Jose Mari Chan shared a glimpse into what keeps him busy when he is not performing on stage, revealing that he remains actively involved in his sugar business.
In an interview with Melai Cantiveros on Kuan on One, the veteran singer-songwriter revealed that he runs a sugar company in Negros.
"I have a daily job. I work for a sugar company. It's a sugar central in Negros, a refinery," he relayed. "We produce muscovado, we produce brown sugar, centrifugal. We also produce white sugar, refined sugar. That's my main business.”
Jose Mari said his involvement in the business keeps him occupied throughout the year.
"January to December, that's my work, that's my daily work. I go to the office every day," he highlighted.
In the same interview, Jose Mari also revealed that he is now 81 years old and shared some of the habits that help him maintain a healthy lifestyle.
"I take care of my diet. I don't eat pork anymore. I don't eat beef. And I exercise every morning for 45 minutes, walking," he relayed. "It's important for your health. Nobody lives forever, but you try to protect and preserve your health for your children and grandchildren."
According to the singer, his commitment to maintaining a healthy lifestyle began during the years he spent working in New York, where he was also involved in the international sugar trade.
"It started when I was living and working in New York. I was there for 11 years between 1975 and 1986. I was doing the sugar business there in New York and I was traveling to countries like Peru, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Bolivia, to buy sugar and export it to the United States. That was my work there for 11 years... I enjoyed it," he recalled.
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Jose Mari also looked back on the early years of his career in entertainment and how he eventually found his way to television. Before landing his first TV project, the singer said he was already performing and hosting programs in school.
"Until 1965, ABS-CBN got me to host a TV show. Because they saw me emceeing and singing in school concerts, so they approached me and said, 'You know, we would like to do a TV show. Would you like to host it?' But I was still in college at that time. And then I would drive from Ateneo all the way to ABS-CBN on Roxas Boulevard. ABS-CBN was located on Roxas Boulevard. I did a TV show called 9 Teeners," he recounted.