Eat Bulaga host Paolo Ballesteros stood firm with his belief that revealing one’s sexual orientation is a personal choice, and that no other person should do it on their behalf.
It can be recalled that Paolo, together with his Eat Bulaga co-hosts Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola, were the first people who got featured on Maine Mendoza’s “Humans of Barangay”.
GMA actress Maine Mendoza previously announced that she started a new personal project which was inspired by American photographer Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York” wherein he tells stories of people he meets on his travels.
In a similar sense, Mendoza aims to put stories of Filipinos in the spotlight everytime she would visit a barangay for Eat Bulaga’s segment “All for Juan, Juan for All”.
When asked to share his story on Maine’s page, Paolo gave his views on opening about one’s true self and opening up about his/her sexuality.
“Ang paglaladlad personal choice yan, hindi yun maididikta ng kahit sino, lalo na ng society na ginagalawan mo. Just take your time, kahit mga 100 years pa yan, ikaw ang bahala. Kasi ikaw ang magbubukas ng sarili mong “closet”, hindi ibang tao,” the said post quoted Paolo.
In a recent interview with PEP, the 35-year-old TV personality reiterated and explained what he meant.
“Ang tanong niya [Maine] kasi sa akin dun, kailan ba tamang mag-out yung taong hindi naman out? Sabi ko nga, it’s a choice, e. Hindi lang yun choice, it’s your choice, it’s your own choice kung gusto mo — if you’re coming out, if you want to be out, or not,” he said.
Paolo stressed that society should not put a pressure on a person to come out.
“Minsan, parang ganun yung feeling na, sige, mag-out ka para mas masaya, para huwag ka nang magtago, ganyan-ganyan… E, malay mo naman, masaya naman siya. Sino ba nagsabi na hindi siya masaya?” he said.
Paolo will be starring in “My 2 Mommies” where he will take on the role of a gay man who impregnated his friend. The movie will premiere in the Philippines on May 9.
