Skip to main content »
Igorotage

Marky Cielo: The First Proud Igorot Actor in Philippine Showbiz

Mark Angelo Cadaweng Cielo, was a Filipino actor, dancer and the first known Igorot in the Philippine showbiz who is proud of his roots.

 |  4 min read

Marky Cielo, the first known Igorot in the Philippine showbiz who is proud of his roots

Who is Marky Cielo?

Mark Angelo Cadaweng Cielo better known as Marky Cielo, was a Filipino actor, dancer and the first known Igorot in the Philippine showbiz who is proud of his roots. He was born on the 12th of May at Butuan, Caraga Region, where he grew up with his family

In the year 2001 his family decided to move to Mountain Province to live with their relatives. Marky was proud of his indigenous roots since he speak fluent Kankanaey, a dialect in Cordillera region. Aside from this, he was also fluent in English, Ilocano, Tagalog, and Visayan dialects, specially Butuanon and Cebuano.

According to his story in "MAGPAKAILAN" his parents divorced when he was still young and his mother took good care of him and his sister. After years he was able to reunite with his father.

Mark Angelo Cadaweng Cielo

Marky is a humble Igorot despite of his success. It's not all about money or wealth, it's not also about where you came from.

Success is all about how good we are, and how strong we are to face all the challenges that came into our life.

Short but meaningful Showbiz Career

Marky was a first year college student at Saint Louis University at Baguio City taking up bachelor of Architecture before joining the reality show Starstruck.

It was his classmates and friends who convinced him to join the audition of the said reality show. He won the title of being the Ultimate Male Survivor and the Sole Survivor Batch 3 (2005).

During his birthday he and his family moved to Antipolo to live in the house that he won during the competition.

Arter winning in the Reality Talent Show, Starstruck, Marky decided to enter show business as a main cast member in a fantasy television show at GMA 7.

After this he began to appear in primetime shows, he became a guess star of "Encantadia", "Asian Treasure", "Zaido: Polis Pangkalawakan", and other shows. He was also chosen by his network (GMA) to be the main protagonist in the Philippine remake of UCHUU KEIJI SHAIDER.

He was also the voice of "Ichigo Kurusaki" in the anime, Bleach.

In the short span of his career, he received prestigous awards such as, MOST PROMISING MALE ARTIST (2007), YES MAGAZINES 100 MOST BEAUTIFUL, and CANDY MAGS 100 CANDY CUTIES.

Mark Angelo Cadaweng Cielo

End of days

Marky, 20, was found unconscious on December 7, 2008 by his mother. The night before, he was last seen playing an online video game up until ten o'clock in the evening in an internet cafe in Quezon City.

Marky is said to have made several unanswered calls to his manager-mentor. When he arrived home, he had a discussion with his mother about "something personal". His mother advised Marky to sort out his problem, "Lutasin mo ang problema mo; ikaw lang ang makakalutas n'yan."

The next morning, his mother entered his room in their house in Antipolo at around six o'clock AM to wake him up for a charity event.

When he did not respond, she immediately rushed him to the nearby Antipolo Doctors Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

At present, the cause of Cielo's death remains unknown. This led to speculations of suicide precipitated by threats which allegedly came from the son of Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson, Ronald due to him being too close to Lovi Poe.

These facts were never discussed or even became and angle for the police to dig more into the case because of their fear of getting caught up with the influence of Gov. Singson.

Mark Angelo Cadaweng Cielo

His wake was held in his home for three days then his remains were brought to the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Baguio City, where it stayed for a day.

He was buried on December 15, in Bauko, Mountain Province, in his family's backyard according to traditional Kankanaey custom.

Final words

Everyone has a goal in life that they want to achieve. Dream that makes us strong, but life is so short, even if we are fighting for us to be live. We can't control things to come in our life, because it will always be a challenge to test our faith and our patience. Nevertheless, like Marky, let's be proud of our roots!

May his soul rest in peace. Thank you Marky Cielo!

Sources/Credits:

Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair.


Sharing is caring, kailian!

We do hope you find something great in this story. If you find this helpful, please do share it with the people you care about.


Igorotage is a platform for people to share their thoughts and ideas. The views expressed on Igorotage are the opinions of the individual users, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Igorotage.

Comments (8)

Sign in to share your thoughts. No account yet?

What to learn next?

You might also like to read more related articles filed under Artists — or jump to a random article!

Artists Surprise me

COL Dencio Acop: First Igorot West Point Graduate

COL Dencio Acop (Ret) Ph.D., the first Igorot to graduate from the United States Military Academy West Point.

May 8, 2021 · 3 min read

PCPT John Paul Balliyao Agod: Igorot tops SAF Basic Airborne Course

PCPT John Paul Balliyao Agod, Igorot from Kalinga, tops Special Action Force (SAF) Basic Airborne Course.

Apr 22, 2021 · 2 min read

Mai Fanglayan: Igorot Actor Making History in Filipino Cinema

Witness history as Mai Fanglayan, an Igorot actor, wins Best Actress Award in her debut film Tanabata's Wife.

Mon at 02:55pm · 10 min read

Marky Cielo: The Igorot Actor's Life and Death

Explore the life, career, and mysteries surrounding Marky Cielo, the first Igorot actor who left an enduring legacy in Philippine showbiz.

May 12 · 9 min read

Lydia Langpawen: Igorot Weaver wins World Competition of Excellent Crafts

Lydia Langpawen, an Igorot weaver from Mountain Province, wins World Crafts Council Asia-Pacific Region Competition of Excellent Crafts.

Apr 30, 2021 · 3 min read

Meg Daupan: First Filipino to Earn an NRaE Master's Degree from the University of Michigan

Meg Daupan, an Igorot woman, is the first Filipino to earn a master's degree in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan.

Mar 28, 2021 · 3 min read

PLT John Smith Binwag Tops Philippine Scout Rangers Class 211-2020

Police Lieutenant John Smith Binwag, an Igorot from Ifugao, tops elite Philippine Scout Rangers Class 211-2020.

Mar 1, 2021 · 4 min read

Igorot vs Cordilleran: What's the Difference (and Why It Matters)

Igorot and Cordilleran are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct cultural meanings. Learn about the differences between these labels.

Nov 10 · 14 min read

Gibran Langbayan: The First Igorot Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt

Meet Gibran Langbayan, the first Igorot BJJ Black Belt champion and Lions Nation MMA trainer, and witness his profound impact on Philippine MMA.

Oct 23 · 4 min read

Kelvi Galap: Igorot Metal Artist Transforms Discarded Materials into Art

Meet Kelvi Galap, an Igorot metal artist from Ifugao, turns discarded materials into captivating masterpieces. Explore his sustainable creations.

Sep 27 · 2 min read