FORMER matinee idol-turned-serious-actor Jomari Yllana says it was hard outgrowing his being an actor when he was elected councilor in the first district of Parañaque in 2016.
‘’I had been an actor for 25 years, starting from my early teenage years. To say that I don’t miss acting is an understatement, if not a lie,’’ he says.
Unlike other actors who continue to act in both TV and movies during breaks or their free time, the former “Guwapings” actor totally shunned showbiz work since getting elected, first in 2016, and again in 2019.
There had been many offers, some of them quite tempting, but he chose to embrace his new advocacy, public service. Jomari did say that when the time comes that he shall be enticed to act again, it will be in a movie, a good, quality movie.
When he assumed office on his first year as councilor, he was named minority floor leader. He was also the first independent candidate who won in the city of Parañaque.
Jomari is currently seeking reelection for the same council post in the May 2022 national election.
Jomari, who rose to become a top matinee idol in the 90s, turned down quite a handful of offers to act again since he got elected. His last acting assignment was on GMA Network’s “Half-Sisters,” a long-running 2014 drama series.
’From the very start, I had been a hands-on public official. I run my own office. I don’t have a chief-of-staff, everything is coursed through me,’’ he said in an interview.
To strengthen his foundation in government service, Jomari attended all the courses offered at the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration and Governance between 2016 and 2019.
