The one and only star of crystal of the day, YouTube sensation Bretman Rock is reaching greater and greater heights in his career, but in spite all these breakthroughs, he still stays true to his Filipino roots.
Related: No Filter Or Whatevah: We’re Seeing More Of Bretman Rock With His First MTV Reality Series
From creating his own makeup line with a known cosmetics brand to being the star of an upcoming MTV reality series, the scientist on the mothahf*ckin side and the coconut water connoisseur, Bretman Rock, is totally living his best life. While he definitely has things going for him—and we barely scratched the marble counter top surface here—there’s definitely more to admire from this Hawaii-based Filipino beauty vlogger.
Clearly evident in the content he churns out, Bretman Rock has remained humble and has always referencing Filipino culture. Despite being raised in a multi-cultural environment, adapting a more western sensibility, it is certain that the tireless multi-hyphenate was raised and rooted in Filipino tradition and values just like any of us. And this goes beyond leaving your shoes at the door and eating lots and lots of rice. If you are like us who spends an inordinate amount of time on the video-sharing platform, you will have noticed how both low-key and assertive he is with wearing his Filipino pride on his sleeves.
Proving how he’s a Filipino both by heart and by blood, which isn’t in any way diluted, Bretman Rock becomes infinitely endearing, charming us far more than we thought humanly possible. So, how Filipino is Bretman Rock? Scroll down to find out…or whatevah.
He Cooks Filipino Food With His Mother
In Bretman’s episodes of “Cooking with my Mom,” they display a special bond through preparing Filipino food, which both functions as a distinct love language and how-to for his viewers. Filipino food like Pinakbet, Adobo, Sinigang, and more have been cooked in Bretman’s infamous kitchen from time to time. As if we were family in their home, they would even shift their conversation in Ilokano, making the experience more genuine, authentic, and very Pinoy.
He Refers To Himself As An Immigrant
“A man, a person of color, an immigrant,” states Bretman in his Jungle Rock collaboration with Wet ‘n Wild reveal somewhere in the jungles of Hawaii. Literally referring to himself as an immigrant since he was born in the Philippines and migrated to Hawaii years later, the baddest who looks the most is a beacon of representation on many fronts, showing the world that there is space for anyone and everyone, especially Filipinos.
Dedication Of His Milestones
In the official reveal of Bretman’s Wet ‘n Wild Jungle Rock collection, he was indeed hands on on the creation of everything on the line. He even dedicated the three lipglosses to the three most important women in his life—his mom, his sister Princess, and his niece Cleo. Screaming and slick as it is, you cannot get any more Filipino than with this display of affection.
He Messages His Fellow Filipino Celebrities
Recently, the internet went crazy when Bretman Rock slid into Ivana Alawi’s Instagram DMs with messages such as, “B****, I live for you,” and “I was just watching your YouTube videos and I was like this b**** is so cute.” Apparently, they are each other’s fan, watching each other’s YouTube videos. How adorable!
He Translates Part Of His Content To The Filipino Language
If you’ve noticed, a part of Bretman’s video content might seem familiar to those introductions of our local teleseryes. His videos feature scenes from his previous uploads using the term, “Ang Nakaraan.” As someone who still watches a lot of Philippine TV, it looks like this keystone of Pinoy pop culture is ingrained deep within him, don’t you think?
He Sings Christmas Carols
Last Christmas, he showed a true Filipino side of him when he did his version of tradition Filipino Christmas carols. Yes, he sang “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit,” yet he added his own character with “open the f*ckin door.” If we were on the other end of the door, we definitely wouldn’t say: “Patawad po,” and instead make it rain cash on him.
He Curses In Tagalog
If you’re a subscriber to his channel and constantly scrolling through his videos, you’d know how straightforward and funny is his relationship with his sister, Princess. Aside from his iconic “b**** and mothaf*ckin” lines, there you’d also hear him throw curses to Princess in Tagalog. We’re pretty sure this is all in plain fun though.
Called Out An Article That Addressed Him As A “Hawaiian Teen”
When an online article was published about Bretman’s venture in the makeup industry, they addressed him as a “Hawaiian teen,” which he immediately corrected. Via twitter, he cleared out that he’s a Filipino living in Hawaii. Nevertheless, he expressed how he appreciated the article.
He Watches It’s Showtime
Back in 2016, Bretman Rock mentioned in one of his vlogs that he also finds entertainment in watching It’s Showtime. And, in the same year, he visited the Philippines and appeared in the noontime show as a celebrity player of Trabahula, a former segment on It’s Showtime.
Filipino Fashion Interests Him
While grocery shopping with his mother, he was quick to notice a Barong Tagalog. He immediately checked the section and mentioned something about wanting to buy one. In fact, for his Colourpop collaboration, he wore a Barong Tagalog for the Wet segment, while he donned an intricately embellished Terno for the Lit collection, which even featured an eyeshadow named, Bading.
The love for Filipino fashion doesn’t stop there because at some point, Bretman Rock swathed himself in the finest of Francis Libiran, rocking a metallic navy blue suit for the Myx Music Awards and a black art deco cut-out jacket.
Darna Is His Filipino Icon
As a self-confessed fan of Darna, Bretman Rock revealed how he grew up watching Darna when he was at a the age of 4-5; the time where Angel Locsin was the image of Darna. Being so extra, he even dressed up as Darna and transformed into the Filipina superheroine through a beauty look inspired by the Mars Ravelo creation.
