Former Bicol policeman named first 'Pinoy Biggest Loser'
After losing 101 pounds in his four months in the Biggest Loser Camp, former policeman Larry Martin was named as the first-ever Pinoy Biggest Loser in the competition’s final weigh-in on Saturday, October 8 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
At the Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition (BLPE) finale hosted by Sharon Cuneta and Derek Ramsay, Larry and the rest of the Fab Five finalists – Art Mendoza, Raffy Tan, Hazel Chua, and Angela Lupangco – went head to head in the final weigh-in. The title eventually went to Larry, who lost 39.61% of his weight.
“Sa bumubuo ng BLPE, sa ABS-CBN, sa mga coaches, salamat po sa tulong ninyo. Sa asawa ko, makakapag-pakasal na tayo!,” Larry said onstage as he was declared the winner. Sharon volunteered shouldering the wedding dress of Larry’s fiancée.
Lost his job
Larry previously lost his job as a policeman when he failed to comply with the 34-inch waistline limit of the members of the Philippine National Police. He joined BLPE to change his life and provide a better future for his family. Now, the 36-year-old former police officer 1 (PO1) from Camarines Sur is determined to go back to service after the competition.
“Pagpa-planuhan ko po. Di bale sa Senate rin po, nag-pass na ako ng resume ko,” Larry told the press after the announcement of winner. Larry previously said that Sen. Francis Pangilinan asked him to submit his resume at the Senate.
Placing second to Larry is Art Mendoza who lost 129 pounds or a weight percentage of 37.83%. Larry told the press that he felt Art was his biggest “threat” for the title because he also lost a lot of weight.
“Nanginginig ako kase nagtitimbang na ako sa labas eh. Alam ko naman yung weight loss ko. May idea na ako. Ang ikanakatakutan ko lang talaga ay si Art, eh. Sya yung big threat ko talaga,” he shared.
Prizes
As the first ever Pinoy Biggest Loser, Larry won P1 million, a condominium unit from DCMI Homes, a Vespa scooter, a 40-inch Sony Bravia Internet TV, Whirlpool appliances, P100,000 worth of salon services, and a lifetime gym membership from Fitness First.
Larry told Yahoo! Philippines OMG! that he will also seek the advice of the BLPE staff on handling his prizes, which he said is for his family.
“Para sa mga future ng mga anak ko. Hihingi rin ako ng advice, tulad sa mga nasa likod ng shows. Sila kase talaga ang nagga-guide sa amin kahit sa likod ng camera. Sila yung nagtuturo sa amin,” Larry said.
Larry is very thankful to the people who supported him in his journey to losing weight.
“Sa tulong ng mga coaches ko, si Coach Jim and Chinggay, and proper work-out and yung proper diet sa tulong ni Mr. Yuchengco. Sa tulong rin ni Ms Sharon and Derek Ramsay, tinutulungan nila kami sa mga work-out and advices,” Larry said.
The rest of the Fab Five took home P500,000 as announced by ABS-CBN Chairman Gabby Lopez Saturday at the finale. Raffy placed third after losing 100 pounds. Angela lost 75 pounds, while Hazel shed 68 pounds.
Inspiration
BLPE hosts Sharon and Derek are all proud of the finalists’ achievements. Sharon said that Larry serves an inspiration to everyone who dreams of changing their lives for the better.
“Congratulations at nagbunga rin ang sakripisyo at hirap mo. Salamat lalong lalo na sa inspirasyon at lakas ng loob na binigay mo sa akin pati sa mga manunuod,” Sharon told the press.
Coach Jim Saret also echoed the same sentiment and proud of the hard work of all the contestants. He added that Larry deserves to win especially because of his perseverance.
“He deserves it. Lagi syang ‘Biggest Loser of the Week,’ sa exercises sya lagi pinakamabilis. Perfect role model. Art is coming from a big weight advantage, while Larry was already close to his ideal weight, which is mas mahirap mag-lose,” Coach Jim said.
