Believe it or not, when the young, handsome and witty De La Salle University-schooled Edu Manzano first set foot in Philippine showbiz, the now multi-awarded actor and TV host was taking a major risk. It was the late '70s, and mestizos were hardly among the country's most bankable actors. It was the likes of Edgar Mortiz, Romy Mallari and Eddie Peregrina amassing the shrieking fans and lorded over the box office.

The question was, could this English-speaking judo and soccer-playing 'coño' even come close to the ranks of these masterful 'moreno' hometown boys? It was a fact that they had the masses — not to mention movie queens Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos and Hilda Koronel, among others — under their spell.