A FEW days ago, I blogged about the iPhone launch in the US and included an Agence France-Presse photo of Jonathan (not John, as he was identified in the AFP caption) Mariano, who was first in line at the Apple Store at The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles, California.
In that blog entry, I wondered aloud if Mariano was a Filipino, and guess what? He is! He posted a comment on that blog entry simply saying, “Pinoy ako (I am a Filipino)!” and included a link to his blog that documents the iPhone launch in LA and his unexpected brush with fame when he turned out to be the first in line.
How cool is that?
Here’s a YouTube video of Jonathan being interviewed by Macy Gray.
And here’s an excerpt from his entry on the questions he gets asked by interviewers:
Popular Questions
What time did you get in line?
4AM although the line didn’t officially start until 7AM. I scoped the place out since 7PM the night before.What is the big deal about the iPhone?
Many “phones” have a phone, music player, and browser, but none do it as elegantly as the iPhone. It has a simple touch interface, and the “real” internet. Not the scaled down mini mobile version.How many are you buying?
Two 8GB. One for me, one for my girlfriend.;)
Congratulations, Jonathan, and thanks for visiting @play 
July 15th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
maganda ang mga comments ninyo mga kapatid…may punto kayo lahat…yaan nyo , pag tumama ako sa lotto, bibigyan ko kayo lahat ng tig isang iphone…para mawala lahat ang inis ninyo..har har har…!!!!…
July 15th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
RLJ, you are great! you are so charitable, can you donate an iphone for me please..
July 15th, 2007 at 10:41 am
DYAN TAYO MAGALING BASTA MAY BAGO ..BUY..GO …RUB IT..HEHEHHEHEH,THATS D PINOY. NO MATTER HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS. WE DO SOMETHING TO OWN IT ..HAHAHAHHA. IM PROUD TO B PINOY.. GO JO, IM WITH YOU.
July 15th, 2007 at 5:29 am
Guys - you read too much from this event - this is just a very simple news -first Filipino guy to buy iphone - it is that simple - no need to politicize about it, interpret the Filipino psyche from it or do a dissertation about the future of the Philippine Republic through it -
July 15th, 2007 at 3:22 am
So What???Whats the big deal about having an I-phone??? doesnt change anything!!mga pinoy, kulang sa pansin!! kulang sa recognition!! I pity you!!So embarassing!!! Lets change our attitude!
July 14th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
iphone?! woopeeedooo! now try to get it to work with our local telecom providers… hahaha. seriously, i’m green with envy. are you willing to trade with nokia 5110? will add cash of course..
July 14th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
be happpy na lang people kung nakabili cia ng i phone…some of us kc still ung crab mentality naka program na sa utak nila….remember…that is a sin…go people kung san ka happy…stick to it….basta ba wala kang nasasaktan….ok..mabuhay ka pinoy….
July 14th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
iyan ang hirap sa pinoy…some of us have that crab mentality in their back…pabayaan na lang natin cia kung he bought an i phone…pinaghirapan din nia yan….at least the money he bought for it came a decent job…unlike other people there na galing naman sa illegal means…oh…wag ka na magreact baka ikaw un…peace dude….
July 14th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Should we behave this way? Innate na yata ang inggit sa pinoy. please tell us what institution to donate to.
July 14th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Umiral na naman Pagka-pinoy natin, ang inggit, wala talaga. Wala ngang big deal dyan pero hayaan nyo na lang ang tao kung gusto nya mauna bumili at pumila. Charity? kayo ba na may pera din nagbibigay sa charity instead of buying your cell phones? C’mmon people, don’t be hypocrits and idiots.
July 14th, 2007 at 10:10 am
RLJ r u a charitable worker cum politician. It sounds bitternes and no freedom at all. Hey man everyone deserves a break. No one can dictate other human being to do buy something using his own hard-earned money to give himself a break.
July 14th, 2007 at 4:30 am
I think I’m the first pinoy who bought an iphone… I bought mine in Bethpage,NY around 8:00pm ET, that’s an hour before LA apple store started selling them… beat that! he he he!
July 14th, 2007 at 2:34 am
ok lang magka iphone if you think its worth it - it probably is.
but to spend hours in line just to get it on the first day? now that is a waste. and a waste for what? to be the first? how uncool…
July 13th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
anak naman ng kamote..
what is it with you guys? let the guy have his friggin iPhone! it’s his money. he worked hard for it. he has the right to do anything he wants with it.
he’s a compatriot. thats the big deal. he was the first to purchase something that so many in this world salivate for. it may not be much of a feat for some, but hey! a filipino beat other races to something as hyped as the iPhone. that’s really something.
July 13th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
might as well wait for a couple of months before buying new technology, Its too expensive and its a closed system.
July 12th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
[...] @play: Filipino 1st iPhone buyer at Grove mall in LA [...]
July 12th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Uhm,….OK…. also got one for $1200 and honestly, I can say I’m disappointed afterwards. Still love the phone I’m using in Japan. Japan & Korea’s cellphones RULES!!!
July 12th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
That’s what Pinoys are known for. If anyone criticizes something people just want him to shut up and let people enjoy. By analogy, that is the reason why Pinoys let 20 years of dictatorship pass by without lifting a finger because it is more convenient and acceptable to let the Marcoses and their cronies “enjoy” what they “worked their butt off” for. Until now the Marcoses are still enjoying the “fruits of their labor” because everyone at the PCCGG wants to let the Marcoses be and allow them to enjoy. Until now Pinoys don’t get it. That is why the Philippines is still under a conjugal dictatorship under the Arroyos. Sure Pinoys have more freedom. But are Pinoys truly free? Free from an abusive and a corrupt government? Free from the idolatry of material things? Free from poverty and want? I see a lot of people who’d rather pay for text phone cards than save their money or pay for their electric bill. I am not against people who use their money to by stuff. But I am against publicizing it as if it was the “cure for cancer.” It just ain’t newsworthy. It’s a waste of newspaper space. So what if your the first one who lined up to buy your stupid iphone? Did that make you a better Filipino? Did it make you a better person? Other than benefiting Steve Jobbs and Apple, did it benefit people in your country? Is this really what a Filipinos are are really made out of? If that is the case then the words “values” and “character” is bereft of meaning in the Pinoy psyche.
July 12th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
When is this iphone thing sold in Pinas, anyway? I’ve got to be the first Pinoy in Pinas to buy this thing. $900 a piece, right? Times 50 plus 100% tax, plus 12% EVAT. Lumagapak na P100T. Three months salary ko na ‘to, ah. But if I fast for three months …. Okey din. I would then have another sort of record: First to die starving for buying an iphone - in Pinas. Sige go. When is this iphone thing sold in Pinas? I’ve got to be the first Pinoy to buy this thing - in Pinas. Anyone listening?
July 12th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
why don’t we just be happy?? he waited and worked hard for that, he’s just giving himself a treat! and no body should dictate what should anyone do with his hard earn money…
July 12th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Under the Civil Code of the Philippines that could be branded as an ostentatious display of wealth in times of distress. Unfortunately the damn thing doesn’t work in RP yet. I could just see some people flashing their spanking brand new iphones in their cars while shoeless street kids are knocking on their windows. Hey if you have to have it, buy all means. As Clint Eastwood said, “Eat it!”
July 12th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Or he could be the son of an AFP general or a Philippine politician who just bought the iphone using the people’s money! Think people!
July 12th, 2007 at 11:29 am
I do donate to charities. I am a professional and I live a very comfortable life here in the U.S. and yes I am surviving without a stupid iphone which I bet will become obsolete after 1 year. I am speaking about VALUES. Apparently, all the persons who criticized my comment doesn’t know the meaning of the word.
July 12th, 2007 at 9:51 am
CRAB MENTALITY TALAGA RLJ! DI NA MAGANDA YAN! MAGING MASAYA KA NA LANG FOR OTHERS AND MIND UR OWN BEESWAX.
July 12th, 2007 at 9:21 am
para iPhone lang eh….
Let me give you something to cheer about. One of the designers of the iPhone is a Pinoy - Henry H. Herrera - known to his colleagues as Triple H. He has been with Apple since 1992.
Ayan! Now, start cheering for this guy! Without his contributions, walang pipilahan ang mga tao sa America last June 29.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:51 am
so what’s the big deal about being the first to own an iPhone?
July 12th, 2007 at 6:34 am
RLJ, inggit ka lang! wala kang pambili! bat ako mag dodonate pati? eh ugali nating mga pilipino ay UMASA NA LANG NG UMASA kasi “andyan naman sila eh?” tinulungan mo nga ayaw naman tumayo sa sarili nilang paa (tamad). Ikaw ang naghihirap mag pakatrabaho overseas tapos sila ang nagsasaya? ano yan? and they have the luxury to be lazy ass?
July 12th, 2007 at 2:15 am
It’s not a big deal, right. But can we just be happy for that person who got the iPhone first instead of telling him what to do with his money or critisizing him?
Some say it’s materialistic and should donate the money instead. Do you ever know how hard it is to earn money even if it’s earned in abroad? You don’t find money on the streets in industrialized foreign countries as others think. You have to sweat for it. And if you do so it is just right to spend your money on things that you like. You don’t know that person, maybe he had helped alot of his relatives in the philippines and for that no one writes about him in the news.
Some of you here are full of jealousy. Pls don’t forget it’s also a sin!
July 12th, 2007 at 1:03 am
Give the man a break. I bet he worked his butt off to buy that iPhone. And for those who are suggesting he should have donated his money to a charitable Inst in the Phils, well who knows, maybe he’s already doing that and no one published it. Besides, it’s his money and he can do whatever he wants with it. Before people start begging for help from OFWs, who can only do and give so much, they should start poking the Arroyo goverment. It’s the goverment and the damn corrupt officials’ jobs to provide better living conditions and jobs Filipinos in the Philippines.
July 12th, 2007 at 12:53 am
Inggit ka RLJ kasi di ka makabili ? Lahat kami nagtratrabaho ng matino and working very hard. So what kung bumili kami ng para sa amin ? Wala kang karapatang magdikta kung san namin gagastusin ang pera na pinaghirapan namin. Kung gusto mo magdonate ng magdonate, di magdonate ka.
July 11th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
i got an iphone first day and i worked hard for it. We Filipinos in the US deserve a break. Most of us are hardworking so we should reward ourselves for it. We don’t have to think of the family back home all the time… and the plight of the country.
Kudos to those Filipinos who have iphone. it shows we have good taste!!!!
July 11th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Every person has their own goals.. no matter how shallow or how serious it is… let them be
July 11th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
For those who says it is better to donate it to the Philippine charitable organization should first donate any amount before they can say what other should do
July 11th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
OMG! Over the top ang mga comments dito.
Why can’t we just be happy that a fellow Noypi got his few seconds of fame for even something so trivial. Ok, it proves na maski kababayan kaya makabili ng iPhone na pakamahal. Can we not turn into a guilt trip? What’s next, donate the money he earned into that oh-wow-how-it-takes-advantage-of-balikbayans-and-poor-people show? Kaya prevalent ang idea na mga Pinoy sa US eh imbes na magtulungan eh nagsisiraan. (yung mga latino nga nagtutulungan, maski ilegal nagtutulungan). LET’S JUST BE HAPPY FOR A KABABAYAN!
July 11th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
mariano can u buy for me an iphone also,nasira na kasi cellphone ko eh!!! thank you and God Bless!
July 11th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
[...] @play: Filipino 1st iPhone buyer at Grove mall in LA [...]
July 11th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Go Pinoy!!! =)
July 11th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
cmon this is just amusing. nothing big deal indeed as some of us see it. it is not global warming on the table.
can pinoys abroad help poor children back home to have bread on their tables or books on their bags? or pressure the government to shape up?
July 11th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
that shows how techie pinoys are, and how we have mastered the art of waiting in line!
July 11th, 2007 at 10:53 am
I agree, what’s the big deal?
RLJ do your charity, and if you do, blog it so we can read about it and make comments as well.
Salivate? speak for yourself.
iPhone rocks, dude!
July 11th, 2007 at 10:51 am
di pa kasi binebenta dito ung IPhone dito sa Pinas, actually sa buong Asia region ata, baka sa 2008 pa i-release, according to Engadget (forgot the link). This has nothing to do with Johnathan’s values or morality or personality or whatever. Na-point out lang na, “…uy, aba, akalain mo nga namang pinoy ung nauna… “
July 11th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Score one for the Pinoys????? What’s the score for? What are you keeping track of? Anon, I feel so sad for you. You’re so pathetic! An iPhone is just that - a phone!
July 11th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Who cares! It not like he climb Mt. Everest. He stood in line, wow. What a waste.
July 11th, 2007 at 7:58 am
Who Cares ! Big Deal !
July 11th, 2007 at 2:09 am
This is pathetic. Instead of herading and supporting Filipino achievements in scientific invention, social achievements, we herald the first Filipino buyer of the iphone. Any Tom Dick or Harry who has $900 can buy an iphone. It’s no feat. If the guy was really consciencious, he should have donated his $900 to a Philippine charitable organization. That is why people in the Philippines from government officials to the ordinary man on the street steal so that they can finance whatever new technical gadget is out there. By annoucing such acquisitions we are tempting our fellow Pinoys to salivate for things which are not important. We don’t teach Pinoys the proper values but materialism which will not uplift the lives of Filipinos in general. If we continue in this trend, I doubt it if the Philippines will ever develop as a nation spiritually, socially and economically.
July 10th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
filipino first iphone buyer, so what’s the big deal?
July 10th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
[...] @play: Filipino 1st iPhone buyer at Grove mall in LA [...]
July 9th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
[...] get to know the Filipino who was the first iPhone buyer in LA’s Grove mall in [...]
July 9th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Score one for the Pinoys!