.
