KUALA LUMPUR: Popular Filipino actor Dingdong Dantes is now a lieutenant commander in the Phillippine Navy.
The 39-year-old actor of hit drama series MariMar recently attended a ceremony during which he was bestowed the rank, according to a posting shared by his proud wife Marian Rivera on her Instagram account.
"Lieutenant Commander Jose Sixto G. Dantes III PN (Res). Super proud of you my husband... Salute!" she wrote in the posting.
The dashing actor also wrote on his IG posting: “So whatever uniform we may be in today, be it your soldier’s uniform or your usual office attire, let’s not forget to put on our strongest hearts, and commit ourselves to be heroes in our own ways. I am reminded of this quote that is very close to my own heart: ‘Heroism lies in the nobility of committing to a way of life that focuses on goals that are greater than oneself.’”
He received congratulatory messages from fans on social media, with many of them complimented on how dapper he looked in his uniform.
Dantes enlisted and trained to be a marine reservist back 2006. He re-enlisted in 2017 with the rank of master sargeant.
Prior to this, among his celebrity peers who had been bestowed similar honours from the country’s armed forces are Matteo Guidicelli, Gerald Anderson, Elmo Magalona, Yves Flores, Jerome Ponce, and Nash Aguas.