Meeting Dante Gulapa was anything but predictable

He wore a black baseball cap that emphasized his circular face; he flaunted his silver-coated necklaces like armor; his signature red lip tint flashed as he strut like the “Tito-next-door” from whom every kid asked for an aguinaldo on Christmas eve.

Despite his fame, Dante Gulapa was oblivious to the impact he makes, especially on social media.

Since his dancing videos went viral earlier this year, his online image was that of a brute, ex-macho dancing machine, but that changed when our team first met him in Malabon.

At barely 5 feet and 5 inches tall, he spoke like an innocent child giddy for having done a good job. We exchanged the usual pleasantries before we proceeded to his home.

It was nothing special even after a double take, but to Dante, his home was his “stage.” It was his “pedestal” when he first created his viral eagle dance. He “flapped” and “wiggled” to various beats, eventually flying to the hearts of the Gulapanatics, his own fanbase.

As Dante welcomed our team to his Malabon home, we wondered: “how could someone so small carry so much charm? What is it about him that makes everyone want to take a selfie with him?”

There had been viral threads on social media about how Dante treated his fans, but none had fully captured the image of a “bear” cuddling his wife when we talked to him about the details of our voters’ education series. “Itanong n’yo sa misis ko,” the “Big Papa” of social media said, referring to his wife, Emeline.

It was only when Emeline approved our project that Dante joined our conversation. Indeed, the 39-year-old always involved his wife with any major decisions in his life.

Our first video shoot was a challenge for Dante. It was his first time to “host” anything and just like any newbie, he often minced over the simplest of Filipino words. His voice cracked as his wife watched anxiously behind the camera, worried that her husband may make a fool of himself.

“Hindi niya kaya ‘yang ganyan,” Emeline said after reading the script.

“Okay lang, may kodigo naman,” Dante dismissed.

It took a couple of takes for Dante to say the right words, but he interviewed people with the same energy as he would if he was talking with his friends.

Eventually, the videos we produced solidified Dante’s viral status in social media. The first video tallied 1.3 million views in less than 2 days, and the second video took home 1.1 million views.

Dante also knew that fame was quick and easy, and his influence on social media was bigger than anything he could handle. He refused offers from politicians to be part of their campaign, despite knowing the amount of money he would make.

“Okay lang ‘yun. At least...naituro ko sa kanila na...suriin nilang maigi kung sino ‘yung tamang iboto,” he said.

GMA’s resident analyst Richard Heydarian agrees that influencers and celebrities are effective “opening acts” for people to join discussions on political and social matters.

“Gusto ng tao ‘yan. You can see a merging of attractively packaged [content and] substantive discussion. ‘Yun ang kailangan natin,” Heydarian said. “The normal educator-academic style, hindi talaga bebenta yan! Tutulugan ka talaga ng tao.”

A few days before GMA Public Affairs published the video, our team went back to visit Dante. It was already past midnight and Dante just came back from a whole day shoot. We apologized for the late visit, but he just greeted us perkily: “Ganitong oras talaga ako buhay na buhay,” he said.

We we were waiting in front of his house when an SUV passed by, “Idol, pa-picture naman!” Dante, still beaming, obliged. The fan then gave him a bag of bread as a “token of appreciation.”

“Ano ‘yan, Sir?” we asked.

“Papay,” he said, referring to the gift.

It was an honest and raw moment.

And as we waved goodbye, we realized that more than his viral videos, Dante’s magic truly lies in his authenticity. — LA, GMA News