Being in the entertainment industry for several years is already a magnificent feat, right? But what if over three decades, just like seasoned actor Carlo Aquino? Well, it may be unbelievable since he still looks young for a soon-to-be 40-year-old man, but it’s the truth.
Those who were around in the ’90s, especially the ones who got to watch TV and be updated on Pinoy showbiz, are likely aware that he began as a child star. Due to his unmistakable charm and impressive acting chops, it was quite easy for him to capture many hearts and become a household name. New breeds of artists may have come and gone over the years, but he has remained relevant and popular, as he still appears in television programs and movies, with the Philippine adaptation of the Korean drama “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” being his latest project.
As we’re about to see him in an absolutely different light via his role in the said series, let us look back on the prolific and remarkable teleserye journey of Carlo via this Kapamilya Spotlight feature.
He’s among the celebrities whose showbiz career started in the youth-oriented program “Ang TV,” where he was regularly seen from 1992 to 1995. This stint opened many doors for him, as he was cast in a slew of ABS-CBN shows in the succeeding years, which included “Wansapanataym,” “Familia Zaragoza,” “G-mik,” “Sa Puso Ko Iingatan Ka,” “Berks,” “Ang Tanging Ina,” “Krystala,” and “Maalaala Mo Kaya.”
In the primetime musical drama series “Bituing Walang Ningning,” he played the role of Oman Gonzales, the best friend and bandmate of Sarah Geronimo’s character Dorina Pineda, who harbors special feelings for her.
Carlo returned to ABS-CBN six years later, with the “Ang Monito ni Monico” episode of “Wansapanataym” and the “Pulang Laso” episode of “MMK” as his initial comeback projects. In 2013, he was cast as the young adult Simon Bernabe (Nonie Buencamino) in “Carlo J. Caparas’ Dugong Buhay,” the TV adaptation of the 1983 film of the same title. It was followed by his stint in the “Rosas” episode of MMK and in the Andrea Brillantes-starrer “Annaliza,” which was the remake of the classic 1980s drama of the same title, as the antagonist Makoy Diaz.
The year 2014 was indeed a busy one for him since he didn’t just work on one or two small-screen projects, but five! He lent his acting chops in the “Lipstick” and “Wedding Gown” episodes of “MMK,” “Kaya Ba Kitang Itakwil?” episode of “Ipaglaban Mo” and “The Gift Giver” narrative of the drama anthology series “Give Love On Christmas.” He also had a participation in the drama-comedy series “Dream Dad” as the young Eliseo Javier (Ariel Ureta).
In 2015, he got to work alongside his fellow 90s superstars Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin in the afternoon soap opera “FlordeLiza,” then starred in “Buhay Mo o Buhay Ko?” episode of “Ipaglaban Mo” and the “Kenny Kaliwete” episode of “Wansapanataym.”
The following year, Carlo served as Melai Cantiveros’ love interest in the dramedy series “We Will Survive.” He was also among the actors who made it to the long-running teleserye “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,” as he made a limited appearance in 2016 as Marlon Aguilar. It was succeeded by his stint in the “Ipaglaban Mo” episode entitled “Witness.”
After being paired with Jessy Mendiola in the “Makeup” episode of “MMK” in 2017, he went on to charm viewers as Marco Saison, the mutual love interest of Shaina Magdayao and Denise Laurel’s characters in the afternoon teleserye “The Better Half.” Fans of his team-up with former on-and-off-screen partner Angelica Panganiban were surely thrilled when he was given the chance to work with her in “Playhouse,” the 2018 daytime series that she starred in opposite Zanjoe Marudo.
Despite the challenges in filming in the midst of the pandemic in 2020, Carlo was among the actors who chose to continue working via the drama action series “A Soldier’s Heart.” He portrayed the role of Sergeant Abraham “Abe” Kamlun, a Tausug man who joined the Philippine Army despite his family’s opposition. It was also in that same year when he worked on the revenge drama series “La Vida Lena” and brought life to Jordan Cabrera, the best friend-turned-husband of the titular character played by Erich Gonzales.
From consistently taking on dramatic roles, he went on to captivate us with his striking charm as surfer-entrepreneur Franco Sibayan in the 2023 digital series “How To Move On In 30 Days,” who had a romantic affair with Maris Racal’s character Jen.
And this 2025, many are surely excited to see Carlo take on the role of Matthew “Matmat” Gonzales, the autistic older brother of Joshua Garcia’s character Patrick, who is an aspiring illustrator and an avid fan of book author Mia Hernandez (Anne Curtis), in the newest ABS-CBN Studios series “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay.” The role was originally played by award-winning veteran actor Oh Jung-se as Moon Sang-tae in the hit Hallyu romance drama series of the same title.
Watch out for Carlo Aquino’s surely compelling performance in “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” beginning July 21 on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and TV5. iWant users may catch it in advance starting July 19, while Netflix subscribers may start streaming it on July 18.