Paulo Avelino sets Twitter on fire with #AskGoyo

Probably playing with the reputation of Goyo as a “playboy of Philippine history,” Paulo played it real smooth. (File Photo: @Heneral_Goyo/Twitter)

All it takes is this certain man and a simple hashtag to have girls (and guys?) swooning, netizens laughing, and others wondering.

Twitterverse is shookt for Paulo Avelino, the very man known for keeping his lips sealed on a lot of occasions set the world of Twitter on fire with rapid fingers competing for his attention when he tweeted, “#AskGoyo anyone?”

It is no secret that Paulo, filling in the shoes of historical hero General Gregorio “Goyo” del Pilar was promoting his film “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.” The thing was to get people talking… but how? Readying his keyboard (or was it the virtual keypad of a smartphone?), the actor used Twitter to invite netizens to ask him any question.

For a simple online user who spends their day scrolling and tapping their phone screens to be noticed by a star (and mind you, an eye candy slash heartthrob born to capture people’s hearts) like Paulo would be an ecstatic experience.

Netizens were quick to ride on this trend, having their own questions matched by Paulo’s shocking (for a lot) and fascinating wit.

At first, the questions that Paulo entertained were mostly about his film – things like his favorite line, character, scene, or anything that was etched in his memory. Some were really random too like his skincare routine, some request for shoutouts, and some advice. While these may seem like general questions, some of his answers turned playful which kept the fire burning.

Perhaps the internet is not meant to let you hear the voice of users through text, but one could swear that a scream was heard when Paulo answered Twitter user @faithjobli_ who asked,  “Ano ‘yung naging inspirasyon mo para gampanan yung role na bilang si (What was your inspiration in playing the role of) Gregorio Del Pilar?”

Three words, ladies and gentlemen. “Ikaw. Tanging ikaw (You. Only you),” Paulo replied.

Perhaps fueled by this, a lot more sent in their own kilig-inducing questions, hoping for a similar reaction.

@MyungieIsLove requested the heneral to accompany her in watching the film. “Sagot ko na lahat. Kahit ‘di ka na magsalita, tatabi ka lang sa’kin habang nanonood. Pwede ba ‘yon? (I will pay for everything. You do not have to talk, you will just sit beside me while watching. Is that possible?)” she tweeted.

Perhaps another overjoyed scream was heard in the land of the Philippines when Paulo replied with, “Kahit may holding hands pa basta walang picture (We can hold hands if you want as long as there are no pictures).”

Remember when princes riding white horses was still a childhood dream? Perhaps Paulo just granted Twitter user @Enuuuuuh’s imagination a signifant boost when he responded to her question if he could watch with her.

“Papunta ako ng Maynila sa Sabado, pwede mo ba akong samahan manood ng (I will go to Manila on Saturday, would you watch) Goyo (with me)?” she asked.

“Saan sa Maynila? Sabihan mo agad sakin para ma tantsya ko travel time sakay ‘yung kabayo ko. Traffic pa naman (Where in Manila? Tell me immediately so I can estimate my travel time riding my horse. Especially with the traffic),” the heneral replied.

Paulo even knew how to mend a broken heart, answering @jpsdy_ when she asked him how to move on with “Ako ang papalit sa kanya (I will replace him).”

Probably playing with the reputation of Goyo as a “playboy of Philippine history,” Paulo played it real smooth.

@born2fries was drowning in jealousy when she tweeted, “unfollow muna kita. Follow na lang ulit kita later kapag tapos ka na sa kapapansin sa mga girls. Nakakaselos talaga (I will unfollow you for now. I will follow you again later when you are done getting attention from girls. I really feel jealous).”

This green-eyed monster was most likely tamed when the heneral replied with, “Sorry na. Alam mo namang ikaw lang talaga eh (Sorry. You know that you are the only one anyway).”

Of course, some girls from Philippine Canadian Inquirer accepted the challenge of trying to get the General Goyo’s attention.

Layout artist @colleenesing tweeted, “Pwede ba kita ipakilala sa mama ko after natin manood ng Goyo (May I introduce you to mom after we watch Goyo)?” She was supported by her co-workers, with yours truly @maliitnababae tweeting, “Notice us Goyo-senpai.”

Sadly, we got no response from the really-busy-typing Goyo, who was most likely entertaining thousands of entries. It was fun to try though.

More than the hearts that Paulo bombarded, he also sneaked in his own humor in answering other questions. Several times after being asked for his reaction and feelings for being casted as Goyo, Paulo kept on replying that he gave a “thick” envelope just to secure the role. He also maintained that his closeness with director Jerrold Tarog was a factor. These tweets earn lots of “hahas” from his followers.

He also rode on with netizens who asked for attention even with a simple ‘period’ as a reply – simply retweeting these requests and adding a “.” as his response.

Amidst the fun, the 30-year-old actor also responded to more serious questions that were both hypothetical and close to the present.

@specialchad asked, “Anong masasabi mo sa (What can you say about the) armed revolution sa (in the) present context?”

“Tama na. Oras na para ayusin ang bayan hindi sirain pa lalo (Stop this. It is time to fix the county not to ruin it more),” Paulo replied.

Though Paulo was promoting his film in a fun, interactive, and witty way, he reminded a netizen that it will not be worth it to cut classes just to watch the film in the big screen.

Students were also concerned with the film as a historical genre, and the actor was more than happy to find some professors requiring the students to watch. Though he was not “requiring” people, Paulo continued to invite more people to watch Goyo.

“Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral,” sequel to “Heneral Luna” is now showing in theaters nationwide.