Just when most thought that a college student can only balance academics alongside one or two extra-curricular activities, a certain person proves that it is not impossible to handle five—that if one has what it takes, then the possibilities are endless.

 

Van Sulitas, 25, is not your typical university guy. With academics on one hand, he juggles being a spoken word artist, a host, a part-time actor, a social media personality, and an activist on the other.

 

Sulitas first discovered one of his talents upon trying out acting, which he immediately developed a liking for. He has engaged in performing arts since he was in grade school by performing in stage plays and theatre productions, usually comedic ones. He even wrote some of them as he grew older.

 

“Gusto kong nag-e-express ng sarili,” Sulitas said. “Napapakita ko iyong mga iba’t ibang character sa sarili kong paraan.”

 

Sulitas continued to enrich his skill and love for acting until he set foot in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. This is where he began to branch out from being solely an actor to being a multi-talented individual.

 

A person who never seems to run out of wit and puns, Sulitas is a known joker to his peers. One particular friend liked his jokes so much he created a Facebook page—Corny at Witty Jokes ni Van Sulitas—just to share them to the public. Now, Sulitas manages the page himself.

 

At first, Sulitas’ only audience were his fellow students at UP. Soon enough, his page started to gain more and more popularity as he came up with funnier and wittier jokes, and made use of Internet memes, which are now a huge trend on social media.

 

“Sumikat ang page ko noong naging viral iyong mga pagkain memes na sinundan ng political memes ko. Doon dumami iyong likes ng page ko,” Sulitas explained, being in a university rich in political discourse. At present, the page boasts 159,531 likes.

 

Due to his page’s reach, the local publishing company PSICOM contacted him and offered to compile his page’s most popular jokes and memes into a book. The result was PUNitikan: Mga Hugot at Jokes ni Van Sulitas, first released in September 2017.

 

Still carrying that flaring love for acting, Sulitas joined a film organization in UP where he further explored the art of film. He was often hired to act for film students’ thesis films and productions, which gave him an avenue not just to improve his skill, but also paved the way for him to take on bigger roles.

 

In 2017, Sulitas starred as the co-protagonist of Delayed si Jhemerlyn Rose (Jhemerlyn Rose is Delayed). Directed by Don Senoc, the film is about an 18-year-old student who one day informs her boyfriend (played by Sulitas) that her period is five days behind. It was an entry for the Sine Kabataan, a short film competition held by the National Youth Commission where young Filipino filmmakers take part. The film later on bagged the Jury’s Choice Award in the 2017 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.

 

It is also in this film organization where Sulitas discovered his other talents: spoken word and hosting. During an event of the organization, he was asked to deliver a poem, which garnered much positive response and praise from his audience.

 

“Dati about love lang iyong mga tula ko, tapos later naging political na nang maging aktibista ako: about magsasaka, manggagawa, jeepney drivers,” Sulitas shared.

 

Ever since, Sulitas has often been invited by different organizations to their events, either hosting the event or performing spoken word for the audience. “Sa tingin ko kaya nakaka-appeal sa mga tao iyong mga sinusulat ko kasi ini-re-relate ko sa kanila ang mga danas ko, tapos may halo pa ring saya iyong mga sinusulat ko. Hindi iyong pure sadness lang o pagkasawi.”