MANILA — A former gay comedian is now a straight man, thanks to his religious faith.
Anthony Roquel, best known as Tonette Macho, the gay character in the sitcom “Iskul Bukol,” shared his transformation during an ABS-CBN Christian Fellowship on Thursday.
“Ang kabaklaan ko dati on a scale of one to ten, is 11. I tried everything that moves,” Roquel said.
At that time, he believed that he was born a homosexual and that he will surely die one. According to Roquel, he knew he was gay since the age of six and lived as a homosexual man for 32 years.
However, an invitation from actress Coney Reyes and an experience in Hong Kong led him to be “free” from the lie that he has been living.
In 1991, after his stint in “Iskul Bukol,” Roquel worked as a casting director for Reyes. At that time, the actress treated them to a trip to Hong Kong.
However, they were stranded in the foreign country after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
According to Roquel, he prayed as he wanted to go home and see his family, after being stranded for nine days.
Roquel and his group were among the first passengers to arrive in the country after the disaster. After his experience, he knew he was ready to accept the Lord.
“Sabi ko kay Ate Coney, ready na ako. Pero gusto ko, ‘yung cheap na Born Again,” he said, referring to how he used to think of Christians dancing and singing in fellowship.
Roquel became a Christian in 1991. “When I accepted Him, I was never the same,” he said.
Becoming a Christian changes your whole life and you are never the same. Having a close brush with death will also turn things upside down for you. Brother Anthony now spends his time sharing the word of the Lord with those who want to be saved. He is now a conservative Christian and believes in traditional marriage between a man and a woman. He considers homosexuality to be a sin, but that doesn’t stop him from loving everyone. Some might hate him for changing his life, but Anthony has found God and is at peace with himself and his choices. That’s a state of being we can wish for everyone out there to find.