HE’S GOT TALENT – After accomplishing his dream of winning in the reality talent search ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’, Jovit Baldivino is going back to school.

MANILA, Philippines – His is the typical Cinderella story.

From a poor family in Batangas, selling siomai on the streets after school to sustain his studies and help his family, 16 year-old Jovit Baldivino is now a certified singing sensation. And his journey is just beginning.

After his triumph at the talent reality show “Pilipinas Got Talent,” Jovit now has a hit album under Star Records, a string of concerts here and abroad, product endorsements, and a role in the ABS-CBN primetime series “Idol.”

And to think his only dream was to finish school!

“Dati pagala-gala lang ako sa kanto. Pasipa-sipa ng lata. Naglalakad-lakad, iniisip ‘yung mga pangarap. Dati pangarap lang, hanggang sa natupad na. Matagal ko nang pinangarap na maging isang sikat na singer, makapag-perform sa maraming tao at hahangaan nila ako. Hindi ko po naisip na mangyayari ‘yun. Kasi simpleng tao lang naman ako. Malaki na po ang pinagbago ng buhay ko at ng pamilya ko,” Jovit relates.

This unassuming boy is also much loved by the online community. His audition performance of “Faithfully” now has more than two million views on Youtube, while his grand finals performance of Queen’s “Too Much Love Will Kill You” has logged in more than one million views.

‘BON JOVI BOY’

Jovit never had any formal voice lessons. He was only three years old when he started singing songs by his favorite groups Bon Jovi and Journey.

“Nickname ko sa Batangas ay Bon Jovi Boy. Maraming nagsasabi sa akin na maganda raw ang boses ko at malayo raw ang mararating ko. Noong Kinder ako, kumakanta ako kahit mali ang bigkas ng lyrics pero ok naman ‘yung tono,” he shares.

Pilipinas Got Talent was the fourth singing contest he had joined in his life. Jovit lost in the first singing contest, and placed second in the other two. But these setbacks did not stop him from pursuing his dream. Instead, he became more determined than ever. He honed his singing by listening and studying songs during his free time. Eventually, he formed two bands, Malideta and Sa Lupa, to get more gigs and to earn more money for his family.

In his audition for Pilipinas Got Talent, he revealed that both his parents were jobless, and his father had just been diagnosed with tuberculosis. These circumstances compelled Jovit to try his luck in the talent show’s Batangas auditions, and the rest as they say, is history.

LIFE-CHANGING

Jovit admits that he would probably never get used to the city life, as he prefers to still live with his family in Batangas. Likewise, he feels a bit uneasy about dressing up and putting on makeup every time he has singing engagements.

“Nakakapanibago kasi dati pulbo lang sa mukha, okay na. Ngayon kailangan naka-makeup,” he says.

The usual invitations to sing in barangay fiestas have also changed. “Dati kapag pinapakanta po ako sa Batangas lahat ng pinapakanta sa akin, kinakanta ko. Ngayon, hindi na pwede ‘yun. Hanggang dalawa o tatlong kanta na lang,” he relates.

His life may have drastically changed since winning the grand prize in Pilipinas Got Talent, but one thing is for sure he assures– he won’t change.

“Naramdaman ko na nag-iba na ang buhay ko pero kung ano ako dati, ganun pa rin ako ngayon. Kung ano na ‘yung nakasanayan ko, ganun pa rin ako. Minsan tinatawanan na lang ako ng mga artista diyan kasi kung saan-saan na lang ako umuupo, sa sahig, tapos kung ano ang mahipo, dampot. Kasi nakasanayan ko na siyang ginagawa,” he adds.

BACK TO SCHOOL

With his prize money, Jovit has already bought a second hand Starex for his family, a Blackberry, and is putting his three other siblings through school.

Knowing the value of getting a good education to get ahead in life, Jovit will go back to school this second semester to continue his Mechanical Engineering course at the University of Batangas. “Kahit na kumikita na ako, importante pa rin at kailangang makapagtapos ng pag-aaral. Kasi kapag nawala po ito, ano na pong gagawin ko kung hindi naman ako nakapagtapos. Ano pang mararating ko kung wala naman akong pinag-aralan. Hindi ka naman laging sikat,” he says.

Jovit’s rags-to-riches story is a reminder that dreams do come true, that even a siomai vendor can shine, as long as he got the talent. “Matagal kong pinagdasal na mangyari ito. Ang maipapayo ko lang sa mga kabataan, huwag lang sila mawalan ng pag-asa,” he ends.