Meet James Licauco—David Licauco’s equally charming and talented brother
All eyes may have been on Maria Clara at Ibarra star David Licauco lately, but did you know that he has an equally charming and talented brother?
James Licauco is a 20-year-old college student taking up legal management at the Ateneo de Manila University. He made the rounds online just recently when David shared on Twitter that James made it to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) under the Ateneo Men’s Volleyball Team.
— David Licauco (@davidlicauco) February 25, 2023
In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, James revealed that it was his siblings that inspired him to get into volleyball. “I was introduced to volleyball at a pretty young age because of my sister Elan. Later on, my sister Jean also got into it and asked me to play with her. She’s also part of the UAAP,” James said, adding that his love for volleyball grew day by day until he decided to join his high school volleyball team back in 2018.
Since then, he has become deeply committed to getting better at it every day. Through grit and perseverance, his dreams of playing for the UAAP eventually turned into a reality. “Because of the pandemic, this is my first year in the UAAP despite being a third-year college student. I was a walk-in tryout, which means I wasn’t recruited unlike most of my teammates,” he shared.
Balancing academics and training is no easy feat, confessed James, but it’s just a matter of figuring out what to put first at the end of the day. “As a legal management student in Ateneo, managing academics and training together is pretty difficult,” he admitted, “but with keeping my priorities straight and proper time management, it’s doable.”
When he’s not busy with school and volleyball, he enjoys watching movies, going on drives, and reading books. He also shows his irresistible charm in his dance covers on TikTok from time to time.
@jameslicauco_ audio goooes hard 😮💨😩
♬ GOATED. - Armani White
On his relationship with his Kuya David
When asked what he loves the most about his big bro, he was quick to point out his caring attitude. “David is the kuya that helps you get away with things your parents don’t want you to do, but still makes sure you’re safe,” he said. While he doesn’t get to see David often due to their busy schedules, the actor makes it a point to message him when he can and ask him how he’s doing.
Another thing he admires about the GMA-7 star is the latter’s determination to do well in everything he does. “I don’t think people recognize how much hard work David puts in to have the fitness he has today. Going beyond this, I’ve seen how he started from having zero knowledge in business and marketing to having two thriving restaurants now.”
Some of his most treasured moments with David include their family travels. “We're roommates whenever we travel as a family and these are the times we get to talk about life and share pieces of advice with each other. Of course, we also share some laughs about the most random stories,” the athlete shared.
Does he also have plans of joining showbiz like his Kuya David? “Currently, I don’t,” he said.
“But then, we never know what the future holds,” he added quickly.
