Alden Richards wants to join Air Force, fly family to Maldives

MANILA, Philippines, August 13 ------ Actor Alden Richards dreams of serving in the Philippine Air Force upon finishing pilot training in an aviation school. Alden was one of the recipients of PeopleAsia's Men Who Matter 2025 awards with 12 other individuals, including Sens. Tito Sotto and Bam Aquino, journalist Christian Esguerra, and events director Robby Carmona.

After the awarding ceremony last August 12 held in a Parañaque hotel, Alden shared his goal of joining the Air Force, citing service to the country as one of his primary reasons. "Service pa rin at the end of the day," Alden said. "It's also part of my legacy and journey din, sagarin na natin, libre lang naman ang mangarap diba?" For the actor, what really matters is doing everything possible to make one's dreams a reality, clarifying it's not necessarily about how long it takes but surely seeing progress toward end goals.

Alden quipped about the possible influence of Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, himself a licensed pilot who Alden met in South Korea earlier this year during promotional rounds for "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning." He even shared that most of the content sees on social media are, in true "Top Gun" fashion, are fighters jets. "Angas lang!" Alden added.

The host-actor also said he contacted friends based in the United Kingdom who conduct simulations for fighter jets, and is now friendly with the owners of the aviation school he's attending. "That's what matters to me as well also, relationships talaga, more than anything. More than money, more than fame... [it's] how you've made marks on the people you meet in this lifetime," Alden said.

Outside of fighter jet aspirations, Alden said a more personal goal upon finishing aviation school is flying his family to the island country of Maldives, a popular tourist destination in the Indian Ocean.

Source: philstar.com