By: Margaret Padilla
Joshua Garcia was hailed as one of the Celebrities of the Year at the TikTok Awards Philippines 2022, which took place yesterday, August 20.
The lead actor of the newest ABS-CBN drama, “Darna” beat out seven other nominees for the Celebrity of the Year award yesterday at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City, as seen on TikTok Philippines’ YouTube channel.
Another artist named Celebrity of the Year was Vice Ganda. Ivana Alawi, Kim Chiu, Althea Ablan, Kyline Alcantara, Cassy Legaspi, Dasuri Choi, and Yukii Takahashi were also nominated for the award.
To recall, Garcia went viral last July when he posted his dance cover of Chalie Boy’s “Thick Fine Woman,” which received over 20 million views and nearly 4 million likes in one day on TikTok, according to ABS-CBN News.
The news report said the young actor is eager to fulfill his childhood dream after breaking the internet with his TikTok dance moves.
Garcia revealed that, despite having a desire to dance since preschool, he only began dancing in high school in Bauan, Batangas.
He was eventually exposed to various dance forms, including folk and ballroom. In high school, he joined the elite Batangas cultural dance group Sining Kumintang, which gave him the opportunity to represent the Philippines in an international dance festival in Italy.
Garcia stated that he is excited to share his next dance moves. “pag nagustuhan ko ‘yung moves ko, gagawin ko,” the actor remarked.
Meanwhile, TikTok Philippines congratulated Garcia and Vice Ganda via its Twitter page yesterday.
“Ang mga FYP pampa-GV. “Our Celebrity of the Year award goes to bebe @iamjoshuagarcia [and] @vicegandako,” the tweet said.
Garcia is currently preoccupied with new endorsements, a new show called “Darna,” and the upcoming Metro Manila Filmfest 2022 screening of his long-awaited film “Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan,” directed by Chito Roo.
He plays the role of police officer Brian Robles in ABS-CBN’s Mars Ravelo’s Darna: The TV Series starring Jane de Leon.