Crowd favorite Jovit Baldivino (Photo by HAROLD ORARA)

“Hay salamat, mukhang ito may talent talaga,” judge Kris Aquino blurted when she first saw Jovit Baldivino walk towards the “Pilipinas Got Talent” stage for his audition.

Her gut feel was right -- the 16-year old Batangueño would eventually win legions of fans and become the first grand prize winner in the talent search.

Out of the 12 finalists who battled it out during the grand finals at the Araneta Coliseum on June 12, the small-town boy with the “God-given” voice proved he not only has the pipes reminiscent of Journey frontman Arnel Pineda, but, as Kris puts it, he has “charisma.”

Bulletin Entertainment saw how the crowd got smitten by him that night. Jovit got the loudest cheers, mostly coming from the Jovinatics. Off-air, during the Independence Day performance night show, fans screamed out his name; raising streamers and waving balloons the moment he stepped on stage.

After his performance came the verdict: Comedienne and “Pilipinas Got Talent” judge Ai-Ai delas Alas dubbed him as an “endangered specie” while Kris seems to have set in stone that he is “the next big superstar.”

Even man of few words Freddie M. Garcia a.k.a. “FMG” used multiple adjectives in describing how pleased he was with Jovit’s version of Brian May’s “Too Much Love Will Kill You.”

“You are unbelievably very, very good,” said Freddie.

The online community loves Jovit, too. His performance of “Faithfully” (1,690,509 views), and semi-finals rendition of “Carrie” (734, 481 views) have turned him into one of the most-watched contestants on YouTube.

So, whether Jovit joins the powerhouse singers on “ASAP XV” or take over Willie Revillame on “Wowowee” or star on a teleserye with Sarah Geronimo, one this is for sure:

Pinoys will remain forever his… faithfully.

The journey

Jovit’s triumph is all the more sweeter given the kind of life he had before his big break.

During his audition in February, he revealed that his mother was jobless and his father had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. These circumstances compelled one of his four siblings to assume breadwinner status with Jovit helping out by selling "siomai" after school.

The teenager also turned to singing to augment the family income. Realizing that his talent could be used to put food on the table, he honed his God-given gift by listening and studying songs during his free time inside the bathroom.

“Doon ako kumakanta nang husto. Doon ko nailalabas ang lahat,” he told Bulletin Entertainment in an earlier interview.

Jovit eventually took full charge of working for his family. He aimed to try out in the Batangas auditions of “Pilipinas Got Talent” but almost failed to do so due to lack of money. Fortunately, a councilor gave him financial assistance so he eventually made it.

Despite his good intentions, Jovit was not spared from showbiz intrigues. Some people accused him of becoming swell-headed, spinning a yarn about his past, and snubbing a Vilma Santos sortie. He refuted all three, dismissing these as dirty tactics to drag him down.

Now, the first ever contestant on "Pilipinas Got Talent" to have received a standing ovation from the show's three judges for his performance of Europe’s “Carrie” has two million pesos and a promising career ahead.

“Bibili po agad ako ng lupa kasi po naninirikan lang po kami eh. Pag-aaralin ko po ang mga kapatid ko at matutulungan ko po ‘yung mga magulang ko para maiahon kami sa hirap,” said he on “TV Patrol World” on June 14.

Rewinding to that fateful night when he emerged on top, Jovit admitted getting the jitters upon seeing the other finalists' performance , particularly those of Baguio Metamorphosis and Velasco Brothers. “Ang ganda [at] ang galing ng pinakita [nila].”

Jovit’s story is a reminder that dreams can come true. “[Basta] ‘wag kayong mawalan ng pag-asa. Magtiwala lang kayo sa sarili at lalong-lalo na sa Panginoon nating Diyos.”

Aside from establishing himself as a singer, Jovit wants to try out acting. His dream leading lady is KC Concepcion.

It could happen. As Jovit himself proved, nothing is impossible.