'King of Talk' Boy Abunda hopes to launch a Philippine LGBT census

It's the King of Talk's turn to sit in the hot seat!

On "24 Oras" on Tuesday, Nelson Canlas interviewed Boy Abunda for GMA Integrated News to mark the anniversary of his return to the Kapuso network and his week-long birthday celebration.

As an LGBTQIA+ icon, Boy shared his desire to do something for the community, which is to initiate a Philippine LGBT census.

“Hindi ko pa publicly ito pinag-uusapan. I want to launch the Philippine LGBT census. Ano ito? Gusto kong bilangin kung ilan ang LGBT people in this country. Naniniwala ako that data is power. Kung malalaman natin ang LGBT people in this country, simple lang ‘yun, I will go to the senate and say, ‘Mga senador, pitong milyon po kami gusto niyo ho bang pakinggan kami?’”

[This hasn't been discussed publicly yet. I want to launch the Philippine LGBT census. What is it? I want to determine how many LGBT people there are in this country. I believe that data is power. If we can determine the number of LGBT people in this country, it's a straightforward matter. I will go to the Senate and say, 'Senators, we are seven million, do you want to listen to us?”]

It's a busy week for the multi-awarded host as he celebrates his 68th birthday on his show "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda," featuring guests close to his heart. On Monday, Boy welcomed actress Jodi Sta. Maria, who talked about working with Joshua Garcia.

John Lloyd Cruz also graced the show on Tuesday, where he opened up about his relationship with the artist Isabel Santos, fans shipping him with Bea Alonzo, and his son, Elias.         

As he celebrates his birthday this weekend, Boy also has a message for the youth. Nelson asked, "How can we make our nanay proud?" – borrowing one of Boy's catchphrases.

The host answered, “Be the best of who you are and be the best on all that you do. Be true to who you are and say ‘I love you.’ Articulate, speak it. ‘Nanay, I love you.’”

—CACM, GMA Integrated News