Where were you born? Where did you grow up?
I was born in Manila, Philippines at the Philippine General Hospital, though I grew up in many places. I spent my early 1 or 2 years in Bataan with my grandparents, my parents being diplomats soon got assigned to Iran, spent another 2 years I think until the gulf war so our parents got reassigned to Egypt, and that’s when I started my schooling up to the 3rd grade. A good 6 years in Egypt until we finally returned here in the Philippines.

Schooling? Art training?
It was in the College of Fine-Arts and Design of the University of Santo Tomas, that I got really exposed to the art world. Although I think college derailed me instead of helping. After graduating and quitting my first two jobs, my parents encouraged me to take web design lessons at the First Academy of Computer Arts to “broaden my options.”

How long have you been working professionally in comics?
I just recently became an illustrator in training. Still improving my technique, building my portfolio, learning what I really need and unlearning what I don’t. Hopefully I get my big break soon.

What things -- both in art and otherwise -- have you worked on, besides comics?
I’ve worked as a Graphic Designer for a group of restaurant companies, and also a packaging company, both for a couple of months. Soon I took a job as a Graphic-Web Designer for GoVida, a web-developing and e-learning company. Aside from designing web and flash interfaces, I have handled visual collaterals and have done some corporate identity accounts both for my company and some entrepreneur friends.

Are comics a full-time gig for you or part-time?
Hopefully it will be a full-time gig for me.

Tell us how you broke into the business --was it easy? Hard? Any interesting anecdotes?
Well… It’s hard to complain when all you have to do sit on your creative ass and release your vision through your hands. Physically it wasn’t hard, emotionally and mentally it is. The world has a tendency to focus its flow against everyone with a dream. I remember that the only thought in my mind back when I was enrolling for college picking my major in Advertising, “that this would be my greatest step towards being a Comic Book Artist.” But instead of getting closer I strayed farther, constantly blinded by other, seemingly more practical options, all the while my parents also try to add to those options. Soon my urges to just draw for the sake of drawing dwindled and now I’m constantly struggling to retrain that part of my brain that used to be my source of compulsive art. Now I’m finally back on track and refocusing my options to just one.

When you held your first published work in your hands, how did you feel?
I have yet to feel it and give this one an answer.

How did you settle on the style(s) you're currently using?
I haven’t settled yet, I’m still evolving, I don’t think I have released my true self in my work yet. My previous inspirations back in High school were Jim Lee and Rob Liefield (whom David constantly ridicules now a days). Now my current inspirations are varied, to name some, Harvey Tolibao for his level of details, Steve Mckniven, Justin Nguyen, Adam Hughes, Nico Suayan, and definitely Mike Deodato. 

Did you work as an assistant to any other artists?
Not yet.

Please describe your work space. Is it part of your home,or do you go "to the studio"?
Uhm…anywhere at home, I have this small lightweight table my parents bought from a TV infomercial I carry around the house, wherever I feel comfortable drawing, though I do have a drawing table in my room, and on a small dining table at the condo I stay in during the weekdays for easy travel to work.
 
What job are you the proudest of?
Hopefully my first published work.

What's your most embarrassing?
I don’t know, every time I look at my old works, I feel somewhat embarrassed because I know I can do better, and that’s what I always try to do, do better than my previous.

What project are you currently drawing?
Just some sample pages and scripts to build my portfolio.

Tell us about your family and home situation. Are you married with kids? Anecdotes about married life, how it relates to your busy schedule, etc. If you have kids do they understand your job? What do they say about it? Do they read comics?
Well my parents are diplomats, I hardly see them now a days. I think they could have read some strips on newspapers some time in their past but they seem like they’ve never read one in their entire life. Especially my dad, he thinks their childish, probably thinks I haven’t really grown up since I still watch cartoons and all. Still single on my civil status, but I’m currently in a relationship with my most supportive and wonderful girlfriend Veronica Arroyo, who I hope to marry as soon as I get settled as a comic book illustrator and save enough for our wedding, building a home and hopefully my own family (with the fickle relationships I hear other GHG artists had, I best tie the knot asap).

What projects do you hope to work on in the future?
I don’t know where to start, hopefully a lot of possibilities open up to me, like working on iconic marvel or DC characters, or even star wars from darkhorse.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
My future is still foggy, but I can already see light seeping through, hopefully by then I have already built a name for myself in the comic book industry, but still working for GHG. On the side I hope to one day have a self-published graphic novel to share to anyone wiling to see and read what I have to say.

Do friends and neighbors know you draw comics for a living? How do they react?
I have encouraging and proud friends and friends who are now distracted and too estranged to even know of my progress.

What's 1 thing you'll always find in your refrigerator?
Cold bottle/pitcher of water and cold air… Unless there’s a power outage then it’ll soon just be water and air.

What's your favorite food?
Pizza, pastas and sandwiches. Viva Italia!!! Ooh and BK’s whopper and fries.

What are your favorite interests --Movies? Music? TV? Any hobbies? Sports?
Anything related to the visual arts, fiction and fantasy novels, I have a varied taste in movies, I listen, and sometimes dance, to pretty much any music, but I mostly prefer the genres of Rock, alternative, metal, grunge etc. and sometimes I feel like listening to country and rockabilly music. I don’t think I have a favored sport, I just try to workout whenever I can, though I am interested in bowling, just having fun not competing.

Have you ever thought of writing your own stories?
Yes, I every artist has a story to tell. But I’m not that confident of my writing skills, so I’ll definitely befriend (and deviously manipulate) a good writer to help me someday, once the opportunity presents itself.

What's an average day in your life like?
I wake up, eat cereal, shower and prepare for an 8hour day at work, meet up with my girlfriend after since our office buildings are just a street away from each other, we stroll a bit, have dinner, and each go home after, when I still have the energy I try to work out a bit before I start drawing my samples, then I sleep and end my day.

Any humorous or interesting anecdotes to tell about the comics business?
Drawing is like looking up at the stars, it never gets old. People just tend to forget or ignore.  

Do you have any great, unsold projects in your files that nobody's gotten to see published?
Nope, not yet.

If you weren't a comic-book artist today, what would you be?
Still a graphic-web designer, who will sooner or later get left behind in the latest design trends, unless I get to become an art director and just supervise young designers. Or I could be designing for food.

Any closing words?
Never lose your hunger for knowledge and wisdom, never stop looking at the world through a child’s eye, never be embarrassed to ask and learn, because no matter how old you get you will never know everything there is to know, so its best to absorb what you can when you can.