Cong TV and Viy Cortez for Smart Parenting February 2024 Cover
Editor's note: In our pursuit of clarity, we have carefully edited and updated the story on February 15, 2024, opting for precise language that accurately describes the subject.
They rose to fame for creating hilarious content. Now, YouTube creators Lincoln "Cong TV" Velasquez and Viy Cortez have become the unexpected yet welcomed fresh voice of parenting, thanks to their candid approach in showcasing the authentic moments of raising their firstborn Emmanuel Zeus, nicknamed Kidlat.
Even Cong could not believe he would go down this route, and was even skeptical about why Smart Parenting wanted to put their family on its February cover.
"Parenting, oo. Pero smart?!?" the 30-year-old vlogger said in disbelief in a video he recorded for his followers he calls "mga ka-paa."
But here we are, proud of these twin milestones; it's the first time we've featured vloggers on the cover of Smart Parenting, marking a significant moment as they embark on their very first family cover shoot.
Living their best lives
Cong, who now has almost 12 million subscribers on YouTube, rose to fame after he started producing raw, entertaining content. These were mostly pranks, some self-help, and a hodgepodge of relatable experiences.
Fifteen years in, Cong, now with partner Viy, successfully captured a wider audience, thanks to their brave depiction of what it's really like to be a modern Filipino parent.
The couple first announced their pregnancy in a vlog entitled PLASWAN. From then on, we saw Cong and Viy overcome the challenges of parenthood—from childbirth to raising a toddler.
Cong and Viy also knew that Kidlat's arrival marked a life-changing difference.
"Dati, masaya." Cong said, "Ngayon kasi mas masaya. Every day is the best day na kasama si Kidlat. Araw-araw is 'yung best part. 'Yung mga simpleng maglalaro kami sa labas, makakasama ko siya. And 'yung mga darating pang taon na kung saan may tiyansa na siya makabardagulan mo, pag umedad na siya ng 8, 9, 10. 'Yun ang best part."
Viy added, "Yung simpleng dumating lang siya sa buhay ko, 'yun na eh. Wala siyang dapat gawin. Nandiyan siya, nag-e-exist siya, 'yun yung pinaka-best na pakiramdam as nanay."
Cong maintains parenthood is the best thing that has ever happened to them, and he is looking forward to having four more kids with Viy.
Viy, who delivered Kidlat via Caesarean section, cannot fathom how she would be able to give birth to four more. But one can see in her eyes that it would be her joy to be a mother to many children, as long as she is with Cong. "Hindi ako pwedeng lima! Pero sige na nga, haha!" Viy declared.
Serious, Dedicated Parents
The couple lost their first baby when Viy suffered a miscarriage in 2020. Viy also went through a gall bladder removal surgery before they finally got pregnant again in 2021.
Now that they have Kidlat, Cong and Viy are aware of the trials that parents must bravely face.
"Siguro kung meron yung worse, yung tuwing magkakasakit siya. Yun 'yung pinaka ayaw, hate na hate namin na pakiramdam. Kasi parehas kaming praning eh. Isa siyang bagay na never kang masasanay," said Cong, when asked about what is the hardest part of being a father.
Viy did not have it easy as well. Like many first-time moms, breastfeeding was not a breeze because Kidlat was diagnosed with oral ties which made feeding extremely painful. Thankfully, Cong knows he can at least help relieve the pain.
"Pinaka-na-touch ako kay Cong, nag-se-search siya kung paano maibsan yung sakit. Lahat ng sinearch niya ginawa niya. Meron siyang tubig na maaligamgam na may asin, ganyan," recalled Viy.
Becoming A Fresh Voice
When he effortlessly turned the mundane into a fun-to-watch relatable parenting chaos, Cong became the cool dad that thousands would want to emulate.
His transition from vlogger to parenting goals started with PAASAFORTE, now one of his highest-viewed videos of all time. We see why it was a blockbuster: it showed how Cong gave up his Vietnam trip with his friends to be with his pregnant partner. That's family over friends, and we're sure you would nod in agreement that this is how it's supposed to be.
READ ALSO: 5 Reasons Why We Think Cong TV Is Going To Be A Great Dad
Cong also knows how to inject fun in his parenting journey, and that's evident with his viral PAPACOCON, a parody of Miss Rachel of Songs for Littles. This was highly approved by mommy Viy, and of course by his primary audience, Kidlat.
"Marami pang bagay na hindi nakikita sa camera na kami-kami lang ni Viy at si Kidlat yung nakakaalam at nakakakita. Kaya ko rin ginawa talaga [si Papacocon], para pag wala ako sa tabi niya. Pero di niya naman pwede panoorin yung vlog ko, kaya gumawa ako."
Viy said Kidlat has a 16-minute long version of Cong's Papacocon video that he likes to watch, "At tawang-tawa, Diyos ko po. Pag nakikita niya si Cong, ang tawag niya, 'Papacocon!'"
Parenting Mantra
Cong and Viy are certain about how they would like to raise Kidlat.
"Number one, dapat may takot sa Diyos. Ang unang tanong diyan, 'Maayos ba kaming tao? Kung ang sagot ay oo, anong ginawa ng mga magulang namin para maging maayos kaming tao."
Viy added, "Napakalaki ng role ng faith naming mag-asawa pagdating sa pagdedesisyon. Kasi kung magbe-base ka sa mata ng Diyos, ito ba ang tama?"
"Kailangan ko sa kanyang ipaintindi na sa isang iglap, pwedeng kunin sa'yo ng Diyos 'yan. Lagi kong iniisip yan eh, na wala akong maipagmamalaki," she added.
"Kapag tama yung ginagawa nung nasa taas, kumbaga, kokonekta lahat pababa. Kung tama yung ginagawa nung nasa taas ko, which is yung nanay at tatay ako, tama ako, kailangan ipasa ko kung ano yung pinasa sa akin na maganda," Cong added.
The 'Pawer' of play
Cong and Viy's childhood were not extraordinary. However, now that they are parents, they are looking back at their earlier years with a different perspective.
Cong recalled that his favorite childhood memory of going to the mall with his mom, with four kids in tow, now has a different impact on him.
"Kaya ko siya favorite kasi later on, nung tumanda ka, doon mo naiintindihan yung sacrifice ng magulang mo, para lang maging masaya ka. Para lang mapangiti ka kahit isang araw." he shared.
"Kasi grabe yung biyahe papunta ng SM Southmall noon mula dun sa amin.
Ang dadaanan mo talagang delubyo. Parang alam ko dalawang jeep yung sasakyan mo noon kasi wala pa yung mga daan ngayon na mabilis papunta 'dun."
"Hindi namin nabibili lahat nung gusto namin na mga laruan. Pero nung dinala niya lang kami sa isang bentahan ng mga laruan doon, sobrang saya na namin," he said.
Viy meanwhile enjoyed pretend play when she was a child, and it may have laid the foundations of entrepreneurship. "Para sa akin, laro lang siya kapag pinapapunta ako nila Mama, kasi may business kami dati, so nagtitinda ko, nagkakahera ako minsan. So dati, para sa akin, laro yun. Hindi parang work. Kasi sinasama lang ako, tapos katabi ko yung pinakakahera, paano manukli."
She added, "Hindi ko namamalayan, ang laking impact pala nun sa akin, kaya ngayon sigurong tumanda ako, negosyo rin ang ginagawa ko. Kasi nung bata pa lang ako, minulat na ako."
Viy continued, "So ganun din siguro yung gagawin ko kay Kidlat na isasama-sama ko, akala niya laro, pero marerealize niya, 'Ito pala yun, ito pala yung ginagawa ko dati.'
Perfect Timing For Marriage
The couple will be celebrating their 9th year this June, and they are looking forward to growing old together.
"Alam mo, unang nakita ko palang yung pilantik ng mukha nito, alam kong siya na yung endgame ko," Viy said.
"Unang [kita] ko palang sa'yo, yung kilig na nakita kita sa 7-Eleven, talagang iba talaga. Mas lalong tumitindi, syempre, noong nagkakausap, nagkakasama. Patindi ng patindi. Sobrang thankful ko na binigay ka sa'kin ng Diyos at naisalba ako sa mga heartbreaks pa at sa mga maling tao. Buti na lang binigay ka niya sa akin nine years ago," she told Cong.
"Kanya-kanya naman tayo ng timing sa buhay. Lalo sa pag-ibig. —Cong TV
In August 2023, Viy broke the internet after releasing a vlog entitled LADYRIDER, where she tried to learn about riding a motorcycle for the first time, to surprise Cong, who was into moto-vlogging at the time.
"Dahil sa isa't isa, nailabas namin yung best version namin. Lagi kong sinasabi na yung partner mo dapat, ang ginagawa niyan para sa'yo is bini-bring out yung highest potential mo bilang tao sa anumang aspeto ng buhay, and yun din yung pinaka-ginawa namin, tingin ko para sa isa't isa. Ako, ginawa ko para sa kanya and siya, ginawa niya para sa'kin," said Cong.
And of course, they always have each other's backs. Cong only has good words for Viy when it comes to her grit and integrity as a businesswoman. We'll save that for another story.
The couple has always been open about living together, and they stressed the importance of being holistically ready to enter the next stage of their relationship. At the same time, couples shouldn't feel pressured to marry, simply because they have a child.
"Mararamdaman mo lang pag aligned na lahat eh. Aligned ka na lahat physically, emotionally, syempre 'yung responsibilidad mo bilang tatay, yung pagmamahal mo sa kanya, naka-max na lahat," Cong said.
If there's one thing that they are looking forward to in their married life, it's facing the struggles and the joys together.
"Feeling ko mas maraming blessing na papasok kasi humarap na kami sa Diyos. Pagka-'I do' ko, automatic, palit na ng apelyido sa Facebook!" Viy said.
"Alam kong maraming mangyayari in between. Hindi pa namin alam kung ano yun, yun yung the best dun. Hindi namin alam kung masaya, sa hirap at sa ginhawa na to. Diba? Kung ano man yan, isa lang ang sure, talagang, haharapin namin ng sabay yan. Masaya man yan o malungkot, o mahirap," she said.
The 'why' of Cong TV
From portraying what a present and involved partner and dad should be, Cong has the power to influence the next generation of fathers to take parenthood—not necessarily themselves—seriously.
"Para mapanood niya balang araw, ano bang klaseng tatay yung tatay niya. Matawa siya sana sa mga pinaggagawa namin. Sana masaya siya sa ginagawa namin." —Cong TV
This is why Cong continues to produce Kidlat content on his channel, even though it may look "off-brand."
"Something rin na para mapanood niya balang araw, ano bang klaseng tatay 'yung tatay niya. Kasi isa yun sa wini-wish ko nung bata ako, sa totoo lang. Hindi lahat tayo galing sa mayamang pamilya kaya, hindi lahat tayo may video noong bata [tayo]. It's something na, hanggang ngayon, tinatanong ko sa mga kamag-anak namin, how I wish, kahit 10 seconds lang of, anong klaseng bata ako, sana meron," Cong said.
"So, yun yung something na, ayun, makita ni Kidlat balang araw, and sana matawa siya. Matawa siya sana sa mga pinaggagawa namin. Sana masaya siya sa ginagawa namin. 10, 20 years from now, makikita niya, 'Oh, ganito pala, ganito pala ako dati.'"
Beyond the comedic charm that both Cong and Viy bring to their content, we see the depth of their genuine love and dedication to their role as parents. From where we stand, it's clear that while Cong and Viy value their YouTube community immensely, their most crucial audience will always be Kidlat and their future children.
Watch Cong TV and Viy Cortez play 'Who's Most Likely To' in Smart Parenting's Usap Tayo:
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Produced by Judy Santiago Aladin and Bettina Santos
Shoot assisted by Em Cruz
Video Producer: Cherrie Julian
Videographers: Jez Villapando and Rolando Pingco Jr.
Assisted by Jay Nuñez
Video Editor: Rolando Pingco Jr.
Art Direction by Stephanie Ocampo
Photographs by Bella Morcen
Styling by Ica Villanueva
Makeup and hairstyling for Viy Cortez by Mariah Santos and Vien Nueva
Makeup and hairstyling for Cong TV by Rye Ko
Marketing Specialist: Marie Bilgera
Social Media by Zen Arganda
Editor-in-Chief: Ronna Capili Bonifacio
Publisher: Iza Santos Cuyos
Deputy Editorial Director: Thea Masakayan
Special thanks to Patricia Pabingwit and Fairyplay for the inflatables
