santino

Zaijan Jaranilla (born August 23, 2003), commonly known as "Santino" due to his role in the top-rating teleserye, May Bukas Pa, is a Filipino child actor. He was discovered by a talent manager at the age of 5, and started out as a commercial model for such products as McDonald's, Lactum and Tide. He auditioned for Philippine entertainment network ABS-CBN, and was cast in the network's outfit, Komiks Presents: Tiny Tony, as the young Tony. Zaijian was also a part of the network's children's gag show, Goin' Bulilit. He is currently under contract with ABS-CBN.

 

 

Within the Jaranilla family, Zaijian is the eldest of three. His first few years were spent in poverty, and his parents separated when he was just 5 years of age. Currently, he lives with his father, Zenon, his grandmother, and his two younger siblings, Zildjan and Zymec.

Zaijan's name is taken from the pinyin Romanization of Chinese Mandarin "再見", and means "Goodbye." The word, when pronounced properly, is supposed to sound like "Dzai Jyen," and it literally comes from the two words: "再" (Again), and "見" (To see). In Mandarin, "再見" literally means "See you again."

But in his interview with PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) associate editor Rommel R. Llanes, Zaijan revealed where he really got his name. He told the editor that his name came from the cymbal brand Zildjian

 

As aforementioned, he played the role of Santino in May Bukas Pa. The story centered on a little boy who affected the lives of the residents of the fictional town of Bagong Pag-asa. Known as the "miracle boy," Santino was often visited by Jesus Christ, whom he affectionately referred to as "Bro." His faith in "Bro," and in the overall goodness of humanity, is what endeared him to those he encountered.

As an actor, Zaijan has an innate ability to pull out emotions from laughter to tears, and can do so with such spontaneity. He is a member of Star Magic, ABS-CBN's talent management division.

Jaranilla also guested in a few ABS-CBN shows such as ASAP'09, Matanglawin, Ruffa & Ai, Wowowee, Entertainment Live, Rated K, Sharon, The Buzz, and SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon.