Carrot Man: The Unexpected Journey of Jeyrick Sigmaton | Igorotage
Carrot Man Jeyrick Sigmaton is a simple Igorot farmer who went viral on social media because people could not believe that Igorots are good looking.
Carrot Man craze
The Carrot Man craze started after Edwina Bandong while heading to Sagada, Mountain Province snapped some photos of a good-looking Igorot carrying a basket of carrots. After posting them on Facebook, netizens quickly shared their admiration for the Igorot because of his good looks, similar to Korean idols.
The photos went viral overnight after being shared thousands of times on social media. The Igorot carrot man was born.
Who is Carrot Man?
A humble farmer, “Carrot Man” Jeyrick Sigmaton, born in 1994, is a native Igorot from Barlig, Mountain Province. The eldest of seven children, he was not fortunate enough to continue his education after graduating from elementary school due to a lack of financial assistance.
Sigmaton is deeply devoted to his family and his ambitions revolve around them. He said he was working hard to help his parents in sending his siblings to school. He has a simple and meaningful desire, to somehow own their farm.
Carrot Man’s most notable TVÂ appearances
Jeyrick “Carrot Man” Sigmaton, having a virtual celebrity badge tattooed on his forehead began appearing on GMA programs.
Many questions arose. Will he be an actor now? Will he sign a GMA contract? Who will be his love interest? What will be his next project?
Carrot Man on the Kapuso mo, Jessica Soho show
The crew of the program “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” on the GMA channel, was lucky enough to score an exclusive interview with the handsome Carrot Man.
During the interview, Jeyrick thanked the person who posted his picture online, as a result, people showed interest again in the Mountain Province, especially for the Igorots.
While his interview may have touched and inspired millions of viewers, some of the Igorots were dissatisfied, following a statement by Dr. Jimmuel Naval on the program.
According to the doctor, the young man’s aquiline nose may have been caused by the marriage of Caucasian missionaries/colonialists to the Cordilleran people, resulting in “racial improvement”.
Carrot Man on Unang Hirit
Jeyrick Sigmaton’s first live interview after his photo went viral on social media was on GMA’s morning show, Unang Hirit.
In his interview, he mentioned that he has not had a girlfriend since birth and he also said that he is a fan of Wowowin host, Willie Revillame.
Carrot Man on Wowowin
Guess what? Carrot Man, along with the people who took his picture were invited to the afternoon show Wowowin.
Willie Revillame, the main host of the program, after interviewing Sigmaton, was moved by the story of his life. The host offered him a scholarship.
Carrot Man continued to appear on other GMA programs such as Vampire Ang Daddy ko ni Bossing Vic Sotto, Bubble Gang, Sunday Pinasaya, and various local and national radio stations.
Carrot Man’s story told on Magpakailanman
We got to know Jeyrick Sigmaton better in GMA’s anthology program Magpakailanman which featured the story of his life.
Jake Vargas played the role. Epy Quizon, Tess Antonio, Lou Veloso, Tess Bomb, Ana Castro, Faith da Silva, Lharby Policarpio, Jacob Vargas, Lloydie Sarmiento, and Sachi Manahan also played important roles.
Carrot farmer became an instant Brand endorser
Sigmaton signed a contract with a fashion line. The humble carrot farmer from the Cordilleras is now officially a brand endorser of Boardwalk Philippines.
He is now in line with Boardwalk ambassadors like Alden Richards, Matteo Guidecelli, JC de Vera, Janine Gutierrez, Juancho Trivino, and many other famous names.
Carrot Man went to the United Kingdom
To meet the queen? No, no, no, not so fast!
The Igorot community in the United Kingdom made Jeyrick Sigmaton their special guest during their Grand Canao UK in 2016 following their 21st foundation celebration.
What’s next for Carrot Man?
Jeyrick Sigmaton will be part of an upcoming movie!
“Ang Binibining Ifugao”, to be directed by Tom Subijano, is an official entry for the Metro Manila Film Festival, to be produced by Garen Films International. It stars Eddie Garcia, Isabel Granda, Gloria Diaz, and Aljur Abrenica, Neil Perez, Kalinga tattoo artist Whang-Od, and of course, Jeyrick Sigmaton.
Update: The Executive Committee of MMFF 2016 announced the eight entries that will be released at the annual Filipino film festival, which opens on Christmas Day. “Ang Binibining Ifugao” is not listed.
Carrot Man version 2.0
October 2017, more than a year after his instant fame. Guess what? Jeyrick Sigmaton was featured once again on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.
In 2019, Jeyrick Sigmaton joined FAB4z, a 4-member boy band. Yes, he is a member of a boy band now.
FAB4z is composed of members including Jeffer Kim, Patrick Villanueva, and Yuan Quiblat. The boy band was awarded at the People’s Choice Philippines Awards and they do international tours.
Back to you
As we value beautiful faces, some things are more important that we need to open our attention to.
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, of the UN, said the Carrot Man phenomenon is a reflection of society’s low understanding of the issues surrounding indigenous peoples. Corpuz is also an Igorot from the Kankana-ey tribe.
In the succeeding years, we haven’t heard much from Jeyrick Sigmaton, but “Carrot man” remains a household name in the Cordillera region.
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