'She Looks Familiar': Filipino Male Model Has Unexpected Encounter with Leni Robredo in a London Bus

Terence Alcantara is a Filipino male model working and living in London. He describes himself as an urban bike rider; on most days, he usually rides his bike to get around the city. But for some reason, one day in October, he decided to take the bus. 

It was while waiting for his bus to arrive at the bus stop that he noticed a lady who looked like she was Filipina walk past him.

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“I can usually spot them a mile away,” he tells Esquire Philippines about fellow Filipinos in London. “I thought to myself, she looks familiar.”

Although Alcantara couldn’t quite place the woman, he didn’t think too much about it until the bus arrived. He got on, tapped his card payment, and went straight up to the upper level of the red double-decker bus.

“When you reach the top floor, you have a wide view of who’s there and which seats are available,” he explains. “And there (the lady) was again. She caught my attention.”

Alcantara walked past the woman, but this time, he felt an intense curiosity and tried hard to remember who she was and where he’s seen her before. When he couldn’t bear it any longer, he approached the woman and politely asked if she was Filipina. She replied yes.

“I told her she looked very, very familiar,” Alcantara says. “She just gave me a friendly smile. And I thought to myself, ‘I have to get to the bottom of this!’ I apologized and kindly asked again where I knew her from.

“She responded, gently whispering, ‘I was the former Vice President of the Philippines.’”

Terence Alcantara takes a selfie with former VP Leni Robredo inside a double-decker bus in London

Photo by Terence Alcantara.

Alcantara says his jaw dropped to the floor. It was at that moment that everything made sense and he felt that a complicated puzzle just got completed.

The two ended up sitting next to each other and had a short chat.

“Turns out she was on a brief visit with her daughter who works between New York and London,” Alcantara explains. “Leni was out and about to meet friends for lunch. She as well showed curiosity and asked what I did and where I was headed to. I replied that I was going to attend a casting call.”

Alcantara has been working as a professional model in London for a few years now. In 2019, he starred in a high-profile ad spot for the BMW X6M. It was purportedly the first time a Filipino model fronted a global campaign for a luxury car brand.

Alcantara says he and Robredo exchanged life stories during the brief bus ride.

Alcantara with his father and son during a rally supporting Leni Robredo's campaign in London in 2022

Photo by Terence Alcantara.

Alcantara's father Gene reading a poem he wrote about Leni Robredo's campaign

Photo by Terence Alcantara.

“I was so happy I got the chance to personally salute Her Excellency for all her service, hard work and dedication for our country and people,” he says. “I also proudly shared how we campaigned for her in London during her run for the presidency race last year.”

Alcantara says his father, Gene Alcantara, even wrote a poem about Robredo’s candidacy. The elder Alcantara got to recite the poem during a rally for her campaign in London.

“It's refreshing to see how down-to-earth and simple a public figure of her status can be,” Alcantara says. “Jumping on public transport, blending in well with the public. She was very welcoming and just exuded positive vibes and such good energy. What a great example to showcase.”

Terence Alcantara is a Filipino model living and working in London

Photo by GEORGE HARVEY.

The model said he would’ve loved to have stayed and chat some more with Robredo, but his stop came and he had to say goodbye.

“I also wanted to respect her privacy and did not want to overstep on her precious personal time,” he says. “I really appreciated her generosity in caring to have a quick chismis moment with a complete kabayan stranger.

Photo by Instagram / Terence Alcantara.

It was funny as well how I apologized for the London weather and hope the weather turns around whilst she’s here,” he adds. “She laughed out loud and showed me a pocket umbrella that she had to buy just in case it starts pouring.”