MANILA — An enthusiasm for making people laugh marked out the career of Lloyd Cadena, dubbed as one of the pioneers of the Filipino vlogging community.
But perhaps, as evidenced by the flood of tributes that came after his death, he’ll be best remembered for more than just his hilarious antics.
For close to a decade, Cadena made videos, which now can be seen as glimpses to the kind of person he was — one who was passionate for his work, a dedicated son, and an extremely generous spirit. They were not just clips that cheered up his fans’ gloomiest days, but also contained culture and a tinge of politics.
Cadena died still doing what he truly loved. One of his final videos, which is just a week old, featured an explanation as to why he decided to buy a house for his mother, who was an overseas Filipino worker. “Magre-retire na iyong nanay ko and I want her to experience na may sarili na kaming bahay,” he said.
He also made a video of him giving away tablets to kids struggling to access education during this pandemic, highlighting yet again the questions over equipment and teaching methods that hound the start of classes.
You can check both, as well as some other of his popular videos below:
1. In this video, he explains why he bought a house for his family.
2. This is a video of him "pranking" kids with tablets, which they can use for their online classes.
3. One of his most popular videos is a glimpse into what it was like living in the slums.
4. Here, he bought groceries for random strangers.
5. His "LC Learns" series is filled with relatable videos for Filipinos.
6. His YouTube channel can be considered a glimpse into Filipino culture.
7. Every now and then, he also posts recipes of some favorite Filipino delicacies.
One can check out more of Cadena's videos on his pair of YouTube channels, which has a combined 8 million subscribers, "Lloyd Cafe Cadena VLOGS" and "Lloyd Cafe Cadena."