by Nikko Tuazon
September 30, 2020

Star Magic talent Javi Benitez is the son of Filipino businessman and former congressman Albee Benitez and his wife Dominique "Nikki" Lopez-Benitez. PHOTO/S: JAVI BENITEZ ON FACEBOOK

Javi Benitez, 25, is a political scion, an up-and-coming action star, and a rising leading man under Star Magic, the talent-management arm of ABS-CBN.

His full name is Javier Lopez Benitez. He was born on October 8, 1994, in Quezon City, and was raised in Manila.

Up-and-coming action star Javi Benitez was launched as one of the new faces of Star Magic Circle Batch 2019 last May. PHOTO/S: @JAVIBENITEZZZ ON INSTAGRAM

Currently, he has around 48,000 followers on his official Instagram account with the handle name @javibenitezzz. His official Facebook page currently has a little over 6,000 followers. Javi just recently set up @javibenitezph as his official Twitter account.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Javi is the son of Filipino businessman and former congressman Albee Benitez and Dominique "Nikki" Lopez-Benitez.

He has a 21-year-old sister named Bettina Marie.

At present, Javi's father is the chairman of Leisure & Resorts World Corp., which operates bingo parlors nationwide. The former congressman is also a consultant for economics and investments to the provincial government of Negros Occidental. He is also the man behind Brightlight Productions, which reportedly has a multimillion-peso block time deal with the Kapatid network.

Javi is said to play a "big role" in his father's production company.

Being the son of a politician, many are wondering whether Javi plans to follow in his father's footsteps, but Javi is focused on establishing his own path for now.

"I think, being exposed in a very young age, it’s a natural progression for someone to get into it," he said in an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in August 2016.

He continued, "But to get a position, I think, there’s a lot of things. The people should want me. Second, I should be ready. And third, my family should approve of it, especially my Dad. I’m bringing not only my name but my Dad’s name and family."

EDUCATION

Javi spent his elementary and high school years at Xavier School in San Juan City. He was a member of the school's badminton and football teams.

He also participated in go-kart racing competitions from Grade 4 to senior high. He competed and won during the 2008/2009 Asian Karting Open Championships (AKOC) and was able to represent the country at a competition in Italy with fellow celebrity racers Matteo Guidicelli and Marlon Stockinger.

Javi graduated with honors in 2012.

For college, Javi finished his minor degree in Computer Science and a major degree in Political Science at Santa Clara University, California.

SHOWBIZ CAREER

Javi started his showbiz career at the age of 14. In 2008, he had a short stint as a junior host of Studio 23's sports-themed TV show called Sports Kidz.

After this, he took a sabbatical to focus on his studies. He returned on cam in 2016 when he joined his father in hosting ANC's Game Changer.

In the same August 2016 interview with PEP.ph, Javi talked about the difference of being a TV host then and now that he's a lot older: "Four kaming hosts ng show. Champion ng respective fields. I’m into racing, iyong iba basketball, skating, at tennis. We interviewed people... It’s been a while, but I think, it’s easier now because I’ve done that before and I’m more confident na."

From 2017 to 2018, Javi worked for his father's company Leisure & Resorts World Corp.

On May 28, 2019, Javi was launched as one of the 16 new faces of Star Magic Circle Batch 2019. His batchmates were JC Alcantara, Jillian Vicencio, and Kyle Echarri, among many others.

One of his first projects as a Kapamilya talent was the prime-time series The General's Daughter, which aired from January to October 2019. Javi played the role of a businessman named Vladimir Lejano.

In August 2019, Javi was launched as the lead star of the upcoming action movie Kid Alpha One, directed by fellow Negrense Richard Somes.

The movie is produced by Strawdog Studio and Brightlight Productions. In this movie, Javi plays the role of Jake, an elite military forces trainee with an "Acquired Savant Syndrome" due to an accident. He is paired with Sue Ramirez.

In February 2020, Javi was announced as one of the cast members of the prime-time series Burado with Thai actor Denkhun Ngamnet, Paulo Avelino, Nadine Lustre, Julia Montes, and Zanjoe Marudo.

However, on August 10, 2020, Burado's producer Dreamscape Entertainment announced the show's cancellation after rumors of Julia and Nadine backing out of the project made headlines.

Denkhun also had to pull out from the project because he would not be able to fly into the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series had plans of filming in several countries, such as Thailand, India, and Cambodia.

Burado was replaced by Walang Hanggang Paalam, which stars Angelica Panganiban, Arci Munoz, Zanjoe Marudo, Jake Cuenca, and Paulo Avelino. Javi is also part of this series, which premiered on September 28, 2020. Walang Hanggang Paalam airs on the Kapamilya Channel, a cable TV network under ABS-CBN.

During the show's digital press conference last September 25, Javi expressed how grateful he is to be part of the series amid the pandemic.

He said, "I'm very grateful for what we have now. This pandemic is out of our control so this show is a good opportunity to hone my craft in acting."

CELEBRITY LINKS

On February 24, 2020, rumors about Javi and Sue Ramirez's relationship became a trending topic on social media after the actor uploaded their photo with the caption: "Can I call you sometime?"

Javi and Sue seemed to have developed a relationship after filming the movie Kid Alpha One.

In August 2020, Sue confirmed her relationship with Javi in an interview with ABS-CBN's digital talk show Hotspot.

Asked what she liked about her boyfriend, Sue answered, "Consistent si Javi. Super smart siya, very family-oriented and sobrang pasensiyoso. Bihira iyon magalit kaya feeling ko pretty girl ako kapag kasama ko siya. And I feel safe every time na kasama ko si Javi so iyon siguro iyong mga traits niya na nagustuhan ko."

Before Sue, Javi had two previous relationships.

His last relationship was with MTV VJ-turned-Miss World Philippines 2018 Katarina Rodriguez. The relationship ended around 2017.

In his interview with Ricky Lo for PhilStar, Javi said, "Having a beauty queen girlfriend is stressful... Daming nakapaligid na ibang guys. Mahirap."

Javi also mentioned in PEP.ph's 2016 interview that Liza Soberano is one of his biggest showbiz crushes.

He said, "I don’t know her before, I’m just drawn to her beauty. Nasa Instagram iyon, nakikita ko..."

Javi continued. "She doesn’t follow me. I just follow her. I see her a lot in social media. Instagram, Twitter, and her commercials."

Around the same time, he was romantically linked to Kapuso actress Jazz Ocampo.

FILMOGRAPHY
MOVIES

Kid Alpha One (in post-production)
as Jake
Brightlight Productions and Strawdog Studio

TELEVISION

Sports Kidz (Studio 23, 2008) as himself (host)
Game Changer (ANC, 2016) as himself (co-host)
The General's Daughter (ABS-CBN, 2019) as Vladimir Lejano
Walang Hanggang Paalam (ABS-CBN, on-going) as Arnold