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A guy who doesn't live up to his name
HIS name alone elicits giggles. Underground scene icon and UNtv host, Tado may not yet ring a bell but take time to look beyond this comic character and you will find a class act. He is in a world all his own.

He was discovered accidentally when, as assistant director to John Red for a political documentary, he had to book talents for a salvage scene. The talent didn't show up, so he became the instant replacement. For the scene, barbed wire was tied around his wrists and mouth and was dumped into a filthy garbage can.

From such humble beginnings, his career blossomed into diverse roles that made him a favorite of young directors. Whether as taong grasa, Bruce Lee impostor, a mute, car thief or "salvage" victim, he manages to make an impression for his wit among viewers of short films.

Tado is the boy from the alternative scene who has done well in the mainstream. He played the stupid security guard in the Epi Quizon-Rufa Mae starrer "Radyo." He will soon be seen in ABS-CBN's newest sitcom featuring Aga Muhlach. But his regular gig is with "Strange Brew" at Atom Henares' UNtv, where he and his partner in crime, Erning, play kooky guides to clueless urbanites. The tandem is a riot--think Beavis and Butthead meet Ernie and Bert and go to the province--an explosive mix uniquely their own. At your nearest movie theater, he is currently starring in the filmfest entry "Utang ni Tatang" with Joel Torre and Epi Quizon.

His journey included being a Mowelfund film student to photographer to left-wing activist to a vendor of papaya soap (Rufa Mae Quinto was one of his best clients, according to him) to struggling production assistant to short film director. You probably have also seen him (you can start a "spot Tado" game) in Robert Quebral's videos of Parokya ni Edgar--from "Picha Pie" to "Swimming Beach."

This writer had the unique opportunity of appearing as a guest on "Talk TV" with this up-and-coming pop phenomenon. I witnessed how well Tado was connecting with the audience. He didn't need to say anything to get the audience roaring with laughter. And when he did say something, a louder uproar would erupt.
This development was something Arvin Jimenez foresaw. When he went to Leyte, a Metro Manila boy visiting his cousins, his only distinction was a penchant for saying "Tado!" (short for tarantado). He kept repeating it that other people thought it was his name. Voila! Tado was born.

When I told him that his strong mass appeal merited a product endorsement, perhaps for the San Miguel Beer that he kept ordering throughout the interview, he said he would rather endorse Apollo nail cutter since it was made of Apollo steel. He said he had tried all kinds of nail cutters and could vouch for its superior quality.

"What do you think of when people say ugly?" I asked him. "Pag asiwa sa 'yo ang tao. Pag di mo gusto yung ginagawa mo." To Tado, people who love what they do are beautiful and beauty can be seen in diverse ways.

Between talks about commercials like Villa Crisanta, Caronia, Dahlia soap and the agricultural empire that Gerry Geronimo built, I felt an unpretentious, edgy sensibility and funky sense of fun that other icons of style lack.

For this shoot, we didn't salvage him nor drench him in grease. We simply made him a window mannequin for Paul Smith, that hip-setter's haven for all things hot. The whole afternoon, people would stop outside the Glorietta 4 store and stare, and exclaim, "Ah, si Tado pala!"