Czarina Faith Abuso

Cardong Trumpo’s “PGT” dream keeps spinning as he earns a spot in the Season 7 Grand Finals

Article (news)

Liezel Dela Cruz

<div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749567085278Cardong-Trumpos-PGT-dream-keeps-spinning-as-he-earns-spot-the-Season-7-Grand-Finals-.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><p>With only a &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; (wooden top) and a piece of string, Cardong Trumpo showcased one of every Batang &#x27;90s&#x27; favorite childhood games transformed into something worthy of a stage as grand as &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/pilipinas-got-talent-7"><strong><u><em>Pilipinas Got Talent</em></u></strong></a>.&quot;</p><p>Although he didn’t get the Golden Buzzer during the Judges’ Audition round, as many had expected, he still walked away with the golden votes of almost the entire Pilipinas. In the penultimate weekend of live semifinals held last Saturday and Sunday, Cardo topped the public voting with a whopping 92.11% of the total votes cast among all six performers. That landslide result officially secured his spot in the upcoming Grand Finals.</p><div><iframe width="939" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2CZQyGglBB4" title="Cardong Trumpo secures a spot in the Season 7 Grand Finals | Pilipinas Got Talent 2025" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Let’s rewind a bit and take a look at how Cardong Trumpo spun his way from auditions to a well-earned spot in the Season 7 finale.</p><p>Cardong Trumpo entered the “PGT” studio with nothing but his top, a string, and a few humble props, introduced himself simply as Ricardo Cadavero, 55 years old from Cavite. “<em>Sobrang, sobrang saya at walang mapagsidlan ang kagalaka</em>n,&quot; he said when asked how he was feeling at that moment. Teasing the judges and viewers, he said that he&#x27;s about to showcase a Filipino tradition that may have been forgotten, so he wanted to give it a new flavor for the younger generation to appreciate.</p><p>Standing in front of the Power Judges—Freddie “<em>FMG</em>” Garcia, Eugene Domingo, Kathryn Bernardo, and Donny Pangilinan—he kept them guessing about what kind of performance he had prepared, with Donny thinking it would be something with a kite and Eugene guessing it might be a yo-yo routine, until he threw the &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; and got an instant “<em>wow</em>” from the panel with how smooth and stable the spin was. While the top was still spinning on the platform, he carefully transferred it to the palm of his hand without breaking its motion, then guided it to the tip of a sharpened pencil where it continued to spin effortlessly, drawing more reactions from the judges.</p><p>He followed it up with another trick using a stack of playing cards, balancing the &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; on the corner of the deck and removing each card one by one while keeping the top spinning on the edge. For the next sequence, he let the &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; travel from end to end on a thin metal rod, as if it were crossing a tightrope, and then spun it around the mouth of a small plastic bottle without it losing momentum.</p><p>And for the finale, Cardo spun the trumpo once more, this time on the tip of a needle, ending his act with a standing ovation from all four judges and the live audience urging them to press the Golden Buzzer. And although it did not rain golden confetti, Cardo received an outpouring of admiration from everyone in the room. Judge FMG remarked that a performance like that clearly takes talent and patience. </p><div><iframe width="939" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t49mkDh-m2A" title="Cardong receives a standing ovation for his spectacular trumpo maneuvers | Pilipinas Got Talent 2025" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>And in many ways, &#x27;<em>talent</em>&#x27; and &#x27;<em>patience</em>&#x27; indeed sum up the kind of journey Cardo has had long before stepping on the “<em>PGT</em>” stage. For someone who has been performing for years in local events, he never imagined that one day, millions of people would watch him do the very thing he’s always loved, which is why this moment and the &#x27;<em>recognition</em>&#x27; he&#x27;s been receiving mean the world to him. He considers his skill a blessing from the heavens.</p><p>Beyond performing with his beloved &quot;<em>trumpo</em>,&quot; Cardo also makes a living as a carpenter, which gave him the idea to turn scraps from construction work into handcrafted spinning tops and he takes pride in the fact that every trumpo he performs with is made with his own two hands.</p><p>Cardo&#x27;s family and his dreams for them are the reasons he continues to spin. One of his biggest hopes is to one day move his family to a safer home, as the kind-hearted father constantly worries about their current place being situated dangerously close to high-voltage power lines. “<em>Wala akong ibang ninanais kundi maging ligtas at maayos ang buhay ng aking pamilya</em>,” he shared, and that simple wish is what fuels his determination to keep going—just like his &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; that&#x27;s always in motion, steady and relentless, refusing to lose momentum.</p><div><iframe width="939" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HSYtAFMRhUw" title="Cardong Trumpo’s Journey to Semi-Finals | Pilipinas Got Talent 2025" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Carrying that same quiet hope, Cardo returned to the &quot;<em>PGT</em>&quot; stage for his live semifinals performance on Sunday, June 8, once again armed with nothing more than his spinning tops, handmade props, and the kind of focus that only comes from years of practice. He opened his act by setting a &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; spinning on the palm of his hand, letting it twirl with complete control, before seamlessly transferring it back-to-back onto another spinning top.</p><p>From there, he placed two inverted tops—one on top of the other—on a table, and just as both continued spinning, he quickly removed the one at the bottom, causing the upper &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; to drop and land cleanly on the table while still in motion.</p><p>He then moved on to a custom-built spiral wire track, probably one of the props he crafted himself using his carpenter skills, allowing the &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; to glide from top to bottom along the coiled path without stopping, a demonstration that showcased not only his precision but also his craftsmanship.</p><p>But the most gripping part of the act came next when he spun two inverted tops, one on top of the other, across a thin piece of thread stretched across the stage. The thread looked almost invisible from the audience, yet the tops maintained their course and balance the entire way through.</p><p>Before launching into the finale, Cardo took a deep breath, which somehow added to the tension in the room, and then proceeded to spin a single &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; across a long nylon string, stretched over what appeared to be more than five feet from one end of the stage to the other. With perfect timing and steady control, the top made it across the line, landing smoothly onto a small circular platform where it continued spinning for nearly thirty seconds, the audience watching in awe as the top maintained its rhythm until Cardo finally picked it up with his hand, marking the end of his act.</p><p>Emotion swept over the room as the audience erupted in cheers and the judges rose to their feet, giving him a well-earned standing ovation. Judge Eugene, visibly moved and holding back tears, called him the face of a true Filipino—&quot;<em>nagsusumikap, hindi sumusuko, ginagamit ang talento, hindi gumagawa ng masama</em>.&quot;  And then she asked the humble carpenter with big dreams and mind-blowing &quot;<em>trumpo</em>&quot; skills, &quot;<em>Handa ka na bang umikot ang buhay mo</em>?&quot;</p><div><iframe width="939" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nbzsHMkxZ9Y" title="Cardong Trumpo’s Performance | Pilipinas Got Talent 2025" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><iframe width="939" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bnUjSRmRrkc" title="Final Vote Percentages of Batch 3 Semi-Finalists | Pilipinas Got Talent 2025" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Almost the entire “<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/pilipinas-got-talent-7"><strong><u><em>Pilipinas Got Talent</em></u></strong></a>” audience rallied behind Cardong Trumpo, as proven by his topping the public voting for that semifinal weekend with a staggering 92.11% of the total votes cast among all six performers via joinnow.ph. That landslide result earned him a well-deserved spot in the upcoming Grand Finals.</p><p>“<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/pilipinas-got-talent-7"><strong><u><em>Pilipinas Got Talent</em></u></strong></a>” Season 7 airs at 7:15 pm every weekend on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), and A2Z. Viewers can also catch it on TV5 every Saturday, at 7:15 PM, and Sundays, at 7:45 PM.</p>

<p>Cardong Trumpo spins his way from humble beginnings to a well-earned spot in the “Pilipinas Got Talent” Season 7 Grand Finals.</p>

Cardong Trumpo spins his way from humble beginnings to a well-earned spot in the “Pilipinas Got Talent” Season 7 Grand Finals.