Tanghalang Batingaw alumni DJ Jhai Ho and Jack Logan bring their theater roots into mainstream media, broadcasting, film and digital storytelling
MANILA — Fifty years of Tanghalang Batingaw is not only a story about productions, rehearsals and performances. It is also a story about what its alumni did after leaving the stage.
Among the alumni whose careers have extended into mainstream media and the wider creative industry are Lord Jireh “DJ Jhai Ho” Seruelo and Cris Jason “Jack Logan” Santos.
Their professional journeys took different directions. Jhai Ho built his name through radio, entertainment reporting, television and acting. Jack Logan developed a career spanning radio, filmmaking, digital storytelling, documentary production, writing and publishing.
Both, however, carried with them skills associated with performance: communication, storytelling, audience connection and the ability to translate an idea into something people can see, hear and remember.
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DJ JHAI HO: FROM THEATER TO MOR 101.9 AND MAINSTREAM SHOWBIZ
Before becoming a familiar voice in Philippine radio and television, Lord Jireh Nepomuceno Seruelo, professionally known as DJ Jhai Ho, developed his performance experience at the Lyceum of the Philippines University, including through theater.
His theater background became an important part of his later career. In a 2016 Philippine Star profile, Jhai Ho recalled joining a theater group while studying at LPU partly because he wanted to gain acting experience. That ambition eventually led him to television.
His breakthrough in radio came through MOR 101.9, where he became known as a DJ and showbiz reporter. ABS-CBN’s corporate newsroom later described him specifically as MOR 101.9’s DJ and showbiz reporter, while also highlighting his online celebrity-interview segments Hotspot and Hotspot Wheel Talk.
Radio became more than a job. It became the platform from which his entertainment career expanded.
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FROM MOR TO ABS-CBN TELEVISION
Jhai Ho eventually moved from the radio booth into television and entertainment reporting.
In 2018, ABS-CBN’s Jeepney TV launched Showbiz Pa More, its first talk show focused on entertainment news. Jhai Ho served as host, bringing together showbiz stories, trending topics, events and celebrity interviews.
The program represented an important transition in his career.
He was no longer known only as the voice heard over MOR 101.9. He was becoming an on-camera entertainment personality.
His experience interviewing celebrities and discussing entertainment stories allowed him to move comfortably between radio, television and digital platforms.
In 2019, the MOR connection expanded into music as well. Jhai Ho and fellow MOR DJ Joco Loco recorded the novelty single “Agey Agey Hey” under ABS-CBN Music’s Lodi Records.
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FROM THE BATINGAW STAGE TO THE TELESERYE
Jhai Ho’s theater experience also connected directly with his ambition to become an actor.
He auditioned for ABS-CBN’s 2015 remake of Pangako Sa’Yo and landed the role of Coring, the sidekick of Claudia Buenavista, played by Angelica Panganiban.
The achievement was significant because it connected three parts of his developing career: theater performance, broadcasting and television acting.
He subsequently took on other television and entertainment projects, continuing to build a career that was no longer limited to one medium.
His story demonstrates how performance skills acquired in theater can transfer to the very different demands of radio and television.
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MORE THAN A RADIO DJ
What makes Jhai Ho’s career notable is the range of roles he has occupied.
He has been a radio DJ, showbiz reporter, interviewer, television host, event host and actor.
The common thread is communication.
Whether speaking into a radio microphone, interviewing a celebrity, presenting entertainment news or performing a television role, his work depends on the ability to connect with an audience.
That connection also became evident in his later work outside MOR.
His career continued through other radio and television opportunities, while his long association with entertainment media remained part of his professional identity.
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A NEW CHAPTER ON GTV
In 2026, Jhai Ho entered another major chapter of his broadcasting career.
GMA announced him as part of the hosting trio of KALURKS!, a live GTV entertainment talk show with Ashley Rivera and Baus Rufo. The program premiered September 13 and covers trending stories, showbiz, pop culture, social media, sports, politics and current events.
For Jhai Ho, the project represents another expansion of a career that began in radio.
In a September 2026 GMA interview, he described KALURKS! as his first talk show with GMA and expressed gratitude for the opportunity.
He also offered a simple explanation for why he continues working in the industry: he enjoys listening to people and hearing their stories. GMA reported that he remains excited about interviewing people—from established personalities to those only beginning their journeys.
That ability to listen may be one of the qualities that has allowed him to remain relevant across changing media platforms.
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JACK LOGAN: FROM COMMUNICATION AND RADIO TO FILM AND DIGITAL STORYTELLING
If Jhai Ho’s career represents the evolution of a theater alumnus into radio, television and mainstream entertainment, Cris Jason “Jack Logan” Santos represents another path: from communication and performance into filmmaking, documentary production, digital media and literature.
Santos, professionally known as Jack Logan and also credited as CJ Santos, studied Communication Arts at Lyceum of the Philippines University. He was born in Marikina and raised in San Antonio, Zambales.
His professional credits identify him as a filmmaker, writer, director, producer, editor, actor and content creator. FilmFreeway lists his company as Witty Jack Media, Incorporated and documents his work as a director and writer.
The result is a career that has moved repeatedly between different sides of production.
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FROM RADIO TO FILMMAKING
Before becoming widely recognized online, Santos developed experience in radio and communication.
That background eventually informed his work as a storyteller.
Rather than remaining solely in front of the microphone, he moved behind the camera, taking on responsibilities as writer, director, editor and producer.
His professional filmography includes projects such as Ang Luha at Lualhati ni Jeronima, 12 Days to Destiny, The Next 12 Days, The Last 12 Days, The Billboard Millionaire, Makabagong San Juan, Damong Ligal and other productions.
This evolution is important to understanding the Jack Logan identity.
He did not simply move from traditional media to social media.
He gradually learned to work across the entire production process.
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THE 12 DAYS SAGA
Among the projects associated with CJ Santos is the 12 Days film series.
The professional record lists 12 Days to Destiny in 2019, The Next 12 Days in 2021 and The Last 12 Days in 2024, with Santos receiving writing, directing and editing credits across his film work.
The projects demonstrate that Logan’s work has extended beyond short-form social-media content.
He has also pursued longer-form narrative filmmaking.
That ability to move between entertainment, online video and film became an important foundation for the next stage of his career.
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JACK LOGAN REALTALKS
The name Jack Logan became increasingly associated with his digital work, particularly Jack Logan Realtalks.
The program combined commentary, humor, interviews, observations about society and storytelling.
His online presence eventually became large enough to establish him as a recognizable Filipino digital creator. Manila Bulletin reported in 2025 that he had accumulated more than two million followers across social-media platforms, while describing him as a filmmaker, writer, editor and Asian Television Award nominee.
The scale of his digital audience gave him another kind of platform—but Logan also used that platform to pursue documentary storytelling.
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MAKABAGONG SAN JUAN AND THE ASIAN TELEVISION AWARDS
One of the most important milestones in his career came through Makabagong San Juan, a short documentary produced under the Jack Logan Realtalks banner.
The project earned a nomination at the 28th Asian Television Awards for Best Single Digital Programme/Short Film. His professional records identify him as director and writer, with the project also featuring him as host.
The nomination brought his digital work into an international television-industry awards setting.
It also demonstrated that online content could become a vehicle for documentary and cultural storytelling.
For Logan, digital media was not simply a place for entertainment.
It became another form of filmmaking.
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FROM COMEDY TO DOCUMENTARY
Logan’s work has covered subjects beyond comedy and commentary.
His filmography includes documentary projects addressing communities, history and social issues. Among them is Damong Ligal, while Makabagong San Juan focused on local history and heritage.
In 2025, he also worked on Sa Gitna ng Dalawang Tubig, a documentary about Filipino fishermen and their lives in the context of the West Philippine Sea. ABS-CBN Lifestyle reported on the project in May 2025.
This illustrates a broader direction in his work: using the tools of digital filmmaking to tell stories involving real people and communities.
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RECOGNIZED IN SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES
His hometown connection has remained important.
In 2025, the Municipality of San Antonio, Zambales recognized Jack Logan for his contributions to media and digital storytelling. Manila Bulletin reported that the recognition cited his work in filmmaking, digital content creation and cultural representation.
The recognition was particularly meaningful given that Logan was born in Marikina but grew up in San Antonio.
His work had developed into a national and digital-media career, but local culture and Filipino stories remained recurring elements in his output.
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ACTOR, WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
Another important aspect of Jack Logan’s career is that he is not limited to a single role.
His IMDb credits list work as an actor, writer, director, editor and producer, with dozens of credits across those categories.
That versatility is consistent with his theater and communication background.
A production can require someone to perform.
Another requires someone to write.
Another needs a director.
Another needs an editor.
Logan has worked in several of those positions.
His career therefore reflects not only the growth of a personality but also the development of a multi-disciplinary creative practitioner.
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FROM DIGITAL CREATOR TO NOVELIST
In 2026, Logan added another medium to his portfolio: the book.
His novel The Pabebe Chronicles: The Flower and the Warrior was published by Central Books. PEP reported that Logan began writing the larger project in 2015 and envisioned it as a trilogy.
The story originated from an idea shared among friends and eventually developed into a full-length fantasy narrative.
The publication represents another stage in his evolution as a storyteller.
The filmmaker who once told stories through images and moving pictures was now telling them through prose.
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TWO ALUMNI, TWO PATHS, ONE CREATIVE ROOT
The careers of DJ Jhai Ho and Jack Logan demonstrate two different ways a Tanghalang Batingaw alumnus can carry performance and storytelling into professional life.
Jhai Ho moved from theater and performance into MOR 101.9, showbiz reporting, ABS-CBN television, acting and talk-show hosting, eventually becoming part of GMA’s KALURKS! on GTV.
Jack Logan moved from communication and performance into radio, filmmaking, digital content, documentary production, acting, writing and publishing, with his work reaching the Asian Television Awards and receiving recognition from his hometown in Zambales.
Their platforms are different.
Their audiences are different.
Their creative outputs are different.
But both demonstrate the same principle: the skills developed through performance can travel far beyond the theater.
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BEYOND THE STAGE
For Tanghalang Batingaw’s 50th anniversary, that may be one of the most meaningful ways to understand alumni achievement.
A theater organization does not necessarily determine where an artist will eventually work.
It can, however, provide an environment where young performers learn to communicate, collaborate, create characters, understand an audience and tell stories.
Jhai Ho carried those skills into radio and television.
Jack Logan carried them into film, digital media and literature.
One found another stage behind a microphone.
The other found one behind a camera—and eventually on the printed page.
Their careers show that an artist can change platforms without abandoning the creative foundation from which the journey began.
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THE LEGACY CONTINUES
Fifty years after Tanghalang Batingaw’s founding, the stories of its alumni are themselves part of the organization’s continuing narrative.
DJ Jhai Ho represents the performer who found a professional voice through radio, expanded into showbiz reporting and television, and continues to evolve as a talk-show host.
Jack Logan represents the storyteller who moved across radio, film, digital media, documentary and literature, continually finding new ways to communicate with an audience.
Their success stories are not identical.
They did not follow the same road.
But both demonstrate what happens when a performer takes the lessons of the stage and carries them into a changing media landscape.
The curtain may fall on one production.
But for the artist, the story continues.
TANGHALANG BATINGAW — 50 YEARS. ONE ENDLESS LEGACY.
