You may have spotted a tall, tough-looking tattooed man weaving through the crowded lanes of the Roxas Night Market or having soup before the break of dawn in Bankerohan market. Or perhaps, you see him on his weekly TV show, Byaheng DO30, and know him as Kol Chito.
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| Chito Samontina, the adventurer whose video blogs of his travels and street discoveries go viral. His name is a social media brand, and this loud and proud Davaoeño turns to another Davao brand for his grooming—Rocky’s Barbershop. |
If you’re a fan of
Chito Samontina, then you must be one of the tens of thousands of followers on
Facebook and multitude of viewers of his viral videos who look forward to his next
street adventure post.
Chito delivers his
stories proudly in “bisaya”,” which is very endearing, but his proficiency in
the English language is as remarkable. But whatever dialect and language he
speaks, this man’s voice can command attention.
Get to know Chito
Samontina, his path to becoming one of Davao’s top video blogger, and the
advocacy behind each adventure he embarks on.
How did you start in social media and how long have
you been on it?
My online presence
is just very recent. It all started with a bisaya
video rant (Dabawenyo conyo) in January 2016 while working in a corporate
office in Alabang.
My video blogs were random: love advice, tattoo
discrimination, supporting Digong, social experiments, and parody until I
discovered that I have a niche for adventure and street video contents.
Tell us about your adventures, how do you select them?
My adventure
videos are those of my travels and street discoveries. Mindanao tourism
partnered with me to go on adventure to different places in Mindanao such as my
trending Paragliding experience in Saranggani. Whenever I make travel videos, I
make sure that it’s enticing and the place must really be promoted.
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| Roxas Night Market Challenge: Where can your 100 pesos take you? was Chito’s most significant adventure to date. He partnered with Davaoeño volunteers to regain the Roxas Night Market after the unfortunate incident. |
There’s my street
discoveries such as ‘can you watch a movie for 50 pesos?’ (Cinematheque) video.
But the most significant was my Roxas Night Market Challenge: Where can your
100 pesos take you? It was the time where I partnered with Davaoeño volunteers
to regain the Roxas Night Market after the bombing incident. I think, somehow,
it contributed to the local Government’s campaign on standing tall and being
united and resilient.
How did you garner so much following?
When I
conceptualize my video contents, I always ask myself first, “If I were a bisaya
FB user and sees Chito’s post, will I watch it? Will I react to it? Will I share
it?” Virality is vital and critical at the same time when creating contents for
Facebook. And that’s my mission, that’s how I grow my community. Because when
my contents become viral, others are encouraged to join my community (follow me
on Facebook). For every viral video (100K-500K views), sometimes, my following
increases to 3K-8K depending on the virality of the post.
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| Engagement real time and online, Chito find these very important to his craft. |
Engagement is a
very important component when you are into content creation. Replying to their
comments, acknowledging their video/content suggestions by creating one,
replying to messages whenever possible, and most of all, being at your
friendliest whenever members of your community (or followers) approach you in
the street to express how much they appreciate my works and sometimes, take a
picture with me. I don’t find it challenging anyway since I am a very people
person. I treat everybody as a friend.
Did you ever dream of getting this famous?
Famous? I find it
funny when people tell me I am famous or that I am a local celebrity. Sure,
others would ask for a selfie with me in the streets. But to be tagged as
‘famous’? I don’t think I’d ever accept that unless the whole world knows me.
However, I do acknowledge that some people recognize me. I prefer to be known
as an artist rather than a “celebrity”. I don’t have fans, rather, I have a
community.
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| Chito discovered that he has a niche for adventure and street video contents. He’s always on the watch for unique stories on the streets. |
Being recognized
in the public wasn’t a plan. But, I have always dreamed of hosting a show on
TV. That’s why I started video blogging since it’s the closest to my dream. It
only requires a camera and internet connection.
And this started the career on TV. How has TV changed
everything for you?
My online presence
opened an opportunity to make my dream come true. Hallelujah! It paid off. The
City Information Office, Byaheng DO30 said they discovered me on Facebook and
that my style fits one the segments they were planning for the show which
materialized as ‘Kol Chito. I’m really happy and honored to be part of Byaheng
DO30. Not to mention, to be part of the City Government of Davao.
My being part of
the TV magazine show has disadvantages though. No, not that it is something too
negative. For instance, I used to not care too much about how I really look. I
didn’t care if I get too dark or to rugged or if I get messy hair. But I
realized, I am representing a show. Not to mention, the presenters of our TV
progam: Mikey and Kessia are well-groomed. That put a pressure on me. LOL.
At what point did you get conscious with the way you
looked and what did you do about it?
That pressure made
me conscious about how I project myself both in social media and on TV. That’s
why I get a haircut regularly. I went back to my original style, which I have
always been known for, navy looks – a tough-looking guy.
Who do you turn to for your personal grooming?
My being the Kol
Chito on TV and just being me as Chito Samontina in social media is a brand
itself. A brand that will always be associated to “Davao”. I think everyone
known I am a loud and proud Davaoeño. So in choosing a barbershop, I turn to
Rocky’s. Because it is not just a barbershop. It is Davao’s barbershop!
No. no, no! I am
not trying to sound like I am a sales person for Rocky’s but it really is! I
have always been a Rocky’s client since 2005 and I will never forget how that
man’s voice over sounded like whenever he says, “Ang barbershop ng mga tunay na
lalake”. LOL.
What is the Chito Samontina hairstyle?
My hairstyle is
simple. Something that doesn’t require a comb or brush, gel or wax, and a lot
of styling. Like me, it has to be always on the go. It’s a buzz cut. Clean yet
tough-looking. I am tough, you know (imagine me giggling right now). But hey, I
really am tough!
You tried Rocky’s perfume, Adventure. How does it fit
you lifestyle?
Being outdoors
most of the time makes me sweat a lot. I am frequently exposed to the traffic’s
smoke, too. So to have a bad odor is just a disaster especially that I
interview people in the streets. The Adventure perfume is just perfect for my
lifestyle. The fragrance just lasts even until I washed my shirt already.
What would you say would be Kol Chito’s ultimate
adventure?
I have goals. 1. I
really would like to meet all the tribes in Davao and to try living with them
for a day or two to experience the kind of lifestyle they have; 2. To make
every barangay in Davao happy one step at a time; 3. To discover more beautiful
things in my community; 4. To grow my community on Facebook; 5. To improve more
in my segment in Byaheng DO30.
I work really hard
and I make sure I’d reach these goals – that’s my ultimate adventure.
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| Follow the scent of Adventure: meet and live with all the Davao tribes for a day or two, make every barangay in Davao happy one step at a time, and discover more beautiful things in my community are on Chito’s list of adventures. “I have goals and work really hard to reach it – that’s my ultimate adventure.” |
Adventure perfume,
from Rocky’s new fragrance line, is available in all Rocky’s Barbershops at
Victoria Plaza, Abreeza Mall, GMall, SM City & SM Lanang Premier in Davao
City, and Centrio Ayala Mall and SM City in Cagayan de Oro City.
Photography: Tats
S. Daval
Location: Roxas
Night Market
