M.E.S.S.: iStyled PBB Big Winner Slater Young For Manila Bulletin

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

iStyled PBB Big Winner Slater Young For Manila Bulletin

That Guy Slater

Article by By TRIXIA JUDE CRUZ and MARIA LUISA A. MAMARADLO

Photos by CROMWELL TORIO

Styled by JP DICHE and PIERRE NARCE

Grooming by MARTIN ALONZO

Clothes from FOLDED AND HUNG

MANILA, Philippines — He may have everything laid out for him, like a life so comfortable, or a career so promising. But for recent Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) big winner Jan Slater Young, exploring and learning more about what is outside his comfort zone is something to be excited about.

Called in PBB as the “Hot engineer from Cebu,’’ Slater valued the notion of hard work and humility even as a child who worked at his father’s construction business during summers.
But first, he had to earn the trust of his elders in the business. Slater and his siblings started from the lowest rank in the construction business they owned, even if it meant becoming a welder or helper

“I had to gain their confidence and prove that this boy could be trusted,” Slater said. Prior to joining PBB, Slater was their company’s project manager, responsible for ensuring the success of every project they venture in.

Yet, there are the unforeseen downsides in life that he just has to bear. For instance, Slater considers as his failure, his greatest mistake, not to have passed the board exams for engineers the first time he took it.
“I learned a lot from that. When I failed it [my first board exam], it was more of kumpiyansa since I did not study at all and just worked in the company. I even told myself na kaya ko na ‘yun,” he said.

CHARTING UNTESTED WATERS

Slater considers joining the PBB as the most rebellious thing he has ever done to date. Living a sheltered life in Cebu, showbiz was not in his horizon at all. While his father supported the idea of him being a PBB housemate, his mom was hesitant.

“Siyempre, natatakot siya kung ano mangyayari sa akin kasi marami siyang naririnig na kwento about the industry like drugs, etc.” Slater said.
Today, all’s well that ends well. After his stint as a PBB housemate, nothing has really changed about Slater. Things go on as planned for him by his managers. It is just that he really misses home, which is Cebu.

“In Cebu, everything is there when you get home. I was the boss and life was really comfortable unlike here na nakikitira lang muna ako sa cousin ko and this is a big adjustment for me,” he mused.

With or without the newfound fame, Slater remains the self-conscious person that he has always been – but for good measure.

“Even without showbiz, I really have to be conscious. Nandiyan talaga ‘yung pressure since I carry the name of my family,” he said.

In the near future, he would like to try hosting, more than acting. But he does not shun the idea of being paired off with the likes of Jessy Mendiola, his co-star in E-boy, or another PBB winner Kim Chiu, or his showbiz crush, Iza Calzado. Really, who knows!