After years of showcasing and telling warm stories of Filipinos and their culture, Kyle Jennermann, also known as “Kulas,” is now officially a Filipino citizen.
“I HAVE OFFICIALLY BECOME A FILIPINO,” the 34-year-old Canadian and now Filipino vlogger shared the good news on Wednesday, Sept. 13, with photos of him taking his Oath of Allegiance at the House of Representatives.
“Today marks the beginning of the most important part of my life. I am ready for this. I am filled with belief, inspiration, gratefulness, and love,” he wrote. “One day at a time… Kaya pa.”
His oath-taking was administered by Congressman Len Alonte, who was also the principal author of the first House Bill.
“I am grateful to everyone across the country, and both in Congress and Senate, who not only supported me… but inspired so much belief within me,” he said.
In late May, the Senate unanimously affirmed House Bill 7185 which was intended to grant Kulas his Filipino citizenship, and after nearly four months of waiting for the final approval, he finally became a naturalized Filipino.
In his previous interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, Kulas revealed that his immense love from the Philippines blossomed from the first time he visited the country in 2013 out of curiousity and after being convinced by his Filipino colleagues.
His official turning point was the disastrous Typhoon Yolanda, which made him choose to leave his previous job as an outdoor teacher in Hong Kong to help affected families in the Philippines.
“I was in Hong Kong working, and one of our friends who I worked with was from Tacloban. So, it hit me really hard because I’m becoming quite inspired by the country that year,” he told L!fe.
“I ended up leaving my job at that time, and I went to Cagayan de Oro to meet some of my friends from the outdoor community and then I went to Tacloban and ended up staying a month there,” he continued.
He then became a full-time content creator on his YouTube channel dubbed “BecomingFilipino”—a platform where Kulas has been showcasing the wonder of the country’s nature and people in his travels across the country. At that time, he said, becoming a Filipino citizen has not yet crossed his mind.
“It wasn’t me trying to become a Filipino, like the goal was never to get citizenship, or something like that—it was having so many beautiful experiences, inspiring experiences that become a part of my life from Filipinos,” he explained.
It was Congressman Len Alonte opened the idea of him getting citizenship. Kulas recalled how he hesitated at first, but upon reflecting on his stay in the country for over a decade, he decided to give it a go.
“I spent basically my entire young adult life here, immersed with Filipinos, growing as a human. The Philippines has become who I am, so I said ‘Okay, maybe I could get a little bit comfortable with this, maybe this is something I feel comfortable pursuing.’”
What made him love the Philippines? Kulas says it’s the Filipinos’ ability to be happy despite life’s adversities.
“The innate ability of Filipinos to find ways to be happy and share it, I think it’s incredibly powerful and something that the rest of the world can really learn from,” he said. “That’s the major kicker that got me my life here.”
