Ion Perez
Benigno Dungo Perez, popularly known as Ion Perez, is a Filipino actor, model, and television host. He is best known as the Kuya Escort in the Miss Q and A segment of It's Showtime.
He is a regular host on ABS-CBN's noontime variety show It's Showtime.
Early life
Perez is the 11th of 15 siblings with his father a jeepney driver and his mother a kakanin vendor. According to some of his interviews from the past, he was bullied when he was younger because of his lanky frame. As a response, he motivated himself to get fit and take care of himself.He used to help his parents run a poultry shop inside a wet market. After developing muscles, Perez often went shirtless as a marketing tactic to help draw in customers to his parents' stall.
Career
Perez works as a model having been featured in the bachelors list of Cosmopolitan Philippines fashion magazine. He also participated in pageants. Perez was among the winners of the 2017 Misters of Filipinas and was the winner of the 2018 Mister Universe Tourism. His victories in pageants led him to more opportunities in his modelling career. He was initially hesitant to join pageants. It took three years of convincing from his manager for him to enter pageants. The first-ever meeting of the comedian-host-turned-actor Vice Ganda with her now-husband lon Perez in 2017. That's all thanks to "Gigil Kid" Carlo, who was the one to pick lon from the live audiences and let them have little interactions. They even sang "Pusong Bato" together, which really got everyone entertained. It happened during his guesting in an episode of her defunct talk show Gandang Gabi Vice in October 2017, in which Ion was among the audience and Aga was the guest. Around a year later, Ion became part of It's Showtime without her remembering that they'd already met before again.Perez first joined ABS-CBN's It's Showtime in September 19, 2018 to audition for the "Kuya Escort" role. He secured the role and eventually became a co-host in the show.
Having been part of It's Showtime for over 5 years, he recently celebrated a milestone by achieving his first win during Magpasikat 2023. He teamed up with Jhong Hilario and Kim Chiu as part of the group called Team JKI. The prize, amounting to 300,000 pesos, was donated to their chosen charity.
In October 2024, he filed his candidacy for councilor in Concepcion, Tarlac under the Nationalist People's Coalition in the 2025 elections. A month later, he withdrew his candidacy.