The Kapuso Primetime King's Kryptonite 

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here is something disarming about seeing a man so used to standing tall on primetime suddenly admit to having a weakness. For Dingdong Dantes, who returns this year as host of The Voice Kids, the challenge is not the pressure of live television, but the very children he stands beside onstage.

On his second year with the show, he thought he would be better prepared. More practiced. More immune to the rush of emotions that comes with guiding young dreamers through the competition. But as he leaned toward me and said with a half smile, it never gets easier.

“Parang mahirap turuuan ang damdamin na maging pusong bato sa mga ganitong klase ng mga pagkakataon dahil syempre were dealing with kids. Were dealing with their emotions. Every time we let go of some siyempre masakit. But every time we discover new talent, it's so refreshing. It's so inspiring. And it's always a mix of these emotions. Sabi ko nga baka nagawa ko last year mas mas nasanay na ako. Pero hindi, ganoon pa rin.”

And then came the confession that revealed why. His own daughter, Zia, has only made that vulnerability sharper. Fatherhood did not toughen him for the job. It stripped away the armor.

“Ay naku mas kryptonite siya. Bilang magulang may certain level of understanding ka na ng mga bata. Karamihan ng mga nandito ngayon mga 7–12, mga ganoon within the range ng daughter ko and yung daughter ko mahilig din kumanta so lahat ng napapanood ko sa kanila sa bawat galaw nila naaalala ko talaga yung sarili kong anak. And I cannot help but relate to them. Sa mga nararamdaman nila, sa mga pangarap nila. And kapag nasasaktan sila, ganoon din yung nararamdaman ko.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Dingdong Dantes (@dongdantes)

That is where the magic of "The Voice Kids" lives, in the way the show becomes bigger than a contest. It is not only about discovering new talent, but about witnessing how children face joy, disappointment, and hope with unguarded hearts.

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ingdong stands at the center of it all, not just guiding the flow, but reminding us that every young voice has the power to move an audience, no matter the outcome.

“Yun ang beauty ng programa. Dahil nakikita natin yung ibat ibang klaseng emosyon, napapanood natin yung ibat ibang klaseng kagalingan ng mga bata. Nakikita natin yung kakulitan ng mga coaches natin, yung superstar coaches natin. And it is always a treat being on a stage of The Voice Kids.”

In the end, Dingdong Dantes, the Kapuso Primetime King, admits that his weakness is the very reason he shines. Every Superman has a kryptonite. For him, it comes in the form of children’s voices, unfiltered and true. His kryptonite is also his strength. Because when you allow yourself to feel the dreams of children, you do not fall. You are reminded what it means to fly. — LA, GMA Integrated News