Franco Miguel Hernandez Lumanlan, better known as Franco Hernandez or Hashtag Franco, was a Filipino television personality and dancer, who was a member of It's Showtime's all-male dance group called Hashtags. He was also a professional dancer, having been a member of Philippine All Stars in 2010.
Early life and career
Hernandez was born on April 1, 1991. He was the eldest of two children of Raulito Lumanlan and Marissa Hernandez. He had a younger sister named Denise Aileia. He was the third cousin of former housemate Axel Torres. Hernandez was part of Philippine Allstars with Megacrew. His group Unschooled Unity in Diversity made history as they were the local winners who represented the Philippines in World Streetdance Battle in 2011 along with his bestfriend, Benj Manalo. He obtained his bachelor's degree in production design at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. In February 2010, they opened their first dance school, the Allstars Dance School, located in San Juan city Philippines. The dance school is the realization of the Allstars' ultimate goal, and is their greatest achievement to date. He was the mentor for Allstars Dance School South Presents: Flashback Basic Hip Hop By Mico Lumanlan from Unschooled. He became a member of the dance group Philippine All Stars. He also appeared in different television advertisements. In 2014, he auditioned for MYX Philippines' search for the newest video jockeys but he didn't get the job. In 2015, he then went to pursue a career in the corporate world Brown Forman developing his public relations and people skills. Apparently, he was offered to be part of the original but had to decline since he was still new to Brown Forman and it was too early for him to resign. Franco was also visible in a variety of commercials.
It's Showtime!, Hashtag's Hataw Hearthtrob
Hernandez was born on April 1, 1991. He was the eldest of two children of Raulito Lumanlan and Marissa Hern After two years in the corporate world, Franco Miguel Hernandez Lumanlan was offered to be part of Hashtags as a member of the second generation to be introduced in February. He immediately quit his job and pursued his passion of dancing. On February 14, 2017, It's Showtime introduced Hernandez along with 7 other new members as additional members for the all-male dance group called Hashtags. The first batch of the group was introduced in November 2015. He also appeared in different ABS-CBN shows such as Magandang Buhay, Ipaglaban Mo and Gandang Gabi, Vice!. In his interview in Gandang Gabi Vice, Franco said he's hashtag is #GoWithTheFlow since previously, when he tried to barge in showbiz, he felt like he was too controlling of what he wanted his patch to be. Now that he tried to let go and be loose, he said his blessings came. In his nine months stint as Hashtag Franco Hernandez, he was known for his excellent dancing skills, being compared to Zeus as the second generation's dance god. He also hosted different segments of It's Showtime and was a hurado for several contests in the show with dance component. Being member of the Hashtags, he was a common sight in It's Showtime! Online, where he showed promise in hosting. It was also there when the madlang people saw how optimistic, happy, energetic, naughty and fun to be with Franco was. One of the main hosts, Vice Ganda, teases him as his "anak kong sosyal," knowing Franco graduated from De La Salle University. In one of the show's segments, Vice Ganda said "May La Sallista tayo dito, ang pinaka-conyo sa lahat ng hashtags... si Franco." His distinct way of talking, related to as, "conyo," also made him stand out from his batch. He was also a mainstay in the Cash-ya segment of the show. In any challenge, he always gets in first because of his flexibility. He will be most remembered for the Cash-ya segment where he had to walk pass through six people on 3-m narrow plank: Cash-ya Moments with Franco - Plank - Tinikling challenge - Wagon His mentors and seniors in the show commend him for he was full of potential and had lots of dreams. They said he was hard-working every single time he was in the show. They also remember him for his passion in dancing. His charming personality, good looks, iconic viral smile are some of his attributes that fans and his colleagues alike, always relive his memory by. He was part of one of Ipaglaban Mo's episodes, entitled "Groufie." He was also part of the IWant series, "Hashtags: Uncovered," where he showed his wares on the dance floor. Hernandez was managed by Cornerstone Entertainment, Inc., his talent agency up to his death.
Personal life
Hernandez had a relationship with model Janica Nam Floresca up to his death. Before Floresca, he had also dated stylist Nica Nolasco.
Death
On November 11, 2017, Hernandez died of drowning in North Lamidan, Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental, Philippines at the age of 26. According to his girlfriend's latest interview, they were onboard on a motorized boat when they were all forced to jump when a strong wave hit them on their way back to North Lamidan's coast, Don Marcelino. She also said that at the shore, Franco still had a pulse, despite being unconscious. He was taken to a clinic where he was declared dead on arrival. His wake and funeral were held at Arlington Memorial Chapels and his remains were cremated afterwards. His ashes were laid to rest at The Garden of the Divine Word in Quezon City.
