Ralph De Leon breaks the fourth wall
Writer’s note: We’re also not related, as far as I know
With IQ and strategy-based challenges determining the winners of “Pinoy Big Brother’s Celebrity Collab Edition,” fans fawned over the brains—and quite obviously the brawns—of housemate and second big placer Ralph De Leon.
Graduating from one of Ateneo de Manila University’s most prestigious degree programs, management engineering, posts across social media glorified his enviable background, taking pride in his scholarly accolades as if they were their own. But what De Leon has to say about his pedigree, however, is worth bragging about even more. “One thing [the management engineering program] teaches all its students is that you are going to fail one way or another,” he says earnestly.
Emphasizing that it’s all about how one bounces back from said failure—as a housemate who got evicted from and voted back into the Big Brother House in a span of a week—it’s clear that De Leon is a man of his word.
Rooted in respect
Much can be said about Atenean values and upbringing, whether positive or negative, but for De Leon, a “homegrown Atenean” who’s studied in the school from elementary to college, Ateneo was the first place that taught him how to dream big.
Prior to stepping into the limelight, De Leon was a diligent student-athlete, balancing academic and athletic duties for more than a decade. In particular, he served as captain of the school’s judo team, which explains his PBB moniker: “Ang Dutiful Judo-Son ng Cavite.”
“Being a judoka is everything to me,” De Leon shares. For the actor, judo was where he grew up and formed the core values he brings to his craft today. When asked to pinpoint a value most intrinsic to him, he highlighted discipline, particularly in the context of respect.
In the field of martial arts, deep respect for seniors is second nature, but so is respect for the sport and what judokas do with and in it. De Leon brings this sense of humility and groundedness to an industry he has a lot to learn from. Despite being fairly new to show business, with his onscreen debut being in the 2024 web series “Zoomers,” De Leon knew that showbiz was no easy feat.
“[Showbiz] is something that you always have to keep working on and having that discipline to just show up every day and constantly improve,” he says.
A man who simply does more
Upon asking whether De Leon expected to be at this point in his career a year ago, his response was “absolutely not.” The model-actor reveals that his parents gave him five years in showbiz, and if he wasn’t able to succeed within that timeframe, he had to find something else to do with his life.
This contentment is not to be mistaken for complacency, however. Even with new opportunities coming his way, De Leon remains steadfast in dreaming big. His ambitions, which include, but are not limited to, moving out, starring in a Filipino version of “John Wick,” and being known as a great actor, reflect a certain value popular within his alma mater: magis—the philosophy of being and doing more.
“No matter how much you hate me, how much you love me, if you see how good I am, then that’s it. That’s what you’re going to think about me,” De Leon says about how he hopes to be perceived through his work.
While the actor wants to be known for his craft first and foremost, he understands that success in the entertainment industry is largely dependent on making as many people happy. Someone like him, who’s found himself in different friend groups and ships supported by fandoms with contrasting desires, knows this better than others. He even confesses to often being caught in the middle of crossfires and fights among fans of his various relationships, which has resulted in him and his friends being on the receiving end of hate.
“I try my best to cater to all the friend groups, all the ships, but sometimes, it does backfire,” he shares, with an emphasis on the bashers he gets from doing so. “[The hate is] something that I know is going to come eventually, and it is coming right now as we speak,” he adds jokingly.
However, he draws the line when the hate reaches his family and friends, and he does so by staying connected with his fans on social media without shying away from calling them out as needed.
Going down from the hill
“We find the Ateneo today irrelevant to the Philippine situation because it can do no more than service the power elite” is a key line from the famed 1968 Atenean manifesto entitled “Down From the Hill.” This phrase is commonplace in De Leon’s alma mater, found in school hymns and casual conversations alike. It pertains to the idea of Ateneans transcending their privileged backgrounds to be keenly aware of social realities and act on them accordingly.
De Leon is known for and associated with a privileged and rather elite position, which fans have been quick to romanticize. However, with the deserved buzz surrounding him and the desire for class consciousness in showbiz and at large, the actor has been reflecting on his status, especially in relation to his craft and relatability.
“I really try my best to reach out, to be as relatable as possible, and to really show that, for me, there really is no difference. Regardless of what background you come from, we’re all just people,” De Leon says. To him, being privileged doesn’t have to take away from his relatability, but he also understands that the class disparity between him and his audience will always exist. “I’m not hiding it, but at the same time, it’s not something that I flaunt,” he adds.
More than his privilege, De Leon also seems to be idolized for the ways in which he uses and transcends it. When he was briefly evicted from the Big Brother House (only to be voted back in a week later), he spent his time in the “outside world” voting during the midterm elections. De Leon also joined the Trillion Peso March last Sept. 21 to protest against corruption and commemorate the anniversary of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s Martial Law declaration.
“There’s a lot to be angry about,” echoes De Leon. “There’s a lot to be mad about in recent times, whether it’s corruption or any kind of issue, dito sa Philippines and worldwide […] and at this point, all I want to share is that all your feelings are valid, and there are ways that we can work toward making our country a better place.
Becoming a man for others
Not long after exiting the PBB house, De Leon realized that he had captured a demographic almost serendipitously. Based on where he’s come from and what he’s done thus far, parents and grandparents have told him that they want their children and grandchildren to be just like him.
De Leon shares that he took a lot of pride in being seen as a standard, especially for something he considered “so normal” for himself. Before his rise to stardom, his daily life was defined by studying hard, working hard on athletics, and keeping in touch with faith. And as grateful as he is for being perceived that way, he also admits that this image comes with its own pressure. “To set the standard, you also have to lead by example,” he shares, expressing his hopes to keep striving to be consistent with all his values and morals, so that he can be the role model the youth deserve.
Beyond his background and beliefs, what makes De Leon worth watching is his groundedness. “Parang hindi lahat ng kwento, kailangan magsimula sa grief, or sa loss para lang magbunga into something great,” he says.
In an industry far too often caught between two extremes: out-of-touch lavish lifestyles and borderline poverty porn, the actor strikes the golden medium by understanding that “ a good story can also start good” while being cognizant of sociopolitical conditions and staying committed to doing the right thing.
“Never stop dreaming, guys. That’s something that I stick by. If you want to dream of a better future, if you want to dream of a better life for you, your family, your friends, your countrymen, then work toward it. Let’s work toward it together,” De Leon concludes.
