 |
| Me in Casa Lina, San Rafael, Bulacan in 2022 |
Recently, I asked myself a deceptively simple question: Who is Mark Jerome Mutuc? Surprisingly, the answer didn’t come instantly. We spend so much time looking forward, managing the daily grind, and planning for the future that we rarely pause to look in the mirror and trace the lines of how we actually got here. Who really is Mark? Let me tell you a story.
Roots in the Metro: Taguigeño Since Birth
My story began at 2:00 AM on December 6, 1989. Born at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila, I was the first-born child of Jessica and Romeo Mutuc, who were then just navigating their own twenties.
My mama is from Surigao del Norte. Her mom (my lola Iska) is a native from Bulacan and spent her childhood in Tondo, Manila.
My papa is from Tarlac. Throughout my life I've never learned speaking Kapampangan. Though I understand Bisaya (and Surigaonon), I can't speak them fluently.
My parents tied the knot on January 30, 1989, at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish in Barangay Lower Bicutan, Taguig. Soon enough, I became the eldest brother to three siblings: Romeo Jr., Marvin Jay, and Joan Mae.
 |
| Mutuc Family with lola Iska in 1998 |
Though my family grew, my early childhood was deeply shaped by my grandparents, particularly my lola Iska (Francisca Santiago-Gordonas) and lolo Juan (Juanicio Gordonas). Both of them came from Surigao and settled in Metro Manila in 1980's.
 |
| My lola Iska and lolo Juan in 2011 |
For the first nine years of my life, we lived in Joseph Sitt (in Road 10), a close-knit community village in Barangay Bagumbayan, Taguig.
 |
| Joseph Sitt in 2014 |
We later relocated to North Daang Hari (which used to be part of Barangay Bagong Tanyag), bringing us closer to my parents and siblings.
 |
| 1 year old me |
Growing up, I was the quintessential introvert—a quiet observer. While I loved playing outside with my brothers and neighborhood friends, I was equally content retreating into my own world, playing with my toys, and watching the world go by.
Academics, Art, and an Awakening of Faith
My school years were defined by a quiet focus. I attended Daang Hari Elementary School from Grades 1 to 6 and moved on to Bagumbayan National High School (BNHS) for my secondary education. Academically, I consistently found myself in Section 1 from Grade 2 all the way through my senior year of high school.
 |
| IV - Newton 2005-06 Class Picture | Bagumabayan National High School (BNHS) |
It was during these high school years that my introverted observation found a visual voice. I developed a deep passion for drawing and quickly became known for winning poster-making contests—not just within the school walls, but at division and regional levels.
 |
| My close friends in high school - Bryner Zuniga, Bethel Legaspi, Philip Paul Eslao and Henry de Guzman. All of us were into arts. |
But high school brought a much more permanent shift than a few art trophies. In 2005, a classmate named Bethel invited me and a group of friends to FCC Bambang. It was there that I met Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. From that pivotal moment onward, my faith became my anchor, grounded firmly in Him and His promises.
 |
| Axis of Symmetry band with Bethel & Kryz Legaspi and Marlon Madronio |
Eventually, we founded our band called, "Axis of Symmetry" with brothers Bethel and Kryz Legaspi and Marlon Madronio.
The Detours and the Corporate Grind
After graduating high school, life took a dramatic turn. My parents and siblings were relocated to Southville 4 in Barangay Caingin, Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Choosing to stay behind to pursue my own path, my grandparents and I remained in North Daang Hari.
 |
| Road 2 North Daang Hari in 2013 |
The next four years were a period of exploration and waiting. In 2009, I took up a technical course in Pre-Press Operations at TESDA. I also briefly dipped my toes into multi-level marketing with DXN, founded in 1993 by Datuk Lim Siow Jin. His endless research led him to harness the full power of Ganoderma (or Lingzhi), famously known as the "King of Herbs," to create a global health and wealth network.
During these transitional years, music became my sanctuary and service. I served as a worship team guitarist at FCC Bambang from 2006 to 2010, and later spent a year lending my guitar skills to the worship team at Word for the World Fellowship - The Fort in Market! Market!.
 |
| Word for the World Worship Team in 2010 |
In 2010, I officially entered the corporate world, landing my first job at Teleperformance’s EDSA branch. This kicked off an intense, eight-year journey through the BPO industry. I was a bit of a corporate nomad, moving through nearly ten different companies during that span.
 |
| Telstra Bigpond Training batch in Teleperformance in 2011 |
My longest stints were with Sitel (my second company), where I stayed for nearly two years, and amaysim—an in-house BPO in Bonifacio Global City (BGC)—where I spent a year and a half before finally walking away from the corporate cubicle for good.
Love Rewound and a New Lens on Life
While my professional life was a series of shifts, my personal life was anchoring itself. Back in high school, I had met a classmate named Rachel Navarro. We became close friends and started dating during our fourth year, but eventually broke up in 2008.
 |
| Rachel and I in Baguio in 2012 |
Three years later, in January 2012, a simple Facebook chat sparked a reunion. We agreed to meet up at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (PLP) so I could accompany her to enroll for her fifth year in BS Accountancy. We haven’t looked back since.
 |
| Team Basti explored Ilocandia in 2013, my first trip with them |
In 2013, Rachel introduced me to her PLP friends, a vibrant group known as "Team Basti," led by a guy named Basti Caballero. Basti quickly became one of our closest friends.
 |
| When I first met Basti in 2013. We went to Manila and explored Intramuros |
More importantly, traveling with Team Basti completely unlocked my love for photography and exploration. Capturing the diverse landscapes of the Philippines ignited something in me, leading me to create the Facebook page It’s More Fun With JUAN to champion local tourism.
 |
| My wedding proposal to Rachel in Caramoan, Camarines Sur in 2015 |
By 2015, with the co-conspiracy and help of Team Basti, I asked Rachel to marry me against the stunning backdrop of Caramoan, Camarines Sur in Bicol.
Building a Family and a Freelance Life
We tied the knot in 2016 in Pasig, where we initially lived before moving to an apartment in Barangay Palingon, Taguig City in 2018.
The year 2017 welcomed our firstborn, Luna Gabrielle (Gabby), who entered the world via C-section.
 |
| Rachel and I with our little Gabby |
With a newborn in our arms, Rachel pioneered a shift in our lifestyle by transitioning to remote work. She explored various online roles before carving out a successful niche in Virtual Assistance (VA), eventually securing international clients across the US and Canada.
 |
| Us in 2018 |
Inspired by the freedom of remote work, I joined her in January 2018, officially resigning from the BPO sector to dive headfirst into freelancing. While Rachel managed her VA business, I turned my attention to professional blogging via morefunwithjuan.com and digital content creation.
 |
| The birth of It's More Fun With JUAN after my first travel to Ilocos Sur and Norte in 2012 |
My hyper-local digital experiments paid off. I successfully grew hyper-local community Facebook pages, taking Taga Pasig Kami to over 150,000 followers, alongside platforms like Kain Tayo MNL and Taguigenño. Suddenly, my days were filled with featuring local restaurant owners and helping brands connect with communities.
 |
| Me at Fantastic Chef - Malate branch in 2019 |
When the pandemic hit in 2020 and forced the world inside, we adapted again. We launched our family vlog channel, The Mutucs, on YouTube—not for fame, but as a digital time capsule so our family could look back and remember these raw, beautiful years together.
In 2023, our family circle became complete with the birth of our second child and only son, Francis Yuan. Born prematurely at just seven months, Yuan’s life began with a stressful, fragile stay in the NICU at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) in Quezon City. It wasn't our plan, and it tested our faith, but thank God, he survived and has thrived beautifully ever side.
 |
| First Christmas with Yuan in 2023 |
Highs, Lows, and Thresholds
By the time 2024 arrived, our freelance career and financial foundation began hitting major milestones, bringing a wave of rapid changes. It was a year of immense blessings: we relocated our family to a new home, traveled to Boracay to celebrate Yuan's first birhtday, achieved the financial milestone of being approved for multiple credit cards, upgraded our workspace with our very first MacBook, and even managed to score brand-new Apple gadgets like an iPad and an iPhone completely for free.
 |
| Celebrated Yuan's first birthday in Boracay |
Yet, 2024 also carried the heaviest, most painful chapter of my life. Amidst the material growth and upgrades, my father lost his battle with throat cancer and passed away.
 |
| Romeo Mutuc Sr. funeral in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna |
Navigating that profound grief while trying to keep up with the fast-paced momentum of life was a stark reminder of how fragile our time truly is, and how quickly the highest highs can be met with the lowest lows.
By 2025, carrying a deeper appreciation for life, Rachel, Team Basti, and I took our very first international trip together to Taiwan—a milestone we had long dreamed of.
Today and Tomorrow: A New Perspective
Today, Rachel and I still reside in Barangay Palingon, Taguig, currently living in our second apartment in the area.
If you look at my life right now, the threads of my past are still very much alive. I am still deeply in love with music—manifested in my two Stratocasters and a carefully assembled pedalboard.
My curiosity is fed daily by YouTube creators; I rarely miss an episode of StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson or a video by Johnny Harris, and I still follow the storytelling of Sonny (Best Ever Food Review Show) and Drew Binsky.
However, the most profound shift in my timeline happened recently, in 2026, when I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). A diagnosis like that changes a man. It strips away the superficial and forced me to re-evaluate how I treat my body.
 |
| Me during my first months with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia |
Today, I am deeply committed to my fitness and health—eating clean, flooding my diet with greens, avoiding fast food entirely, and dedicating 30 minutes to an hour every other day to working out.
So, who is Mark Jerome Mutuc?
I am a son of Taguig, a boy raised by his grandparents, a graphic artist who found his voice in lines and colors, and a BPO survivor who took a leap of faith into the digital unknown. I am a musician, a believer, and an investor in both finance and health. But above all those titles, I am a man completely dedicated to his wife and his children.
 |
| Me in BGC in 2026 |
Every piece of content I create, every investment I manage, and every healthy meal I choose is for them. I am profoundly happy, deeply content with the peaceful, hands-on life we have built in our home, and I face whatever tomorrow brings with an unwavering faith and an open heart.
Post a Comment