the lion hearted from bicol

Enigmatic is the first word that comes to mind upon meeting Lio Garcia for the first time. He is quiet, soft spoken, and unassuming, traits that could be attributed to his being born and raised in Bicol to a simple family, where his father, a barangay politician, supports the family as a farmer.

At 25, Lio (short for Virgilio) is the oldest member of the newest boy band in the Philippines -- Men of Manila -- and also one of the most determined to gain fame and fortune so that he could give his parents and his nine other siblings a comfortable life back in Bicol.

“I will do everything for my family,” says Lio, who stopped schooling after first year in college to go to Cavite then Manila in search of the proverbial greener pasture. “I want to have my own business – restaurant -- in the future, my own house and a car.”

He was only 17 when he left his industrial technology course in Bicol to work as production operator for a woodworking company in Cavite. A few years later, he went to Manila to work at the Marikina Shoe Expo.

Life is hard, he admits, especially for someone who has no college degree. But it is not stopping Lio from chasing his dreams.

His manager discovered him, of all places, on the social media. By accident, his manager chanced upon his facebook account and found out that he has 18,000 followers. Also, the manager liked what he saw, a photo or several photos of the good looking, brown-skinned, tall (5’10”) and lean Lio.

A few months after that discovery, Lio ended up at the Viva office, where he met the people behind the Men of Manila. He eventually became part of the group.

The ever-humble Lio says he doesn’t know why he gained such following on facebook. But he is sure of one thing -- he wants to be a successful singer like Martin Nievera, the so-called concert king of the Philippines.

Lio is single at the moment and wants to focus on his career. But a simple woman, with brown complexion, long hair and pointed nose is sure to capture his heart.

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more lio, fairies, witches, bitches, princesses, queens and wannabes. have a great weekend ahead.