KP MBR

In Chinese philosophy, the concept of interconnectedness between the good and the bad is symbolized by yin and yang, which can be thought of as complementary but sometimes opposing forces that continue to interact with each other.

In real life, no one can claim to be a perfect human, who only does good things all the time, and the same can be said about celebrities, who at the end of the day, are still human.

In 2025, five stars – Miguel Tanfelix, Kokoy de Santos, Raheel Bhyria, Bruce Roeland, and Antonio Vinzon – are set to star in an upcoming GMA Prime series ‘Mga Batang Riles,’ an action-drama series that tells the story of five teenagers who need to defend themselves against all odds to prove their innocence.

Before taking on the challenge of building a new show from the ground up, the stars of MBR sat down with GMANetwork.com one rainy afternoon at LYF Malate Manila for an exclusive Kapuso Profiles interview, where they admitted that they’re just like everybody else — flawed, but nonetheless continuously striving to become a better version of themselves each and every day.

Miguel Tanfelix

The Leader

Miguel Tanfelix has been active in show business since 2004, but don’t be fooled by his baby face

Now 26 years old, Miguel claims he’s no saint.

Despite growing up in show business, Miguel Tanfelix has managed to keep all the fame from going into his head. This kept him grounded. To this day, Miguel still does random acts of kindness along the streets of Quezon City.

“Matulungin ako, mahilig talaga akong tumulong, e. Minsan nga, kunwari sa taping, ‘pag nakita ako may mga sobrang pagkain, ang routine ko doon, marami kasing naiiwan na pagkain, since maaga natatapos ‘yung show na ‘yun, kukunin ko muna ‘yung food, tapos iikot ako sa Tomas Morato, bigay ko ‘yung food sa kanila. Mahilig ako sa random acts of kindness, kumbaga,” he says.

But, like the concept of yin and yang, Miguel is far from being a perfect human as he still sometimes uses his celebrity privilege to his advantage.

With a playful laugh, he admits that he once used his celebrity card to get out of a number-coding violation. “Nahuli ako, coding, ginamit ko, ‘Boss, sorry late na ako sa taping,’ pero wala naman talaga akong taping.”

Kokoy De Santos

The Comedian

Kokoy de Santos is known for his comedic antics that make everyone laugh

but sometimes, his jokes would go overboard.

Kokoy is one of the many stars that can be called a multi-hyphenate -- an actor, a comedian, a dancer, and a social media star in his own right. Despite bagging the Best Actor award at the 2024 Asian Academy Creative Awards, Kokoy has always worked his hardest to become the one thing that he wants people to remember him as — a loving, kind-hearted person.

“Ako, ginagampanan ko ‘yung responsibilidad ko bilang isang anak, kapatid, tiyuhin, kaibigan, at siyempre, bilang isang tao na may obligasyon din. May malasakit ako sa taong mahal ko, mapagmahal akong tao,” he says.

As a fun-loving person who loves making the people around laugh and have a good time, Kokoy would at times forget certain boundaries and pull pranks that could piss people off. Such comes from Kokoy’s innate playful nature. It’s purely unintentional and it’s something that Kokoy is still working on to this day.

“Bad? Siguro sa sobrang pagmamadali ko, may nakapila sa labas, nasa loob ako ng portalet, hindi ako nakapag-flush. Bad ‘yon, pare, kasi kung ako ‘yung kasunod no’n, badtrip ‘yon, pare. Kasi on the set na daw, e, paano ‘yun, walang tubig par, e, ginaganon ko ‘yung flush oh, ikaw na par, tawag na ako.’”

Bruce Roeland

The Gym Buff

Since he was a child, Bruce has been active in show business

Now that he’s an adult, Bruce is tougher, steadier, even mature for his age.

Bruce was only 13 years old when he first appeared on television. Despite his amazing physical transformation into a hunk, Bruce has managed to embody the biggest lesson he learned from his parents: being true to himself amid all the public admiration.

“I’m a good person but I can always be better. I’m a good person, why, because mahilig ako makinig, mahilig ako tumulong. I’m not trying to be someone else, I’m just trying to be me. Hindi ako plastic sa ibang tao,” he says proudly.

Growing up, Bruce has had his share of naughty antics. As a kid, he would often tell petty lies to his parents to be with his friends, whom he described as a good influence in his life.

“Nagsinungaling ako sa Nanay ko na nasa gym ako, pero kasama ko ang barkada ko, pero ang barkada ko naman, puro mga businessman, so, maganda ‘yung ginagawa namin. Ayoko lang isipin ni mama na may iba akong ginagawa. ‘Yun ang baddest thing na nagawa ko,” he says with a smile.

Raheel Bhyria

The Sporty and Toughie

Since being launched as a member of the Sparkada, Raheel has gradually been making a name for himself

But being in the limelight doesn’t stop him from revealing his dark side every now and then.

Before appearing on television, Raheel has been modeling since his teenage years. An actor who is also a basketball player, an amateur boxer, and a badminton player, Raheel has been through a lot but he can still proudly say he is a good person and a loving son to his parents.

“Genuine ako sa tao, lalo na kapag kaibigan ko, and they need someone to listen, nandoon ako. Nandoon talaga ako para makinig. ‘Yung pagiging inexpressive ako, for others hindi siya good quality, ako, good quality ko ‘yung inexpressive ko in a way na hindi ko maipapakita ‘yung pagmamahal ko sa kanila, feeling ko okay na ‘yun na mahal ko sila pero hindi nila kailangan malaman,” he says as he tries to explain his love language for the people that he genuinely cares about.

Now in his 20s, Raheel has already accepted the fact that being a good person also means accepting his bad side.

“I can say na I am a good person but I can also say I can be a bad person, you know? Feel ko naman na hindi ka totally magiging good person kung hindi mo tanggap yung masasamang bagay sa sarili mo. I can be good, but I can be bad as well. The baddest thing I’ve done is nagsisinungaling ako sa mom ko na nandito lang ako sa bahay ng kaibigan ko pero pumaparty ako sa labas. Pag 3 a.m. na hinahanap ako, sabihin ko nandito lang ako sa bahay, nag-send pa ako ng picture, pero nakapagpre-photo op na kami sa kotse para kapag nagtanong ng 3 a.m., kunwari nasa kotse pa kami o nasa kama,” he reveals before apologizing and promising he wouldn’t do it again.

Antonio Vinzon

The Youngest

Antonio Vinzon may be the son of a well-known personality,

But it didn't deter him from enjoying a normal childhood and knowing what being a child was all about.

The son of veteran action star Roi Vinzon, Antonio Vinzon grew up in a loving household. Showered with care and affection, Antonio has learned early on that being a good person is being able to share the love that he receives to others.

“Kaya kong sumuporta sa isang tao, kaya kong magmahal, kaya ko ibigay lahat ng loob ko sa kanya. For me, I really love my family, and ‘yun talaga ‘yung pinaka-one and most na hindi ko matatanggal sa isip ko, sa puso ko, ‘yung pamilya ko talaga,” he said.

However, Antonio can sometimes take that love for granted, in exchange for a few hours with his friends.

“Tumatakas din ako dati, tumatakas ako sa bahay. Sinasabi ko basketball pero pumupunta talaga sa barkada ko kasi sila ‘yung pamilya ko, parang sila na ‘yung second family ko, ‘yung mga tropa ko, kaya umaalis ako kunwari 6 ng umaga, ‘Ma, pupunta ako basketball sa training,’ pero sa totoo talaga, pumunta ako sa tropa ko, gusto ko mag-PS4, maglaro ng PC. ‘Yun ‘yung pinakamasama na ginawa ko,” he admitted.