THERE'S more to Gene Mercado than being the impersonator of Kiefer Ravena on social media.
The lookalike of the NLEX Road Warriors guard is actually a third-year legal management student in La Salle, aspiring to be a lawyer and make significant changes in society.
"Gusto kong maging abogado kasi gusto kong makatulong sa tao kasi very needed yung help sa legal field and feeling ko, yun din yung pinakamagandang way para maka-create ako ng change sa Pilipinas," he told The Prospects Pod.
Mercado, 21, met Ravena for the first time last week, albeit online, as he shared a slice of his life outside of his realm as a content creator.
There, the Quezon native expressed his ambitions to make a difference in the field of law.
"I’ve always pictured myself as I want to be of service to the Filipino people and I think that is very possible if I pursure the legal field, maybe just as an attorney or sasali ako sa Public Attorney’s Office or maybe Congress. Who knows?," he said.
Mercado is actually starting it early as the president of LEY La Salle, the student organization for legal management majors in Taft, while juggling his academic obligations in hopes of making true his lifelong goals.
"With my field, maraming basa tapos of course dahil business course din yung kinukuha ko, merong accounting, konting business statistics, so talagang pukpukan sa aral, talagang puyatan. And I really take my academics very seriously kasi laging sinasabi ng mga magulang ko na edukasyon lang yung mapapamana nila, so tumatak talaga yun sa akin," he said.
That's why it's more admirable to know that with all of these in Mercado's cupboard, he still makes the effort to provide TikTok videos that entertain the masses and most of the time, end up in Ravena's notifications.
"Kung napansin niyo dati, lagi pa akong nakakapag-post ng mga videos hanggang September pero biglang tumigil, kasi na-busy ako sa academics ko," he said. "Yung videos kasi medyo mahirap din siya gawin eh kahit 30 seconds lang yan. Mahirap mag-conceptualize and yung role ko talaga as a student yung pinaka-focus ko ngayon."
Ravena, though, said he's actually delighted to see these videos and praised Mercado for bringing smiles to people's faces in these trying times.
"Actually, kwela nga eh," he said. "Astig nga na nagte-trending siya and kahit papaano nadadala niya rin naman ako eh. At the end of the day, nakakatawa pa rin.
"Nakakatuwa kasi probably at this stage of ours na matanda na kami parehas, kahit siya nasa school pa rin, you already drew admiration for Gene also kasi nabibigyan niya rin ng effort na ganon and pinanindigan niya din. Nakakatuwa rin kasi syempre as a player na tinitignan ng ibang bata tapos meron kang doppelganger making a name for himself also."
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