Richard Gutierrez

If it all comes down to one young actor who deserves to be called a survivor, it will definitely be Richard Gutierrez.

There were three reasons given by Fr. Larry Faraon for the successes of Annabelle Rama’s family during the Thanksgiving Mass held in behalf of her Royal Era talents: Faith in God, being a family, and getting along well with other people. The Mass was held last Friday at the Imperial Suites Palace in Quezon City.

Fr. Faraon stressed that it is only in the Gutierrez family where he discovered that a person can be an actor and yet still be bonded closely with his or her family. It is also through them that he found it possible that a family can be with the artists throughout their respective showbiz careers as exemplified by Ruffa, Raymond and Richard Gutierrez.

And what is even more important is that the Gutierrez family always finds time in giving thanks to God, especially with their matriarch Annabelle Rama who always goes to churches and prays.

It is not surprising then, as expressed by Fr. Faraon, that the Gutierrez family continuously receives blessings from God. And the most recent is the dismissal of the lawsuit against Richard Gutierrez.

It can be recalled that Lorayne Torres Pardo filed a complaint against the actor for the death of her husband through reckless imprudence. Richard was then driving his car with Lorayne’s husband as passenger when the car was involved in an accident.

The actor revealed that he never knew when the decision would be announced but was happy with the result. He added that he is still open to talk to Lorayne and hopefully he would be given a chance.

“Ever since naman I never had any grudges with anyone,” related Richard with regards to the lawsuit filed against him. “Before this case, I was already willing to talk to the whole family. We tried to talk to them. And now that the case is closed we are still willing to talk to them and we are not going to dismiss the idea to give help. I’m still willing to help.”

According to him, he has always been open about taking care of Nomar’s family. And in previous reports on TV and print media, Richard has even enumerated his and his family’s intentions to help Lorayne’s children obtain their college education aside from paying the then monthly salary of the late Nomar Pardo for a number of years.

“I really want to help their kids. Even before the incident I’ve been helping their family already. I want to talk and reach out to her. Hopefully we’ll get to talk,” he said.

Moving on, Richard Gutierrez is on the trail of another career milestone as the new host of the celebrity edition of “Survivor Philippines.” The total number of actors and actresses expected to join is 18 and it would be a “challenging” stay on a desolate island for 40 days. And as of press time the team of “Survivor Philippines” has began the search for an island for their celebrity edition.

“I’m really excited about this show. Growing-up I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors. And until now I enjoy outdoor activities or sports,” declared Richard.

Richard has been preparing himself mentally and physically for his new hosting job on an island away from his immediate family and friends.

“I know it’s going to be hard. As a host, I have a lot of responsibilities. I will be the one dealing with the castaways. And these are celebrities who are used to the limelight. Some of them could even be my friends or someone I’ve worked with. I’m keeping an open mind so when the unexpected happens, I’m ready,” he exclaimed.

As early as now, Richard already have detractors who think he’s not up to the job of hosting “Survivor Philippines.”

“That’s what I actually like, people who say those things because it challenges me more. And I like challenging myself,” smiled Richard.

Richard will still return as the well-loved Pinoy superhero Captain Barbell slated towards the end of 2010!