MANILA — Kapamilya actor Piolo Pascual is proud that his "Gomburza" co-star Cedrick Juan won the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Best Actor trophy last year.

Asked if he regrets that he did not win the trophy, Pascual said he witnessed Juan's dedication and hard work in the film.

"It's hard to actually say anything to counter, of course, the decision of the jury. Plus the fact that, you know, I worked with Cedrick. All my scenes in 'Gomburza' were with him. I even messaged him, I was really happy for him," said Pascual, who played Pedro Pelaez, the mentor of Jose Burgos (Juan), in the film.

"It definitely opened doors for the guy, I was rooting for him. So, sinabi ko kasi sa interview, 'Are you claiming the Best Actor?' Sabi ko, 'Siguro bago 'yung Best Actor, box office muna.' Which, we got ...Our producers were able to make business. 'Yung reward ng acting is a given, hindi naman hinihingi 'yun," he said.

"Gomburza" is a historical film about the three Catholic priest who were executed during the Spanish occupation.

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Juan was up against Alden Richards for ("Family Of Two"), Pascual ("Mallari"), Dingdong Dantes ("Rewind"), Derek Ramsey ("(K)ampon"), and Christopher de Leon ("When I Met You In Tokyo") for best actor.

• 'Gomburza' star Cedrick Juan on MMFF win: 'Matuto sa kasaysayan'

Reacting to comments that he also deserves to win the award, Pascual said, "It's nice to actually hear something like that. That's enough validation for me. I've been around for quite a while, and it's nice to be able to share. It's also nice to see somebody else or some other people getting the awards, getting the breaks."

"So it would be too selfish to say na dapat ikaw 'yung nanalo, dapat akin 'yan. Parang hello, you've been around for quite a while. Why would you want this award? If it's given, thank you. But if it's not, then it's not for you. Simple as that," he added.

"My point is, as long as I'm able to pull it off, I was able to look at my director in the eye and my acting coach in the eye and say and ask them, 'Kamusta ba?' And they were happy about it. My producers were happy. So that's more than what an award could give."