t's the first time that Troy , KC and Colby sat together for interview and a photo shoot. And Scoop was there to take a bit of the tasty trio.

When you search the Montero brothers in Google, there are about 26,000 sites related to them and that's a lot. It just proves that among all of the celebrity siblings in the Philippine Entertainment industry, the Monteros are among the most perceptible faces. While it is obvious that they have their own unique characters, one cannot help wonder about their bond as brothers. This is the first time the siblings have had a photo shoot together and Scoop was there to feel the brotherly love.

Colby, one of the former hosts of “Chefs on the Go” (Studio 23) is also one of the winners of the most recent MTV VJ hunt. He is the youngest and is very much the boy-next-door type and the shy one. While KC, an MTV VJ for the last eight years is the middle child and has assumed the comic and icebreaker role. While the eldest Troy (real name Cody), is the actor, singer and dancer. Troy is also tagged to be the debonair and the most serious.

Although they are different from each other, they still do share some similarities. For one, none of them expected that they would land careers in showbusiness. “It was something far from our minds,” admits Troy . Although KC and Colby quickly share that Troy seems to be born for the limelight because they have family videos wherein he was either singing or dancing.

The brothers get animated when they talk about their childhood. Like them, their stories are quite interesting. Their most vivid growing-up memory was receiving the same presents and toys from their parents during the holidays. In fact one Christmas, their mom came home and brought three skateboards. “But it was only Troy who knew how to ride it,” says Coby. “So KC and I would just lie down on our bellies and go down the driveway in our skateboards while it was Troy who would really do those skateboarding stunts and all.” Because of this is made most of their gifts predictable. KC adds, “It wasn't only for Christmas. I mean, my parents would always but things in threes! I remember our mom buying us matching outfits like Adidas sweat suits and would make the three of us wear it at the same time.”

Just like most boys, they grew up with very active lifestyles, they would engage in sports and outdoor activities like biking and climbing trees. Weekends were usually spent camping and hunting together. As far as their childhood is concerned, they all agree that theirs was a happy one. “We do have a really good childhood. We were always active and we had lots of friends.” Says KC. While growing up, KC and Colby confesses that Troy would be mean to the both of them all the time. “He used to bully us sooo bad. One time, he killed our pet tadpoles… with firecrackers!!” KC and Colby laughingly disclose to which Troy blushingly admits.

But the scenario changed as they grew up and their bond became stronger; this was also the stage wherein they started having the same circle of friends and would all hang out together. “It all changed when Troy realized that we were cool enough to be seen with him,” Colby adds jokingly.

While the public is flooded with intrigues about celebrity siblings not being in good terms with each other, this isn't the case with the Monteros. In the question on how it is working with each other in the same industry, Troy answers, “For me it's really, really fun.” Meanwhile KC, who works with Colby in MTV, says that “it makes it a whole lot easier since you are working with your brother, you really can relax.”

As mentioned earlier, showbusiness was something far from their minds (with their looks, how could it be possible?). They have already thought of what their life would be if they weren't bitten by the showbiz bug and their imagined lives are as varied as they are. Troy is the business minded one among the siblings. He thinks he would be in manufacturing if he weren't in showbusiness. He also reveals that he would want to open up a barber shop and have his own clothing line. The eldest Montero is also thinking up of opening another bar (He and KC opened up a couple of bars in the past but had to be shut down).

KC on one hand thinks he would venture into dealing behind the camera and producing someday. “If I weren't in showbiz, I'm probably in college taking up a course that would be something about directing or film. Or if that doesn't work out well, I would probably be in real estate because our father has a real estate company.” Colby, having finished college with a degree in biology from the Central Washington University says that if he isn't taking his showbiz side trip now, he is probably pursuing his dream of being an astronaut, “who has an interesting hobby as a real estate agent? Ha ha!”

The brothers share how their friends back in the States are reacting to their celebrity status here. “It's all so funny because things are blown out of proportion!” shares Troy . “They think we're being picked up in limos and all. They all think that we are bigger than we actually are!” KC on the other hand says that some of their friends actually enjoy visiting Manila even asking them for dates with local celebrities. “I'm their pimp!” he laughs.

But Troy , KC and Colby do get homesick. They miss the cold weather since they're into winter sports like snowboarding. KC adds that he misses the discipline and the roads back in the States, which he claims are void of traffic most of the time. “But when it comes to shoes, clothes, accessories and even the food, what we buy in the States can already be found here so it's all good.”

But the brothers agree that they miss their family terribly. So they communicate a lot with their parents. Mommy Montero constantly sends them text messages to which they dutifully reply. Emails are also plentiful. The brothers always make it a point to go back to visit their folks during the holidays. Troy also added that being in the entertainment industry; they get to go to the U.S. to do shows for the Filipino communities abroad, thus permitting them to see and visit their friends and family regularly.

With each of them having hectic and demanding schedule, they still find time to hang out together and bond. They usually play basketball, go out and have a few drinks, play video games, work out in the gym and eat out. They even plan in the near future to get certified for scuba diving.

Being based in the Philippines for some time, they have grown accustomed to the culture and ways of the country. Colby says that he has grown fond of bistek and SMB. KC shares that he fell in love with our country when he went to the beach in La Union. “We ended up staying longer than we planned,” he says. Colby and Troy add that they now eat some Pinoy things that they normally wouldn't eat.

And they all agree that they love the Philippines because of the women! They all think that Filipinas are “lovely.”

On the topic of being proud to be Filipino, the brothers have a mouthful to say. They sometimes end up defending and or correcting misconceptions about the Philippines that some of their friends have back in the U.S. “The people in the States don't know how advanced the Philippines is,” KC says. Troy continues, “They only believe what they see on the news, which is not really how the Philippines is as a whole.” They share one story about a friend who asked them where they bought them in the Philippines . “He was just so shocked that they were selling them here! They don't realize that some of their clothes and other stuff are even made here!” says Troy . KC admits that this just shows they are proud of their roots. He even fearlessly declares, “the Philippines is our motherland.”

The Monteros belong to an industry where most viewers take what they see and perceive it to be their real personas. Celebrities cannot help the fact that there are many misconceptions about them, and the siblings are no exception. “People usually think that we're unapproachable and suplado, but that is the farthest from the truth”, Colby states. “Some people do have negative impressions about artistas that are not accurate. But the truth is that we are very grounded and very modest. We actually like it when people approach us to say ‘Hi1'”

Do the brothers see themselves in showbiz 10-15 years from now? All brothers were uncertain of their future here but as KC says, “one thing's for sure, I'd be really bald by that time because baldness runs in our family! Haha!”

In a dog eat dog industry where you have to be tough to keep your status and continue to make waves, these brothers are tough enough; after all, as one popular tee-shirt would say, tough guys do wear PINK. (Article lifted from SCOOP Magazine)

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