Vlad Bunoan

Article (news)

Christian Vallez/Juan Ekis

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:682px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757511085818IMG_20250910_211450.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Christian Vallez, who writes as Juan Ekis, poses for a photo at Ayala Triangle Gardens Tower 2, where he holds office at Ayala Corp. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong><em>(First of two parts)</em></strong></div><p>When you meet Christian Vallez — also known in the theater and literary world as Juan Ekis — he gives off an air of quiet composure, the kind that comes from successfully balancing a life in the arts with a career in the corporate world. Yet behind that calm exterior is a journey marked by unexpected turns, passionate storytelling, and a steadfast commitment to both preserving history and creating art.</p><p>Vallez’s day job is as unconventional as his artistic pursuits. He works in knowledge management for Ayala Corporation, where his role involves curating legal documents, family records, memorabilia, and artworks owned by both the corporation and the Zobel family. Among the items under his care is a World War II helmet once worn by Col. Joseph McMicking, the visionary credited for the rise of modern-day Makati — a small piece of history in a vast archive of corporate and family treasures.</p><p>“Basically, it started out as the archives unit of Ayala Corp.,” Vallez explains. “It’s separate from Ayala Museum or Ayala Foundation, but it’s a combination of items owned by the corporation and the family.”</p><p>At night — or whenever the theater calls — he steps into the realm of storytelling, directing, writing, and producing plays and screenplays.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Finding his balance</strong></div><p>But his path to this role wasn’t a straight line. Vallez, who took up Information Technology at the University of Asia and the Pacific, had been entrenched in theater for over two decades, starting in college and extending into independent productions. He worked with the late film director Marilou Diaz-Abaya, helped her open a film school, started his own production company, and took on freelance gigs.</p><p>“After graduating, I tried a month as a management consultant and that’s when I said I can’t do an eight-to-five thing. I have to be a full-time artist,” he says.</p><p>His journey back into corporate life came much later, through connections forged at the Ayala Young Leaders Congress. “Don Jaime [Zobel de Ayala] is a friend,” he says matter-of-factly. When the offer came, he thought maybe he should try it out. “The scope of work is very interesting and they kind of sold it to me. ‘You&#x27;ll be writing stuff. You&#x27;ll be taking care of items owned by the Zobels.’”</p><p>Writing, it turns out, is a constant thread in his life. At Ayala, it goes beyond administrative records. Vallez compiles histories and internal publications, detailing the lives and achievements of the corporation’s leaders and the best practices of each business unit. Currently, he is producing a comprehensive review of Manila Water’s operations, capturing both successes and lessons learned.</p><p>Yet his heart has always belonged to theater and storytelling. Under the pseudonym Juan Ekis, he’s made a mark as a playwright who explores the intricacies of dialogue, character, and human emotion. The pseudonym, he explains, is a nod to poet and National Artist Virgilio Almario, aka Rio Alma, and a way to compartmentalize his artistic persona from his professional one. “When I write plays and poetry, it’s Juan Ekis,” he says. “Whenever I write essays, I use Christian Vallez.”</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:682px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757511557936495070666_1316294703833729_3001566763659270421_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">A scene from the Theatre Tita&#x27;s production of &#x27;Twenty Questions.&#x27; <em>Theatre Titas/Facebook</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>Writing as Juan Ekis</strong></div><p>His artistic pursuits remain equally vital. His early works, such as “Twenty Questions,” showcased his fascination with dialogue-driven narratives. In these plays, characters explore ideas, emotions, and moral choices through long, intimate conversations. He attributes his focus on words to his roots in poetry: “I’m very particular with how a character chooses their words and the length of their sentences... I don’t care much about plots.”</p><p>“Twenty Questions,” which started its life in university productions, became a quiet classic over time, gaining traction through word-of-mouth and online discussion boards long before the era of social media virality. “It’s a little surreal. Students ask me for permission to stage it. Universities email me. I didn’t expect it would speak to a lot of people,” Vallez says. </p><p>The play’s lasting appeal, he believes, comes from its universality and its refusal to dictate moral judgments to the audience. “It never imposed the choices of the characters to you as an audience member. It&#x27;s up to you what you want to do. You can make your own decision,” he explains. “And because the characters are forced to make some moral choices, I think that&#x27;s also attractive for audiences.”</p><p>His other notable play, “Kapeng Barako Club: Samahan Ng Mga Bitter,” offers a different perspective — part autobiographical, part observation of friends and their lives. While the protagonist, Marlowe, reflects elements of Vallez’s experiences, much of the narrative is a composite of people he has known. “I watch people, and then I stole their lives and turned it into a play. But really, they’re not any specific person, just a combination of people,” he clarifies, stressing also that Marlowe isn’t him.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:682px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757514441736505593305_1237600681490081_7804817284896525276_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">A scene from Eksena PH&#x27;s &#x27;Kapeng Barako Club: Extra Strong.&#x27; <em>Eksena PH/Facebook</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>Bridging two worlds</strong></div><p>Though Vallez has dabbled in screenwriting — contributing to films such as Jodi Sta. Maria&#x27;s “Birhen ng Manaoag” — he describes much of his cinematic work as one-offs. Today, however, he is revisiting scriptwriting, adapting historical narratives for a film, and exploring the possibility of turning some of his plays into movies. Among these is a potential film adaptation of “Twenty Questions,” which he hopes to pitch to a major entertainment company.</p><p>From IT graduate to playwright and corporate archivist, Vallez&#x27;s journey has never been about choosing between his two worlds but finding the dialogue between them. The archives give him the discipline of structure, while the stage grants him the freedom of imagination.</p><p>His experience demonstrates that careers — like stories — need not be linear, and that creativity can thrive in the most unexpected of places. He embodies the intersections of art and history, of imagination and reality — which found expression in his biggest accomplishment yet, Tanghalang Pilipino’s critically acclaimed musical “Pingkian,” based on the life of hero Emilio Jacinto.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong><em>(Reads the second part: </em></strong><a href="http://Act Two: Juan Ekis and the making of ‘Pingkian’"><strong><em>&#x27;Act Two: Juan Ekis and the making of ‘Pingkian’</em></strong></a><strong><em>)</em><em></em></strong></div>

<p>Before his historical musical ‘Pingkian’ took the spotlight, Christian Vallez/Juan Ekis built a life that straddles the corporate world and the theater stage.</p>

Before his historical musical ‘Pingkian’ took the spotlight, Christian Vallez/Juan Ekis built a life that straddles the corporate world and the theater stage.

Christian Vallez — aka Juan Ekis — in two acts: Balancing history and theater

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Christian Vallez — aka Juan Ekis — in two acts: Balancing history and theater

Vlad Bunoan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 11, 2025 10:00 AM PHT

|

Updated Sep 13, 2025 08:22 AM PHT

Read More:

Juan Ekis

Christian Vallez

Pingkian

Twenty Questions

theater

Ayala Corp

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