LISTEN, you get your kicks wherever you can.
And these days, people driving northbound on Edsa, through the oppressive cloud of urban traffic, enjoy a few minutes (depending on how bad traffic is) of illumination, complete with an angelic chorus. Lo and behold, images of the ageless Piolo Pascual—actor, leading man, model, director, singer, theater artist, producer, and all around all-Filipino heartthrob—are plastered all over the billboards on that stretch of Edsa Guadalupe, above the Pasig River. The best part is that Piolo is showing a lot of skin—after all, he’s selling underwear for the global Filipino lifestyle brand BENCH.
Calling it the most significant fashion event of 2026, the press release is effusive: “The Philippines’ leading global lifestyle brand announces the ‘homecoming’ of the country’s celebrity icon.” BENCH had helped push Piolo’s career when his star began to rise in the early 2000s. “It’s more than a reunion,” the statement says; “it is a full-circle moment that honors nearly three decades of shared history, reaffirming Pascual’s status and BENCH’s legacy as the architect of Philippine pop culture.”
If the campaign, photographed by an international team headed by acclaimed South Korean photographer and Hallyu favorite Chun Youngsan, was meant to capture how frigging immortal Piolo seems, it works. The idea was to make him look like a statue, a Greek god, and frankly, he does; those abs alone are from another world.
In one photo, he’s wearing his spotless whiteys (which set off that gorgeous brown skin oh-so-nicely, I thought, while trying not to rear-end the car in front of me) and flexing his biceps. In another, he’s seated on a cloth-covered height like a yummier, more engaging Rodin’s Thinker, and you could serve a tea tray on that flat stomach.
I personally think the text and drawing details—Roman columns, outstretched hands a la Da Vinci’s Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, “Portraits of the Golden Boy” in a juvenile font—were unnecessary and added a cartoon effect, but hey, I’m still looking. In fact, another mesmerizing shot has Piolo in chiaroscuro, half hidden in shadow, with Olympian wreaths in his hair. I mean, what do you do? Give him the gold medal already.
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And the fact that this is Piolo’s FIRST underwear campaign, at 49—an age when lesser men have beer bellies and probably can’t see the word “BENCH” on the garter of their briefs anymore, hidden as it is by a paunch—is, as the press material states, quite the testament to his hard work and commitment to taking care of himself. Many guys in their 20s wouldn’t have half this confidence, seriously. After all, aside from workout routines that have become the stuff of celebrity legend, Piolo is also apparently as wholesome as they come nowadays, living clean and opting out of the party scene unless absolutely necessary. That certainly adds to his longevity, and his iconic (although I hate that word) status.
Will the campaign sell underwear? I think so. I mean, NOBODY can look as traffic-stopping (oh, the irony) as Piolo Pascual in underwear, but it’s a noble aspiration; any Filipino man would do well to grab the good stuff immediately, as BENCH is a company that has elevated Filipino fashion retail to unprecedented levels over the years.
I also think the company deserves a public service award, for giving miserable drivers of all genders something to gape at during their daily ordeal, even for just a while. The last time I was this delighted was when Alden Richards monopolized the billboards, also for BENCH—but rats, he didn’t show anything. I tell you, the experience of that slow climb up Edsa, before the road dips and reveals your first sight of the billboards—priceless. Whoever thought we would beg traffic to SLOW DOWN a bit at this point on our arduous drives home?
This doesn’t solve the nefarious traffic problem of Manila—but great job, BENCH. And thank you, Piolo Pascual, for a glimpse of your, uh, divinity.
