Robi Domingo Keeps The Faith In ANC Docu

Robi Domingo, one of the country’s finest television hosts, is taking a step outside his comfort zone as he anchors the three-part “Keeping the Faith” documentary about Japan’s hidden Christians on ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel.

Known for his playful and wacky style as host of various entertainment and reality programs in ABS-CBN, Robi gets to showcase his serious side and versatility in “Keeping the Faith,” which will air on the country’s leading English all-news cable channel on December 14, 28, and January 11 at 8 pm.

In this three-part travelogue, Robi tells the story of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the name of God. He gets to visit to the ancient sites where the original Christians congregated to pray and worship and get to know about the Kakure Kirishitans (Hidden Christians) who went underground to practice their religion in secret.

Robi, who also hosted the “Lakwatsero” travel documentaries on ABS-CBN before, said this project came at the right time in his life. “After everything that happened in my life this year, I really needed to hold on to God. It is in this trip that I became closer to Him,” he said.

He added his experience learning about the lives of Christians in their nine-day shoot reminded him of the movie “Eat Pray Love,” which is about faith in your God and in oneself.

“I really felt it was impossible to do that documentary in nine days but the team is so good and there’s this power which made that all happen. There were instances that a shoot wouldn’t push through because of the weather, or snow wouldn’t fall in the mountains, but there was divine intervention that happened,” he shared.

Overall, the “Pinoy Big Brother” alumnus said his experience doing the documentary taught him that the more you go out of your comfort zone, the more you get to know about yourself. “You get to be immersed in different situations wherein you would not just question yourself, not just your life, but everyone’s existence. It’s not right to compare your life to another man’s life, and your place to another man’s place, but it all boils down to that ‘Wow’ feeling that everything became possible because of this one being who created everything,” he explained.

Working with Robi in this documentary is producer Kelvin Paulino, who is also behind the award-winning “Mukha” series of ANC. Kelvin said people should watch out as Robi takes on a role as a true influencer for the youth starting in this documentary.

“We tapped him in this project as a gateway for possible partnerships in the future where we can hopefully engage the younger market in more relevant conversations. There were a few adjustments in the beginning of production but Robi easily found his voice in telling this different story,” he said.

On the documentary, Kelvin added it will be interesting for viewers to see the many similarities to our own experience as Filipinos in the evangelization of the Spanish centuries back.

Robi added the documentary will also appeal to travel bugs and millennials because of the scenic places and great food in Japan that they will showcase in the documentary. “Filipinos love to travel, especially the millennials. If they watch the docu they will have a feel that they are travelling with me in that whole experience.” 

The host shared viewers can also expect some “hugot” comments while he explores the beautiful places in Japan, as well as hole-in-the-wall restaurants with their secret menu which people would like to check out when they visit the country.

Don’t miss Keeping the Faith: The Story of Japan’s Hidden Christians which will airs on ANC’s Documentary Hour, on December 14, December 28, and January 11 at 8 pm on ANC and ANC HD. Watch online via iwantv.com.ph and skyondemand.com.ph.