A foreigner falling in love with the Philippines is no longer surprising. The most common reasons why they do include our trademark hospitality, exciting cuisine, one-of-a-kind island adventures and, for many who come from the west, our hot and humid weather.
But for American YouTube celebrity Carson Moody — also known by the names Caloy and “Bisayang Hilaw” in the digital world — his love for this country grew from time spent with locals outside the capital of Metro Manila. Time spent with natives and provincial communities where he learned and embraced the Philippines’ rich culture, including the different languages and dialects across 7,461 islands.
Moody, who is originally from Utah, first came to the Philippines in 2012 and served in a church mission until 2014. It was during this time when he became fluent in Bisaya and nurtured a deeper appreciation for the country as he learned about its history and experienced it culture firsthand.
When he went back home to finish his studies, Moody actually found himself looking for opportunities to travel back to the Philippines and maybe even move out to this part of the world for good.
“After graduating from college in 2017, I felt really lost and confused with what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Instead of rushing into a career, I decided to go backpacking for six months around Hawaii and Southeast Asia,” Moody recalled to The Sunday Times Magazine.
The backpacker’s final destination of course was the Philippines. During this trip, he made a friend in Siargao who introduced him to vlogging and encouraged him to start his own YouTube channel as a Bisaya-speaking American who is so in love with the Philippines. It was an interesting prospect and in no time, Moody jumped into it with the decision to permanently live in the country.
The big move
Moving to a different country, especially for Westerners — now that’s often surprising. Careers and relationships are just some of the many aspects to risk, but this traveler-turned-vlogger had zero regrets on moving to the Philippines. All that was important to him is the fact that he had grown to love the people and the country in general.
“I left all my friends and family behind when I came to this country and after a few months of learning the language and culture, the Philippines truly became a second home for me,” he said.
Moody admitted he felt anxious in the first few weeks.
“I wondered if I should have stayed in the USA to find a ‘real’ job and if I would ever find a future wife if I kept travelling all the time,” Moody recalled chuckling.
Ultimately, he decided to persist on the path he chose, challenging as it may be.
“My sister encouraged me to continue vlogging because she said I would regret it if I never gave it a real shot. As time went on, I got more comfortable making videos and any worry I previously had soon disappeared,” he happily shared.
“So much of my life has changed since moving to the Philippines. I haven’t lived in a single place longer than a few weeks up until Covid-19; I met my girlfriend [writer and creative] Zowie Palliaer while visiting Cebu as well. I’ve really learned what I’m passionate about in life, new skills and more.”
The local life
Popular on YouTube as “Bisayang Hilaw” today, Moody shared he had been familiar with the phrase before starting his vlogging career.
“Among locals, ‘hilaw,’ [which literally means raw] is also known as a slang for people who have lighter skin,” he chuckled.
His pseudonym’ story goes further. According to Moody, when he was travelling around Bohol, he made friends with the employees of the hotel where he stayed. He especially formed a strong bond with a senior — a lady well over 60 – who, given the caring nature and humor of Filipinos –assigned herself as Moody’s Filipina mother.
“One day we were sharing some laughs together and she called me ‘Bisayang Hilaw.’ That was the first time I heard that phrase and I thought it was hilarious. When I later returned to the USA and was trying to come up with a YouTube channel name, the name Bisayang Hilaw popped into my mind from Nanay. That was when I decided I would go by the name,” he recalled.
Officially based in the Philippines, Moody continued to travel to different parts of the country until the Coronavirus pandemic broke out, enriching his knowledge about the Philippines and its people more and more, while coming up with viral content for his vlog.
As a “local” in the country, one of Moody’s goals for his channel has always been to inspire both Filipinos and foreigners to explore the islands as he does whose beauty, he constantly captures in his Instagram posts.
He and his girlfriend also founded the “No Postcode” travel website and its own Instagram account, which have also become popular supplements to his YouTube channel. There, the couple generously and honestly provides whole travel guides for people to take on.
“For me, [my content is] more about experiencing and embracing the Filipino culture than promoting it — it’s so beautiful that it promotes itself! Since the majority of my audience is already Filipino, I hope that when I showcase the culture and the beauty of the country, that my audience will have a greater appreciation for it,” he expressed. “It would be a shame to visit the Philippines without experiencing the rich culture here.”
The moment
Asked to share his best trips around the Philippines, he was quick to recall taking a ferry from Surigao City to Cebu City with no idea where to stay. It was on this very trip that Moody said he experienced true Filipino hospitality firsthand.
“[On the ferry] the man sitting next to me offered me a cheese-flavored Magic Flake. He was surprised I knew Cebuano and after five minutes of talking with him, he asked if I wanted to stay at his house with his family since I had no plans on where to stay,” he shared.
“I accepted his offer and for the next two days, I had the best time hanging out with him and his family. This was the definition of Filipino hospitality for me and it truly amazed me how much he trusted me. I will never forget that moment.”
The lockdown life
With the strict restrictions on local and international travel brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, Moody and his girlfriend have considerably slowed down after constant moving and traveling. They recently settled into a new house in Dumaguete City but maintain the goal of visiting all the provinces across the country when travel is permitted again.
“We believe there is still so much of the country to be seen,” he declared.
With his large following on YouTube and Instagram — with 830,000 subscribers and close to 200,000 followers respectively to date — Moody has taken up the task to use his platforms to help promote small shops and services at this time and ultimately encourage his audience to buy local.
Outside being content creators, he and his girlfriend also did their share in helping the victims of the pandemic in Dumaguete by giving out food to families whose breadwinners lost their jobs.
Looking forward, Moody continues to promote inter-island travel on his digital platforms, asserting that missing the opportunity to do so once restrictions are lifted, would be a loss to them, given the beauty he sees in this country he so loves.
Asked for his top destinations in the Philippines, Moody easily replied, “The Queen City [Cebu] and Palawan and because Coron and El Nido have some of the most amazing island-hopping experiences in the world!”
As if he wasn’t so convincing already, Bisayang Hilaw said for his parting words, “You can’t really go wrong in the Philippines.”