Basketballerist. Mukbangerist. Gaconatic.
Good vibes lang.
Rejoice, Gaconatics! The first YouTube vlog of Gaconatics Assemble from Purefoods legend Jerwin Gaco dropped a few weeks back and it's got everything a Pinoy video blog needs and more.
"Ito na nga, finally, due to insistent public demand," the 42-year-old power forward began.
The former player from the Magnolia franchise is not new to vlogging. He's been doing it a while for the PBAmotoclub page. But this time, this viral player—who shot to ironic fame after sportscaster Mico Halili coined the term "Gaconatics" for his fans—is breaking out on his own channel.
And as any good ol' fashioned Pinoy, like any local drama would show you, Gaco is starting off from his roots in Alabat, Quezon.
"Siguro, ito 'yung part ng life na 'di alam ng tao," he said. The former De La Salle Green Archer's mother hails from Alabat, he grew up in the same town. His father, meanwhile, is from Nueva Ecija.
Like any classic Pinoy vlog, this video got everything from chill background music, wild transitions, word pop-up effects, overhead shots, and angles that look up to Gaco's face.
And we're transported from a ferry ride in Atimonan, Quezon to the nearby quiet town of Alabat.
Here he showed off his basketball achievements, from winning the UAAP championship with La Salle in Season 67, nabbing multiple Philippine Basketball League titles with the Harbour Centre Portmasters, and taking the ASEAN Basketball League championship with the Philippine Patriots in 2009.
While Gaco went undrafted in the PBA back in 2005, he eventually got his chance five years later with the then-Barako Energy Coffee Masters in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference, thanks to the partnership with the Harbour Centre. He was then picked up by the Magnolia franchise, and was part of the San Mig Coffee grand slam in 2014.
Gaco is no longer with Magnolia, but he's been running around and picking up titles and contracts in the PBA D-League, the MPBL, the Pilipinas Super League, the VisMin Super Cup, and the FilBasket Subic Championship.
"Gandang tignan, makikita mo 'yung achievement mo," Gaco noted as he showed of his wall of milestones.
Gaco did promise mukbang and he showed off treats from the province such as fresh buko juice.
He also showed how to make niyubak or nilupak, a dessert made of starchy foods such as cassava and corn. It's manually mashed with mortar and pestle, covered in margarine, and topped with coconut milk or condensed milk.
And then there's lipote, a relative of the duhat found in Bicol and Quezon. The fruits are mixed with salt and sugar and juggled in a container until they're almost mashed.
No province life would be complete without a good old fashioned basketball game in the nearby court, some karaoke, and a dip in the nearby waters.
"Sobrang sarap ng feeling," Gaco said. "Ang sayang makabalik dito."
"Simpleng buhay lang, pero sarap balik-balikan."
You do you, Jerwin.
(GM)