Elijah Canlas holds deep pride for his late brother, JM Canlas, whose memory continues to inspire.

The award-winning actor exclusively shared with PUSH ABS-CBN that he sometimes wishes he had told JM more often how proud he was of him.

“I'm just so proud of him. Siyempre, yun yung regrets. I wish I did let him know kung gaano ako proud sa kaniya, how much I love him, how much I care for him. Pero, I know that he knows up there, and I know that he knew, even when he was still here, how much I love him and how proud he made our family,” Elijah expressed.

Elijah also reflected on how he feels even prouder when he hears stories from JM’s supporters.

“Hanggang ngayon nga, nakikita ko nga kunyari sa TikTok na si JM yung crush talaga ng mga ibang tao sa show. Nakakaproud kasi hanggang ngayon, yung mga lumalapit sa akin, (sinasabi na) ‘Crush ko po yung kapatid niyo.’ Siyempre, ang tanong ko, ‘Sinong kapatid?’ Ang sagot nila ‘Si JM po, kasi nung nanonood ako Team YeY nung bata ako, si JM yung bias ko.’ ‘Yan yung ini-explain nila,” he recalled.

JM was a mainstay on the hit children’s show Team YeY, appearing from Seasons 1 to 4.

Elijah even looked back on the times he accompanied JM to the show’s set and its various events.

“Nung height ng Team YeY, madalas akong sumasama sa mga events, sa mga tapings ng mga episodes ng Team YeY. Because at that time, I quit acting. I wasn't doing films or TV anymore. Parang I was just focusing on my studies. Tapos kapag wala akong ginagawa, ini-invite nila ako ng mom namin,” he said.

The Kapamilya actor shared how much he loved watching his brother shine while doing the show he enjoyed the most.

“Minsan ma-bore ako, pero when I watch him, dumadalaw ako sa set, makikita ko na gano'n siya ka-talented, gano'n siya ka-confident. Nakaka-proud as a kuya, of course. Kasi aside from him helping our family through that job, nakikita ko na nag-e-enjoy siya, na genuinely masaya siya. Kapag nakikita mo yung mahal mo sa buhay, kapatid ko, na masaya. Ako din, nagiging masaya ako,” Elijah expressed.

Elijah added that it’s his dream to keep his brother’s memory alive.

“Nakakatuwa that a lot of people still remember him. That's the dream, to keep his memory alive and to make people remember him through the Kulit Organization or through all the success and achievements na na-achieve niya while he was still with us,” he said.