James Patrick Romero Bondoc (born May 31, 1975) is a Filipino musician, songwriter, lawyer, and former government official. He is known for the songs "Let Me Be The One", "I Believe", and "Hanggang Dito Na Lang". In the run-up to the

2016 Philippine presidential election Presidential elections in the Philippines were held on May 9, 2016, as part of the 2016 Philippine general election, 2016 general election. This was the 16th direct presidential election in the country since 1935 Philippine presidential electio ...

, Bondoc was among the celebrities who endorsed

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

's successful campaign. From 2016 to 2022, Duterte appointed him to serve in the

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR; ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established in 1977 through the Presidential Decree No. 1869. PAGCOR is the Philippines' largest contributor of revenue to the government a ...

(PAGCOR).

Early life and education

Bondoc was born on May 31, 1975 in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

. He studied at the Ateneo de Manila University from elementary to college, graduating with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Communications. He began his law studies in 2017 at San Beda University and later transferred to the University of the East in 2019, he completed his law studies at the University of the East (UE) in 2023.

Music career

Bondoc is an acoustic musician who has composed and produced songs. He is known for his original hits "The Man I Was With You", "Akin Na Lang Sana Siya", and his biggest hit, "Let Me Be The One". In 2002, he founded Magis Productions, where he also served as its president until 2016. One of the songs from his 2006 album ''Undercover''
"I believe"
is an adaptation of South Korean singer

Shin Seung-hun Shin Seung-hun (; born 21 March 1966) is a South Korean singer-songwriter who was known in the 1990s as the "Emperor of Ballads." He debuted in 1990 with the hit song, "Reflection of You in Your Smile," and has since released 12 studio albums. B ...

's song of th
same title
which was released in 2002. In 2009, Bondoc released his album entitled ''Walang Araw, Walang Ulan'', under Sony-BMG. In 2010, the album ''Ang Mahiwagang Bisikleta at Ang Huling Makata'' was released. Bondoc was a resident juror on ''

Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by The Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Broth ...

'', a Philippine version of '' Sing If You Can'' franchise. He was also a regular celebrity mentor on the "Bida Kapamilya" segment of '' It's Showtime''. He also served as a radio host for ''The RnB Show'' at 97.9 Natural (now known as 97.9 Home Radio) with Duncan Ramos until the end of 2014. He was also part of the band called the Sabado Boys alongside

Luke Mejares Michael Luke Mejares (born June 26, 1975) is a Filipino singer and songwriter of African-American descent. Life Mejares was born in Manila, to a Boholana mother, Elvira Porticos Mejares, and an African-American father named Robert Davis. Hi ...

, Paolo Santos and Dj Myke.

Government and politics

In 2015, Bondoc was among the celebrities who campaigned for

's successful presidential campaign. He composed the song "Takbo" (), performed by various OPM artists who urged the then-

Davao City mayor The mayor of Davao City () is the chief executive of the government of Davao City in Davao Region, Philippines. The mayor leads the city's departments in executing ordinances and delivering public services. The mayorship is a three-year term and e ...

Duterte to officially run for president.

PAGCOR

In July 2016, Bondoc was appointed by President Duterte as the Assistant Vice President for Entertainment of the

(PAGCOR), replacing Bong Quintaña. His appointment did not come without criticisms as citizens questioned his qualifications for the post. He later served as PAGCOR's vice president for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Group from October 2017 to July 2021. On September 10, 2021, he was named as a member of the Board of Directors of PAGCOR, serving to complete the unfinished term of deceased Director Reynaldo Concordia. He took on September 15 by an official in Barangay Pinagkaisahan,

and would serve until June 30, 2022.

Palit-Bise rally

In April 2017, Bondoc, a critic of Vice President

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; Gerona; born April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She is the mayor-elect of Naga, Camarines Sur, having won the ...

, was one of the organizers of "Palit-Bise" rally held at the

Rizal Park Rizal Park (), also known as Luneta Park or simply Luneta, is a historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an area of . The site on where the park is situated was ...

in Manila. Held by pro-Duterte supporters, the

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police (PNP; ) is the national police force of the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currently, it has approximately 228,000 personnel to police a pop ...

estimated that the crowd numbered only to 4,500 in comparison with the millions who voted for Duterte. The rally was said to be funded by donations coming from OFW supporters of the president through the Gava Gives online platform. Questions were raised if collected funds were taxable. On March 28, 2017, in a press conference prior to the rally, there were reported instances of bloggers and journalists receiving "gas money", for those who took public transport to go to the press conference.

Shutdown of ABS-CBN broadcasting

In May 2019, Bondoc posted his sentiments on the imminent expiration of

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

's legislative franchise, typing "I AM EAGERLY AWAITING YOUR DEMISE". On June 12, 2019, he celebrated the news of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

freezing the discussions on the renewal of the media company's broadcasting franchise. After the shutdown of ABS-CBN on May 5, 2020, Bondoc posted a

sarcastic Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflectio ...

speech on the "closure" of a giant network, saying "he is not happy" and is wishing for forgiveness.

2022 elections

During the

2022 Philippine general election The 2022 Philippine general election took place on May 9, 2022, for the executive and legislative branches of government at every levelnational, provincial, and localexcept for the barangay officials. At the top of the ballot is the election fo ...

campaign period, Bondoc supported the presidential bid of his fellow celebrity, Manila mayor

Isko Moreno Francisco "Isko" Moreno Domagoso (; born October 24, 1974) is a Filipino politician, actor, host and entrepreneur who is the mayor-elect of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, having been 2025 Manila local elections, elected in 202 ...

by performing at the latter's campaign rally.

2025 Senate bid

On October 6, 2024, Bondoc filed his candidacy for the

2025 Philippine Senate election The 2025 Philippine Senate election was the 35th Philippine Senate elections, election of members to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on May 12, 2025, within the 2025 Philippine general election. The seats of the 12 senators elected ...

s under the Duterte-led

Partido Demokratiko Pilipino The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP, ) is a Populism, populist List of political parties in the Philippines, political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was previously known as Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–L ...

(PDP). Bondoc lost the election placing 17th in the official results, gaining 10,615,538 votes and 18.51% of the vote.

Personal life

From 2002 to 2005, Bondoc had a relationship with singer Nina. He also faced disputes with

Nyoy Volante Niño del Mar Coching Volante (born January 25, 1978), better known as Nyoy Volante (), is a Filipino acoustic pop singer-songwriter and actor. Early life and education Nyoy Volante was born as Niño del Mar Coching Volante on January 25, 1978 ...

. Bondoc married his fellow lawyer, Isabel Torrijos, on February 2, 2025 at the

Manila Cathedral The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, commonly known as the Manila Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic basilica and cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Manila. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of ...

. In 2017, Bondoc started studying law at

San Beda University San Beda University () is a private university, private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Miguel, Manila, San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. It was founded by the Benedictines ...

. In 2019, he transferred to the

University of the East The University of the East (), also known as UE, is a private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the "largest university in Asia" when i ...

. He then passed the 2023

Philippine Bar Examinations The Philippine Bar Examinations is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the Philippines. The exam is exclusively administered by the Supreme Court of the Philippines through the Supreme Court Bar Examination Committee. History ...

. On August 2, 2022, a fire razed Bondoc's studio, damaging musical instruments and equipment worth .

Discography

*''Jimmy Bondoc'' (2000) *''Musikero'' (2004) *''Undercovers'' (2005) *''Fight for the Write'' (2015)

Awards

References

External links

Official Website
*
Jimmy Bondoc Abouts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bondoc, Jimmy 1975 births 21st-century Filipino male singers 21st-century Filipino lawyers Ateneo de Manila University alumni Dutertism Duterte administration personnel Filipino male pop singers Filipino radio personalities Filipino television personalities Living people University of the East alumni Partido Demokratiko Pilipino politicians