Duterte on meeting John Lloyd: ‘Hindi mo na siya makilala’

AFTER going on a hiatus from showbiz, actor John Lloyd Cruz has ditched his boy-next-door looks.

The acclaimed actor has undergone a quiet transformation over the past year, sporting a scruffy beard and growing his hair.

This did not escape even President Rodrigo Duterte, who met Cruz at a dinner the official hosted for several celebrities in Malacañang on Tuesday.

“Kita ra ba nako si, kami ni, didto sa party sa Malacañang. ‘Di ka kaila sa iyang bana. Nagpatubo og bungot, nagpataas og buhok,” he said.

(“Nakita ko siya sa party sa Malacañang. Hindi mo na siya makilala. Nagpatubo ng bigote’t balbas, nagpahaba ng buhok.”)

Duterte, in a speech in Davao City Friday night, told the audience he shared this to his son Baste, who had previously dated actress Ellen Adarna.

Adarna is Cruz’s current girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Duterte had nothing but praise for Adarna.

“Pero tinuod ha? Walay binuang, usa sa mga nakit-an nako nga guwapa nga tisay nga Pilipina. Pero walay binuang, gamay lang nga babae, pero kanang porma sa lawas, gwapo kaayo,” he said.

(“‘Yung totoo, walang biro, isa siya sa mga nakita ko na magandang mestisa na Pilipina. Maliit na babae, pero maganda ang katawan.”)

On Tuesday, several celebrities joined a thanksgiving dinner hosted by Duterte and his partner, Honeylet Avanceña, in Malacañang Palace. (ABS-CBN News)