Joel Villanueva Mondina, also known as Pambansang Kolokoy to his over 1.3 million followers on Facebook, has a strong online impact as most of his videos go viral.
But before he was able to reach He first gained prominence for creating the character “Ilocano Tatang”. Since then, he has posted many videos and skits showing different relatable scenarios.
He said that the videos he created are products of his ideas that occur to him whenever he is at work.
“Kasi ‘yung trabaho ko, most of the time nasa byahe ako. So ang ginagawa ko, imbis na nakikinig ako ng radyo habang bumabyahe, nag-iisip na ako ng scenario na pwede naming gawin,” he said in an exclusive interview with The Filipino Times.
He also revealed that one of his friends suggested that he starts an online radio station to strengthen his online presence and engage his followers, most of which are overseas Filipino workers, more.
“Nung wala pa kasi akong radio station, ang ginagawa ko is nag-la-live ako sa Facebook every Friday. Nag-a-accept ako ng mga calls and marami akong followers na gusto ko din talagang makita, and gusto rin nila maki-video selfie,” he said.
“Pero may nag-suggest sa akin na bigyan na lang ako ng sarili kong online radio station. Doon na lumabas ‘yung pagiging DJ ko. Ngayon, at least nakakatawag ‘yung mga tao sa akin, bumabati sila sa mga mahal nila sa buhay sa Pilipinas. Nakakatuwa rin kasi nakikipagkwentuhan sila sa akin, minsan nga may tumatawag para manawagan at hinahanap ‘yung mga magulang nila na matagal na nilang hindi nakita,” he added.
Mondina also gave a piece of advice to those who would like to follow in his footsteps and share their creative ideas and works online. He said that aspiring vloggers would have to truly love what they’re doing. They also need to stay persistent, as many challenges and competitions will come their way.
“Ang masasabi ko lang sa mga baguhan na gumagawa ng videos, kung talagang hilig niyo ay ipagpatuloy niyo. To tell you honestly, hindi madali ‘yung narating ko kasi marami rin akong ups and downs. Maraming malalaking Facebook pages diyan na makakatulong talaga para makilala ka. Noong nagsisimula pa lang kami ng anak ko, most of them, t-in-urn down nila ‘yung mga ginagawa kong videos kaya gumawa na lang ako ng sarili kong page,” he shared.
“Alam kong mahirap na makilala ka lalo na kung hindi talaga angkop sa panlasa nung mga manonood ‘yung ginagawa mo. Pero, sa awa ng Diyos, nakuha ko ‘yung hilig nung mga kababayan nating OFWs. Nakuha ko yung kiliti nila kasi alam naman natin na tayong mga Pilipino, minsan mahirap i-please,” he continued.
Mondina also said that he had his fair share of online bashing, and that is inevitable if people would like to become vloggers since it means putting themselves in a position that will be judged by a lot of netizens. Regardless, Mondina advised to simply focus on the things that make an aspiring vlogger happy and never mind the negativity.
“Sa simula talaga mahirap. Marami kang makaka-engkwentro na bashers na makakasira sa isang pagiging video maker. May mga kasabayan ako dati na hindi na ipinagpatuloy ‘yung ginagawa nila dahil naapektuhan sila sa mga bashers. Once your video goes viral, never read comments,” he said.
Mondina also left a message to his avid viewers and supporters. “Maraming salamat dahil sa kanila, andito ako ngayon. Palagi ko rin namang sinasabi sa kanila na hangga’t kaya kong magpasaya, hindi ako titigil. Para makapagbigay kami sa kanila ng kahit konting ngiti, lalong lalo na sa mga kababayan nating OFW, dahil alam naman natin na wala silang kasama tapos social media lang ang libangan nila.”
