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With comedy bars shut, 3 stand-up comics find success on YouTube with Beks Battalion

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Leah C. Salterio

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/03/14/beks-1.jpg"/><figcaption>Chad Kinis, Lassy Marquez and MC Calaquian</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Comedian Chad Kinis formed the widely-followed Beks Battalion on YouTube in February 2020, just a little over a month before the lockdown was imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.“It just popped out of my head,” Kinis told ABS-CBN News. “There was no big reason behind it. We just laughed when I blurted out Beks Battalion and we liked it.”Beks is an informal spelling for the Tagalog word “beki,” that is colloquial for gay. To date, the slang term “beks” has been commonly used around and easily understood by many.It was popular YouTuber and vlogger, the late Lloyd Cadena, who inspired Kinis to start his own vlog, Chad Kinis, back in 2019, which has presently more than 1 million subscribers. “Lloyd pushed me to have my own YouTube channel,” Kinis disclosed.No wonder, Kinis will always be grateful to Cadena, who passed away in September 2020 due to COVID-19 and its complications. In fact, Kinis gave away free tablets to young students, as his way of paying it forward with the blessings that he received.“Isa si Lloyd sa tumulong sa akin how to share [my] blessings and be generous sa friends at sa mga nangangailangan,” said Kinis, who is Richardson De La Cruz in real life.“Just keep on sharing the good vibes, happiness at kung ano ang meron kayo, help other people. That was the lesson I learned from Lloyd.”Cadena was best known for his vlogs that featured him helping other people in need. That apparently inspired and prompted Kinis to start his eponymous vlog.“Lloyd made me laugh, he made me happy, he inspired me a lot with his content,” Kinis said. “Alam ko hindi lang ako. Marami siyang pinasaya at nag-iwan siya ng magandang legacy at leksiyon sa buhay.”<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/03/14/beks-2.jpg"/><figcaption>Chad Kinis, Lassy Marquez and MC Calaquian</figcaption></figure></div>In Beks Battalion, Kinis is joined by his comedian-friends, Lassy Marquez and MC Calaquian, whom he both invited to invade the YouTube universe.As early as May 2019, Calaquian said Kinis was already convincing him to start his own YouTube channel. At that time, Kinis had started his solo vlog and has been making money from it.“Naniniwala si Chad na kayang-kaya ko din mag-vlog, kasi daw madaldal ako,” said Calaquian, whose real name is Melvin. “But hindi ako seriously nakikinig sa kanya. Nagpe-perform ako sa comedy bar five nights a week, tapos may mga iba pa akong ginagawa na raket. Sabi ko sa kanya, hindi ko mundo ang YouTube.”At that time, Calaquian felt he was earning enough from everything that he was doing. “Hindi ko iniisip ang kikitain ko sa YouTube,” he said. “Okay na ako kahit hindi ko na gawin ang YouTube.”However, Kinis was insistent. In 2019, all three of them were cast in Vice Ganda&#x27;s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry, “The Mall, The Merrier.” Around August that year, while they were waiting inside their tent to shoot their scenes, Kinis invited them to guest in the vlog he would upload.“Sabi namin kay Chad, ‘Sige, ‘pag maganda ang reaction ng tao, gagawa na din kami ng vlog,’” Calaquian said. “Nakagawa kami ng tatlong guesting sa vlog ni Chad and every time, magaganda ang mga comments. Gusto nila kaming makita na magkakasama sa isang YouTube channel. Maraming natutuwa sa amin.”By December 2019, while they were doing promos for “The Mall, The Merrier,” Calaquian approached Kinis. Apparently, Calaquian was already convinced to start a YouTube channel, although he still had hesitations and doubts.“Kabado ako, kasi hindi ko alam ang mundo ng YouTube,” he admitted. “I asked Chad, ‘Okay lang ba sa ‘yo na meron ka ng YouTube channel, pero gusto ko, kung mag-start ako sa YouTube, kasama kita. Para mas maganda, sama na natin si Lassy para tatlo tayo.’ Sabi ni Chad, okay lang daw sa kanya at walang problema ‘yun.”In January 2020, Kinis, Calaquian and Marquez started planning their YouTube channel. Kinis shared with them the name, Beks Battalion, he thought about and even uploaded a logo.“So January last year pa lang, when Chad uploaded our name with the logo, without any video yet, nakahakot na kami agad ng more than 40,000 subscribers to follow us,” Calaquian recalled.“Nag-announce na kami about Beks Battalion at magkakasama kaming tatlo. Tapos sinabi na namin ang first shooting namin ng vlog na February 6, 2020.”However, on the day Beks Battalion was scheduled to start shooting their YouTube video shoot, Calaquian came in late for more than two hours, that was why he was subjected to a prank he never expected.“Our call time was 1 p.m., but I arrived at around 3:30 p.m.,” he recalled. “Puyat kasi ako. Hindi ako serious sa schedule. Iniisip ko, kami-kami lang naman ‘yun.”What he didn’t know was that while he had yet to arrive, Kinis and Marquez were already planning about the prank they would do to him.“Pinagplanuhan na pala nila na mag-aaway sila sa harap ko,” Calaquian said. “Nag-away sila. Inawat ko sila. In-upload ni Chad ‘yung video because at that time, his vlog had more than 300,000 subscribers.“Sobrang nagulat ako. I was thinking, ‘Ano ba ‘to? First day ng shooting, bakit nag-aaway itong dalawa?’ Takang-taka ako kasi si Chad, alam ko never niya kakalabanin si Lassy, kasi anak-anakan namin si Chad sa comedy bar. Si Lassy din, hindi talaga pala-away.“Kaya sobrang gulat na gulat ako. ‘Yun pala, it was a prank. Naging maganda ‘yung resulta, kasi very raw ang nangyari. Then, when it was uploaded sa Chad Kinis vlog, lalo kaming humakot ng subscribers at they followed Beks Battaion.”<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lpczd2OZ4d4?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>Beks Battalion uploaded their first vlog on February 8, 2020. In a span of one month and one week, when the lockdown was officially declared on March 15, 2020, Beks Battalion had more than 200,000 subscribers on YouTube.Naturally, the group stopped uploading videos at the start of the pandemic. Calaquian became anxious and was too frightened to go out because of COVID-19. For a month and a half, he opted to stay inside his condominium unit.Admittedly, even Marquez was hesitant to go out while on lockdown. “Sobrang pinilit kami ni Chad,” revealed Marquez, whose real name is Reginald. “He told us, ‘Kailangan nating gawin ito para mas panoorin tayo.’”Beks Battalion started with purely Zoom videos initially while on lockdown. “Ang hirap magpatawa. Hindi kami sabay-sabay. So pinilit talaga kami ni Chad na magkita-kita.”Kinis was convincing them not to be too paranoid about the health crisis, explaining that they needed to make a new video or their YouTube channel would fizzle out.Calaquian was eventually convinced to make online videos while on lockdown. He was aware that before they stopped their Beks Battalion uploads, they were getting a million views every time.When they uploaded their first video while on strict quarantine measures, they merely got 40,000 views. “Ganoon kababa, so Chad convinced me to go out so we can make videos every day,” Calaquian remembered. “Ang YouTube kasi, parang teleserye din. Ina-abangan ng tao. Kapag wala silang napanood, bumibitaw sila sa channel. “So araw-araw kaming gumawa ng vlogs. Pinagtiyagaan talaga namin hanggang nag-click kami ulit at kumapit na ulit ang mga ka-BBs. ‘Yan ang tawag namin sa mga followers namin. Dapat makita nila na active na kami ulit.”Thankfully, they regained their strong YouTube following in no time. The trio uploads videos three times a week for a maximum of 12 videos a month, gamely performing every imaginable and hilarious stints for their vlog. Last December, Beks Battalion hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube. Kinis, Marquez and Calaquian cannot be more thankful for the digital milestone they achieved. To date, they have 1.3 subscribers and the number is increasing by the day.Kinis is thankful that even with the absence of live performances, he has been financially getting through this pandemic because of the vlogs. “It was and still is my main source of income to this day,” Kinis revealed. <div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/03/14/beks-3.jpg"/><figcaption>Chad Kinis, Lassy Marquez and MC Calaquian</figcaption></figure></div>Kinis refused to think it was perfect timing when they started Beks Battalion in February last year, before the pandemic ensued.“I will not say it was perfect timing because this pandemic caused so much suffering to us and a lot of other Filipinos,” he reasoned out. “We are just lucky enough that our group was formed before the pandemic started.”With the success of Beks Battalion on YouTube, Marquez acknowledged how they were able to rise above the challenges brought about by the pandemic.“Nabura sa nararamdaman namin ‘yung pandemic na dumating,” maintained Marquez. “Noong wala pang pandemic, maayos talaga lahat ng trabaho. Kahit sino sa amin, madaling nakaka-raket, nakakapag-show, nakakapag-abroad, may shooting at may taping.“Nang dumating ang pandemic, nawalan kaming lahat ng trabaho. Hindi namin alam kung saan kami kukuha ng kita. So noon naging maayos na ang Beks Battalion sa YouTube, parang tinakpan niya ‘yung pagkukulang.”They were thankful they were able to start Beks Battalion before the lockdown was declared. “Kung hindi namin nasimulan earlier, before the lockdown, hindi kami makaka-penetrate. Mahihirapan kami kasi hindi pa kami kilala sa YouTube.”In fact, this pandemic became a big help for Beks Battalion. “Naging stress-reliever kami ng mga tao,” Marquez said. “Lahat sila nasa bahay, naka-lockdown. So wala silang gagawin kung hindi manood ng manood sa YouTube.”Kinis had long been egging on his other colleagues to start creating their YouTube channels even before Beks Battalion started.“Actually, before the pandemic started, I already asked and invited some of the comedians to create their channels and I even offered to help them,” Kinis said. “No one believed me, until COVID happened. Now, some of my colleagues are creating their channels, too.”<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MCZ3jYi8HBc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>On August 4, 2020, Beks Battalion moved in to their new house, where they all agreed to live in. “Pina-feng shui namin bago kami lumipat,” Calaquian said. “That was the best time daw to transfer.”“Mas madali sa amin, dahil magkakasama na kami kaapag gagawa kami ng vlog,” Kinis explained. “Hindi na maghihintayan pa.”Being housed in one place worked to their advantage. “Mas madaling makagawa kami ng content, kasi any time, any moment, pwede kaming gumawa ng vlog,” Marquez admitted. “Iba pa rin na magkakasama kami &#x27;pag dating sa trabaho. Naging closer kami. Naging family talaga lalo.”They rarely have any misunderstanding. “May tampo minsan, pero madali mawala,” Marquez explained. “Noong wala pang pandemic, nangyayari ‘yun. Pero now, especially in one house na kami lately, wala ng tampuhan.“Sa isang bahay, lalo na kung first time mo makakasama, doon mo makikita lahat. Kung anong klase siyang tao. Ano ba siya talaga sa loob ng bahay. Pero kami, madali kaming mag-adjust. Nagkaka-intindihan kaming lahat.”For his part, Calaquian cited the advantage of staying together under one roof. “Anytime, we can do video vlogs. Often, that’s the advantage. We have no pool of writers, sometimes nade-drain kami. We can add more content.“We can show the people that living together makakadagdag ng content. We can even show kung paano kami matulog, kung paano magluto. It worked to our advantage.”Showbiz star Sharon Cuneta, who would always watch the Beks Battalion vlogs, noticed they didn’t have furniture in the new house yet when they uploaded their “Empty House Tour.” So she sent a message to Kinis, who previously worked with her on TV 5.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0iQR7lRfyjM?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>Kinis merely said they had yet to buy furniture, since the house was still undergoing renovation, so they had to content themselves with eating on monobloc tables and chairs temporarily. Cuneta told Kinis she had a spare sala set, dining table and beds that she had not been using.In three days, Beks Battalion received a complete living room, bedroom and dining room showcase from Cuneta. Beks Battalion showed the furniture sets through a special unboxing vlog.Last November, Beks Battalion visited Cuneta and did a tour of her condominium. They were the first group given access by Cuneta inside her unit. She didn’t feature the place even in her own YouTube channel.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u5yoPpuTF7U?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>More recently, actress Bea Alonzo guested in the Beks Battalion vlog and agreed to gamely dump her face in a basin full of water. Aside from the name of the YouTube channel, Beks Battalion now has merchandise available on Shopee and even displayed on their Facebook and Instagram accounts -- from shirts, hoodies, tote bags, dad’s hats and bucket hats. “Ang lakas maka-Prada,” noted Kinis.“We are also planning to launch perfume and cologne,” Kinis said. “Affordable sa lahat na gustong bumili. We can also give them as giveaways.”Eventually, Beks Battalion wants to explore traveling around the Philippines in their upcoming vlog features. Last February, they spent three days in Ilocos Norte, going all the way to Pagudpud. They even went surfing and diving.“Gusto naming ipakita sa mga tao na maganda pala sa Ilocos,” Marquez said. “At okay nang magbakasyon. At doon sa hindi pa pwedeng magbakasyon, at least makita man lang nila na maganda talaga doon.”<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GUMsa4eVk8s?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>“After this pandemic, we want to stage a free concert wearing our merchandise,” Kinis said. “Think big, pwede sa Skydome, Araneta Coliseum or even Philippine Arena. Why not?”The guys have not been scrimping to share their blessings with their other friends who are not from showbiz. “Mga friends namin who are not in showbiz, pero walang trabaho,” Calaquian pointed out. “They are now called Beks Friends. Ginawan namin sila ng YouTube channel, para may income din sila. Now, they have 300,000 subscribers. It started last September. Lahat ng kasama namin, gusto namin tulungan. Hindi namin alam kung hanggang kalian pa itong pandemic. Hanggang pwedeng tumulong, gagawin din namin.”

Last December, Beks Battalion hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube. Chad Kinis, Lassy Marquez and MC Calaquian cannot be more thankful for the digital milestone they achieved.

Last December, Beks Battalion hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube. Chad Kinis, Lassy Marquez and MC Calaquian cannot be more thankful for the digital milestone they achieved.