Eugenio Romerica Abunda Jr. (; born October 29, 1960), popularly known as Boy Abunda, is a Filipino professor, television host, publicist and talent manager.

Early life and education

Boy Abunda was born as Eugenio Romerica Abunda Jr. in Borongan. He attended Ateneo de Manila University, 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 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, ...

and

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

, expressing disagreement with the Church's stand on homosexuality. He denounced the

2016 Orlando Nightclub Shooting On , 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man, killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. Orlando Police officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff. In a 9 ...

, 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 students. He currently resides in Quezon City. Abunda's sister, Maria Fe Abunda, currently serves as a congresswoman for Eastern Samar. She had previously served as the mayor of Borongan. 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. ...

. 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 host 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 a ...

'', a late night variety 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 Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

in 1999, where he has hosted the following shows: '' The Buzz'', ''Private Conversations'', '' Homeboy'', '' Kontrobersyal'', '' SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon'' and '' The Bottomline with Boy Abunda'', a talk show interview. He is also a newscaster for entertainment of the late-night news program '' Bandila''. He also worked as a radio commentator for DZAR, 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 DWVN-DTV, is a digital television station of Gateway UHF Television Broadcasting. Its studios are located at San Juan cor. Donada Streets, ...

Legazpi City. 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