RJ Ledesma: Defining the Pinoy male with toilet humor and tofu

RJ Ledesma is a lot of things: UNO Magazine’s editor-in-chief, a real estate executive, an events host, a food entrepreneur, and a vegetarian yogi.  One could say he's a digital-age Renaissance man, a guy who can write humor columns about bodily gases as well as wax poetic about tofu. He brings all these strands of his personality together as a co-host of the irreverent show, "Best Men." He’s also a busy man, and getting a chance to chat with him means working with the little seams in his schedule—like after an evening taping session or during a quick coffee break.  When the camera’s not rolling, his co-workers say this “Best Men” host is on his phone or laptop, attending to a million other things on his mind. “Kabaligtaran siya ng nakikita sa cam,” says GMA reporter Jun Veneracion, Ledesma’s “Best Men” co-host. “Seryoso ‘yung mamang ‘yun.”   Pogi from a Parallel Universe

It’s an interesting comment because, Ledesma's stint as the star of a series of ‘90s Royal Tru Orange commercial notwithstanding, the man is perhaps best known as a humor columnist. Much like “Best Men,” his Philippine Star column “Pogi From a Parallel Universe” humorously guides men and a few women—just three female readers, as he insists occasionally—through the ins and outs of being a man.

For example, in his latest book, "It Only Hurts When I Pee: RJ Ledesma’s Guide to Bodily Gases, Hair Loss and Pink Parts," he adds his own colorful commentary to medical experts’ opinions on human hair (or lack thereof), excretions, and other bodily functions.  With tongue firmly planted in cheek, he defends the average man against the pressures of having ripped six-pack abs and bulging biceps:

“I daresay that, even without exercise, I can easily carry two buckets of KFC in one hand, and three bottles of soda in the other.  

“Can they [muscular men] easily drink an entire case of non-lite beer and not feel guilty in the morning? … Unfortunately, all these arguments against athletic contours will end up the same way as an impeachment complaint once these [muscular] men flaunt their six-pack.”  

“Find what makes somebody vulnerable and that’s what you go after,” he said. Many Filipinos aspire to the alpha male stereotype. But in his own way, Ledesma is proud to carry the comedy tradition of Michael V, Dolphy, and other countless greats: poking fun at Filipino traditional conceptions of masculinity.  

Striking a pose While his "Best Men" co-host Jace Flores obviously pumps the most iron, and Jun Veneracion is a cycling enthusiast, Ledesma stays healthy with Ashtanga yoga. Since taking it up in 2006, he’s now a certified yoga practitioner and a founder of Yoga Manila. Ledesma describes himself as a gym rat before a yogi. But a literal twist of fate led him to leave the gym behind. After injuring himself in the gym, he wanted to find another way to relax and exercise. “I did enough strength training but not enough for flexibility, so I said I should try yoga,” he explained.  WATCH: RJ demonstrates and shares his passion for yoga on “Tunay na Buhay”

Eventually as he got more engrossed with the practice, he decided to commit to its lifestyle and philosophy. The first thing he did was to become an ovo-lacto vegetarian, eating only derivatives like eggs and milk, but not meat itself. Second, he gave up working out altogether.

 “[Yoga] is a part of life,” he explains. “I realized I had a lot of attachments in life, and if in life you want to move forward, you have to let go of attachments and be more humble.”

Real men eat tofu

The hit American TV show, “Fear Factor,” has popularized the notion that it takes courage and strength to scarf down unusual eats. The “Best Men” trio has eaten a range of food ranging from the bizarre to gut-wrenching to prove their manliness: a traditional Chinese snake soup, a mango-bagoong-chili shake, and fresh ants and grubs.   However, Ledesma doesn’t think these things necessarily make you a man. As one of the brains behind popular midnight food markets like Mercato Centrale and Soderno, he’s been exposed to an entire smorgasbord of treats. “If there’s a food a ‘Best Man’ should eat, it’s tofu,” he said, nodding to his vegetarian lifestyle.

Priorities

Is there anything Ledesma can’t do? Give up his family. Ledesma says his wife and two children remain an important consideration when he's deciding whether to take on yet another work endeavor. “I won’t do anything if it takes me away from them,” he said. Like Jun Veneracion, he’s a married man with two kids. Ledesma has a three-year old daughter, and a son born earlier this year. While Veneracion worries about raising his daughter, who just turned 13, Ledesma claims isn’t taking chances with his little girl. “I’ll send her to the nunnery when she reaches adolescence!” he exclaimed.   "Matuwid at matapat na Adan"

When he writes his punchlines, Ledesma’s goal is never to insult, but to poke fun at so-called masculine ideals. And though he doesn’t exactly match the cookie-cutter stereotype of a typical male magazine show host, he’s completely comfortable with that.   In the end, Ledesma says Pinoy men should worry less about conforming with stereotypes, and more about being versatile and authentic. “Ang ‘matuwid na Adan’ is somebody na tapat sa kanyang tiwala sa buhay, tapat sa kanyang asawa, sa kanyang pamilya, sa kanyang paniniwala at paninindigan, tapat sa kanyang kompanya kung saan siya nagtatrabaho,” he said.

“Those are very basic ideals. Loyalty to what you do, and when you choose the correct thing to do, you do it with fidelity. That’s very important for me, always.” —Graphics by Den Fajardo. PF/HS, GMA News