Since forming the OPM band Parokya ni Edgar with his high school friends Vinci Montaner and Jeric Estaco more than 30 years ago, frontman Chito Miranda has come a long way in terms of exploring and growing his career. In 2022, he joined Idol Philippines prestigious panel of judges along with Gary Valenciano, Regine Velasquez, and Moira dela Torre. Outside of showbiz, he became a busy entrepreneur who invested his earnings in various kinds of businesses along with his wife, Neri Naig.
In his Instagram post last July 15, Chito revealed another one of his many talents. The 49-year-old artist posted an old comic strip he titled, "The Misadventures of Mr. Suave," which he made for the band. Chito graduated from the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Diliman, but he shared that his love for drawing went as far back as his elementary school days.
Photos from chitomirandajr Instagram
Chito recalled that he would make comics in grade school and rent them out to his classmates in order to earn some extra pocket money. he wrote, “Eto yung PAROKYA comic strip na ginawa ko dati.🤟🏽😁 Bata palang ako, mahilig na talaga ako mag-drawing at gumawa ng mga comics (pero nawala na lahat!✌🏼😅) Nung grade school, gagawa ako ng comics tapos ipapa-arkila ko sa mga classmates ko for 1 peso para may extra pera ako (madami din naman ako naging suki 🤟🏽😂) “
When he entered college, Chito shared that he was also able to showcase his artwork during exhibit at their college. “Yung iba nga sa mga gawa ko, na-feature pa sa mga exhibit ng UP Fine Arts nung estudyante pa ko ng UP hehe (hindi dahil magaling, pero dahil barkada ko yung organizers 😂👍🏻),” he added.
In the same post, Chito shared that it was actually one of the original Parokya members who inspired him to make the comic strip which was eventually made part of their 2005 album Halina Sa Parokya.
“Anyway, this particular strip was based on a sketch by Mikko Yap (yung original guitarist ng Parokya). Nagdrawing kasi sya habang nagka-klase kami tapos sobrang tawang-tawa kami so ginawan ko ng PAROKYA version featuring Mr.Suave (Vinch) and Chito Matsing (me) We eventually included the comic strip sa free coloring book na kasama sa album ng 'Halina sa Parokya.'
"P.S. alam nyo nyo ba kung ano yung pinapanood ng barbero? Kung oo, matanda ka na rin.🤟🏽😂”
READ: Chito Miranda celebrates 30 years with his band: ‘Walang iwanan sa Parokya’
With an enduring career that has already spanned more than three decades, Parokya ni Edgar is composed of Chito Miranda, Gab Chee Kee, Buwi Meneses, Darius Semaña, Dindin Moreno, and Vinci Montaner and is known as the undisputed ‘National Band of the Philippines.’ Last year, the band celebrated reaching the 245 Million streams mark on the popular music streaming platform Spotify, with their classic songs “Harana” and “Gitara” crossing the 100 Million streams mark on the same platform.