Eugenio Romerica Abunda Jr. (; born October 29, 1960), popularly known as Boy Abunda, is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

professor, television

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists who ...

and

talent manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the talent manager is to oversee the day-to-da ...

Early life and education

Boy Abunda was born as Eugenio Romerica Abunda Jr. in

Borongan Borongan, officially the City of Borongan ( Waray: ''Siyudad han Borongan''; fil, Lungsod ng Borongan), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

. He attended

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_aff ...

, where he took up Business Management. However, he did not finish that course because of his father's death. He left Ateneo and worked in odd jobs to support himself. He graduated from

Philippine Women's University The Philippine Women's University (PWU) is a tertiary education school which has its main campus in Manila, Philippines. An institution exclusive for girls from its inception until the 1970s, the PWU admits both women and men as its students. ...

with degrees Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts in 2009, Master of Arts in Communication Arts in 2011, and Doctor of Philosophy in Social Development in 2016.

Personal life

Abunda is openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and has been in a relationship with partner Elmer "Bong" Quintana since 1983. Although Abunda is a practicing

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and Marian devotee, he is a supporter of

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

and

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

, expressing disagreement with the Church's stand on homosexuality. He denounced the 2016 Orlando Nightclub Shooting, which has been recorded as the deadliest incident of

violence against LGBT people Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people frequently experience violence directed toward their sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression. This violence may be enacted by the state, as in laws prescribing punishment for hom ...

in the United States. On June 23, 2010, Abunda became a part-time professor at

, teaching radio and television to

Communication Arts ''Communication Arts'' is the largest international trade journal of visual communications.Au ...

students. He currently resides in Quezon City. Abunda's sister,

Maria Fe Abunda Maria Fe Romerica Abunda (; born November 8, 1957) is a Filipino politician. She is currently a member of the Philippine House of Representatives The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipin ...

, currently serves as a congresswoman for

Eastern Samar Eastern Samar (Waray-Waray: ''Sinirangan Samar''; tl, Silangang Samar), officially the Province of Eastern Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Borongan. Eastern Samar occupies ...

. She had previously served as the mayor of

. In 2014, Abunda was hospitalised due to a liver problem.

Career

At the Metropolitan Theater, he worked as a stage actor and eventually as an assistant stage manager. Later, he became the assistant of the theater's administrator Conchita "Tita Conching" Sunico, who taught him

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

. In a couple of years, he starte
Backroom, Inc
managing singers and actresses and a public relations firm. He also worked as public relations consultant for

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

. It was during Abunda's public relations work in GMA when one of its executives, Bobby Barreiro, suggested that he should try hosting a television show. Abunda became a

of ''

Show and Tell Show and tell (sometimes called show and share or sharing time) is the practice of showing something to an audience and describing it to them, usually a toy or other children's-oriented item. In the United Kingdom, North America, New Zealand and ...

'', a late night

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

talk show with

Gretchen Barretto Gretchen Castelo Barretto (; born March 6, 1970) is a Filipino actress, socialite, and philanthropist. She was launched in Regal Films' ''14 Going on Steady'' as a singer-actress, with the release of her debut single "Going Steady", which serve ...

, and '' Startalk'', an entertainment talk show. He subsequently moved to GMA Network's competitor

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

in 1999, where he has hosted the following shows: '' The Buzz'', ''Private Conversations'', '' Homeboy'', ''

Kontrobersyal ''Kontrobersyal'' ( en, Controversial) is a Philippine news journal hosted by Boy Abunda on ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine com ...

'', '' SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon'' and ''

The Bottomline with Boy Abunda ''The Bottomline with Boy Abunda'' was a Philippine current affairs-talk-reality show, hosted by Boy Abunda, which premiered on November 28, 2009, and aired every Saturday night on ABS-CBN. From May 2, 2020, the show has been temporarily suspe ...

'', a talk show interview. He is also a newscaster for entertainment of the late-night news program ''

Bandila ''Bandila'' () was a Philippine television late-night news program broadcast by ABS-CBN with simulcast worldwide via TFC, Originally anchored by Korina Sanchez, Henry Omaga-Diaz and Ces Oreña-Drilon. The program premiered on July 3, 2006, ...

''. He also worked as a radio commentator for

DZAR DZAR (1026 AM) Sonshine Radio is a radio station owned and operated by Sonshine Media Network International thru Swara Sug Media Corporation in the Philippines. Along with its co-flagship DXRD 711 Davao, it is the flagship station of the Sons ...

, during the Angel Radyo Asian Artists Agency and Vanessa FM 106.7

DWVN DWVN may refer to: * DWVN-FM, an FM radio station broadcasting in Vigan, branded as Magik FM * DWVN-DTV, a Digital TV radio station broadcasting in Metro Manila {{call sign disambiguation ...

Legazpi City Legazpi, officially the City of Legazpi ( bcl, Siyudad nin Legazpi; fil, Lungsod ng Legazpi), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 209,533. Legazpi ...

. He also produced an album titled ''Melodic Conversations''. In December 2022, Abunda broke the speculations as he returned to his home network,

, after staying in

for 23 years.

Filmography

Television shows

Films

Bibliography

* 2014: Make Your Nanay Proud (ABS CBN Publishing, Inc.) * 2017: It's Like This (ABS CBN Publishing, Inc.) * 2018: Nanay's Gay Boy: Two Speeches (ABS CBN Publishing, Inc.)

Awards

*Celebrity Inductee Winner, Eastwood City Walk Of Fame Philippines in 2010 *3rd EdukCircle Awards - Most Influential Celebrity Endorser of Year (2013) *Winner, Best Showbiz Oriented Show Host - PMPC Star Awards for TV **''Startalk'' (1995–1999) **''The Buzz'' (1999–2008 and 2010) (tied with Paolo Bediones in 2005) **''SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon'' (2009) **Hall of Fame (2011) *Winner, Best Public Affairs Program Host - PMPC Star Awards for TV **''Private Conversations'' (2004) **''The Bottomline With Boy Abunda'' (2010-2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) *Winner, Best Magazine Show Host - PMPC Star Awards for TV **''Kontrobersyal'' (2004) *Winner, Best Celebrity Talk Show Host - PMPC Star Awards for TV **''Homeboy'' (2005–2007) **''Boy and Kris'' (2008) *Winner, Best Talk Show Host - UPLB Gandingan Awards **''Homeboy'' (2006) **''Boy and Kris'' (2007–2008)

References

External links

Boy Abunda , Facebook Page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abunda, Boy 1958 births Living people People from Borongan Filipino journalists Filipino television talk show hosts Filipino Roman Catholics LGBT entertainers from the Philippines LGBT Roman Catholics LGBT writers from the Philippines LGBT rights activists from the Philippines Gay writers Philippine Women's University alumni Ateneo de Manila University alumni GMA Network (company) people GMA Network personalities ABS-CBN personalities ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs people Star Circle Quest 21st-century LGBT people Waray-language writers