AT A GLANCE
- Village 13 chief a popular influencer on social media
- Is launching an all-out campaign vs. the nCoronavirus at the village level
- First to distribute health kits and to have elderly in his village take flu shots
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – The first thing you will notice with Frank Andre Familiaran is his smile.
Up close, it shows his teeth, an almost impish expression on his face.
He walks with a swagger, almost cowboyish, like those gunslingers in Western movies who can draw a gun at the drop of a hat.
Snarky, witty on Facebook, he was once more known as Uba Laba, the brand of the t-shirt printing store and production outfit he owns.
His marketing moves have made waves like when his T-shirt store, famous for novelty designs with controversial and inventive, sometimes risque messages, like BAKOY or Be A Kind and Obedient Youth, dropped prices to a jaw-dropping P190 per shirt, printing included.
Andre is a lot of things – TV show producer, video ad maker, businessman, political figure, Facebook personality, and, recently village chief.
As the nCov scare continues to stalk the city, Andre has become more serious in his approach to preventing the spread of the virus.
Right at the frontlines.
On Monday, 10 February, Village 13, where Andre is the new punong barangay, Andre is leading barangay workers on yet another first – a targetted vaccination campaign, flu shots, for elderly residents of the village who the health department said are at an increased risk for the virus.
This comes after Andre led last week a distribution of free health packs consisting of two surgical masks, Vitamin C supplements, and hand soaps.
“The barangay can afford to spend for it,” Andre tells DNX, and points out that village heads like him are the first line of defense in a health campaign such as the current one versus the nCov.
From influencer to public servant, Uba Laba has evolved.
