Multihyphenate star Matteo Guidicelli is embarking on a new journey. From karting driver to being a triathlete, and from being an actor to a singer, the 29-year-old Fil-Italian is seriously considering joining the military force. In fact, he has already joined the Philippine Army as a reservist in April.
“I want to start doing things on my own, doing different things. I wanted to learn about the military so I can contribute more,” he told Manila Standard in an interview.
Matteo will launch “Sundo” in a show on May 24 at the Music Hall at Metrowalk, a few days before he undergoes military training from May 27 to July 1. He is joining the scout ranger training in Camp Pecson in Bulacan.
We asked if the “rigid training” is still part of the Armed Forces’ reservist program, the singer-actor replied: “ It’s different from being a reservist where you’ll be taking basic military skills. When I was skydiving, I saw some soldiers training and I asked them. They said it was for scout rangers training. It’s a 45-day course for you to become a scout ranger. If you pass it, you can take the six-month ranger course. Of course, I cannot take the six months because of my work. So, I said maybe 45 days is possible.”
Little did many people know, Matteo has always been interested in joining the military. He even encourages his celebrity friends to follow suit and help him lobby the reinstatement of ROTC.
“It’s preparing you for that day if ever your country needs you. Along those lines, you can also do so much as a reservist. This is our advocacy so I’ve been going to schools, trying to push for ROTC again. Why? The youth nowadays, the patriotism that people had before, is not there anymore. So, we’re trying to put that back, to promote love for country,” he affirmed.
“Look at Singapore and Korea, they have a big number of reservists. We also need that here,” he added.
The Fil-Italian mutt clarified that he’s not getting any monetary compensation for being part of the reservist program. He’s doing it because he wants to serve the country and pay his respects to soldiers.
“We have over a hundred soldiers who died for our country. As a civilian, how can I help? How can I show importance to soldiers? A new opportunity came, the reservist came, and this is my advocacy on reminding Filipinos to be proud of Filipinos. We look at the flag and we should be proud to be Filipino. Despite many things happening and people disagreeing, at the end of the day, we are proud to be Pinoy.”
Being away for 45 days means Matteo will not have any communication with the outside world, including his family and girlfriend Sarah Geronimo, since mobile phones are banned during training.
“At first, they were scared. Not just Sarah, but also my parents. ‘Matteo, why are you doing this? You have a career. Do you wanna go to war?’” the singer-actor shared adding that the 45 days that he’s going to be away will be the biggest challenge of his life.
“I’ve been trying to prepare myself physically, but mentally, I don’t know. I don’t have a military background, I don’t know what I’m gonna go through. This will be something new and challenging. So, I feel that I’ll learn about discipline and leadership. Hopefully, everything will go well,” he said.
Meanwhile, before his training, Matteo will headline a show to launch his new single “Sundo.”This is his first single under his new record label, Viva Records after he signed with the company just a few months ago.
It might have taken Matteo two years before releasing a new track but his fans patiently waited for this highly- anticipated comeback. This may as well be because of how he throws himself completely in everything he does. Whether it was being a skilled race car driver during his younger years, or faring well on the famous Ironman triathlon, or having a laser-like focus on his career, Matteo makes sure that his passion comes through every endeavor he takes.
For latest updates, you can follow him on his social media accounts: Facebook: (facebook.com/matteog) Matteo Guidicelli Twitter: matteoguidicelli Instagram: matteog
