From varsity player-model to runway coach
The phrase “out of nowhere” would come up several times during a recent afternoon spent chatting with Joshua De Sequera. He and his wife and their 5-year-old son had just returned from a weeklong trip to Siargao where they enjoyed sunny days and the island’s laid-back vibe.
“My son is really tan now because we spent hours at the beach. He loves the water. Real talk, though, I want to live there. I’ve been to La Union and Baler in the north but when you’re in Siargao, ayaw mo nang umalis,” De Sequera told Lifestyle. “Just as we were about to leave, we all got a bit teary-eyed.”
It was a memorable vacation, but this early, they’re already planning a return trip. He said it was a welcome break from his job as national director of Mister Pilipinas Worldwide.
“We handle a lot of things, since the winners of Mister Pilipinas are sent out to compete in the international pageants for Mister Supranational, Mister Global, and Manhunt International Male Supermodel,” he said.
He was assigned the position two years ago by Empire Philippines head Jonas Gaffud, creative and events director of the Miss Universe Philippines organization.
With his boyish good looks, lean frame, and 6’3” height, the 27-year-old was born to model. He is the son of veteran model and actress Marina Benipayo.
“I started modeling when I was still in high school. I think I was in 4th year at the time, and my first job was walking for the brand Folded & Hung,” De Sequera recalled.
He would accept a few modeling gigs that didn’t interfere with his schooling and basketball.
“I was gearing up for college then. I got a couple of scholarship offers, and ended up choosing De La Salle’s College of St. Benilde. I liked that the courses being offered leaned toward the arts.”
Courage
De Sequera took up a course in hotel and restaurant management while playing for the school’s varsity basketball team. His scholarship covered the school tuition, dorm fees, and a stipend. After an injury that required him to rest for several months, he returned to school and was told by the new coach that he would be cut from the team, and his scholarship and benefits would likewise cease.
“When I found out, I went to the volleyball coach the next day. I told him that I knew they had a full roster but asked if I could try out for the team. Kinapalan ko na ‘yung mukha ko. I thought the techniques for volleyball were basically the same as basketball—jumping and sliding.”
His courage paid off, and he got in. It turned out, the middle blockers—the team’s tallest players—were all about to graduate. “I was panicking because I thought I’d lost the scholarship, but then, out of nowhere, I was given this opportunity.”
When the pandemic hit, he stopped altogether because his partner Judy got pregnant. He needed to find a job to support his new family. De Sequera recalled that his mother and her long-time partner Ricardo Cepeda were willing to help them out, but he didn’t want to be dependent on them. He took on a job in real estate and stayed there for two years before deciding it wasn’t for him.
“I needed to find a new job, and I was offered the position of national director for Mister Pilipinas Worldwide. I was also doing online coaching for people who wanted to get in shape after the pandemic.”
De Sequera could relate. During the height of the pandemic, his weight ballooned to 240 lbs. “I was binge-eating, stress-eating. I stopped watching the news because it stressed me out.”
He underwent a “crazy” diet where he allowed himself one meal a day at 4 p.m., eating as much as he wanted but still shedding the pounds. He doesn’t recommend the diet, but said it helped him get down to 181 lbs. “I lost a lot because I also walked a lot and began playing basketball again.”
He also began booking modeling jobs again as a member of Empire PH Mercator, a modeling agency. During one serendipitous visit to the agency, manager Mau de Leon introduced him to an aspiring model who wanted to learn how to walk the runway. De Sequera taught him the basics that afternoon and came away with a realization: He liked teaching, after seeing a fledgling model improve after a single session lasting under three hours.
Destiny
Weeks before “Body of Work,” the Bench denim and underwear show held at the Mall of Asia Arena recently, the manager of Jameson Blake contacted Mercator, hoping to get in touch with someone who could train the young actor to walk the Bench runway. Enter De Sequera.
This was followed a few days later by an inquiry from the manager of the P-pop group SB19, who were also going to walk the runway after performing their new song, “Dam.”
“I wasn’t really looking but I got this new job teaching runway. Like I told my mom, life is really about destiny. For some reason, opportunities come, maybe because of my work ethic. I’m lucky that the opportunities are connected to how I want to be seen in public. Aside from teaching the guys who compete in Mister Pilipinas how to walk in swimwear or casual or formal menswear, I also teach nonmodels.”
He credits his manager, Mau de Leon, for giving him that first aspiring model. “There are a lot of pasarela or runway trainers, but Mama Mau said that what sets me apart from them is the fact that I’m a model and I’ve also joined and won male pageants,” De Sequera said. He won the top prize in the male division of the 2019 Global Asian Model Philippines search, and finished second in the 2022 Manhunt International Male Supermodel contest.
“I told Mama Mau that we shouldn’t limit ourselves to just coaching models. After Jameson Blake and SB19, there are plans to conduct workshops that will be open to the public. I realized, ‘Ang saya pala magturo—to have someone listen to me and to see them take instruction and improve their walk.’”
His session with SB19 was an eye-opener because of their professionalism. “They each have their own personalities. It was just about bringing that out in their walk. I told them they didn’t have to walk like every other model. ‘Even if you want to be seen as professional models, everyone will see that it’s still you guys. You have to be you and people will see that.’”
Judging by the ear-splitting screams at the Bench show when SB19 strutted down the runway, De Sequera succeeded in eliciting and showcasing each member’s aura.
“My being a runway coach and national director—they came out of nowhere. God works in mysterious ways because when we least expect it, opportunities arise. I like that I’m being given challenges.”
