Mabuhay! Pura Vida! Hello! I'm a Filipino-American filmmaker and photographer that lives in Mandaluyong with my girlfriend, Jerilee Salvador, in Manila, Philippines. I've been living in the Philippines for three years now, in the past I've lived in Central and the United States during my studies in high school and college. I currently live near Poblacion and once we return to our travel on Oct. 8th, we are open to hosting locals and foreigners traveling through the country.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My girlfriend and I are traveling throughout SE Asia and east Asia to learn more about our neighboring countries. In 2017, I backpacked and coach surfed throughout the Philippines for several months. We managed to meet a wide variety of characters and make a new network of friends. I found the whole coach surfing experience very fulfilling since we learned so much about the local culture, food and language. I hope to seek a similar experience in the future countries we travel to.

Interests

I've always have a fascination for the visual and musical arts so those are always cultural experiences I'm stoked to learn more about. As a child, I traveled every winter to Central America with my mother which led me to having a travel bug at a very early age.

• politics
• history
• languages
• filmmaking
• film photography
• latino music
• history and culture

Music, Movies, and Books

I love classic rock including The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Rolling Stones and etc. I recently have gotten more in contemporary R&B including The Weeknd, Childish Gambino, Frank Ocean, and XXXTentacion.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once dropped all of my travel plans while visiting Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and photographed an emerging humanitarian of Cuban refugees that were stuck on the border between the two countries. Nicaragua banned Cubans fleeing Cuba that were traversing through Central American to reach the United States to seek asylum. I slept on a foam mattress, amongst Cuban refugees, and photographed the conditions of the evacuation centers, their culture and American dreams that many had.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I've always enjoy have deep conversations with hosts about the politics, history and culture of the country that I'm traveling in. I also can share my depth of knowledge about film and photography throughout my six-year career as a visual storyteller.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Cambodia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belize, Costa Rica, Philippines, United States