Mona Magno-Veluz, more widely known online as Mighty Magulang, has carved a space in the digital world where history, heritage, and humanity intersect. Her storytelling, equal parts candid, compassionate, and courageous, has not only gone viral but has also gone vital, sparking ripples that extend far beyond likes and shares.

For Magno-Veluz, virality is not simply about numbers on a screen. It is about resonance: “Did I spark a new way of thinking? Did someone feel prouder to be Filipino? Did someone pause to ask their lola about their childhood? That’s the kind of ripple I want to create,” she reflects.

This grounding philosophy comes from moments that remind her of the intimate, almost unseen impact of storytelling. She recalls a message from a young woman who watched one of her videos with her father, a staunch Marcos loyalist. What followed was not another heated argument, but their first calm conversation about Martial Law. “She said, ‘You helped us talk, not fight.’ It reminded me that content doesn’t have to go viral to be powerful. Sometimes, impact is one family, one dinner table, one complicated conversation made a little easier,” she shares.

It is this quiet but profound impact that defines Mighty Magulang’s work. While her reach has expanded globally, connecting Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike with stories that span centuries and identities, she remains rooted in the local, in the deeply personal, in the shared narratives that shape communities and families.

Her hope is simple yet transformative: that viewers walk away saying, “I didn’t know that, but now I do.” For Magno-Veluz, knowledge is not an end but a beginning—an invitation to dig deeper, to reflect harder, and to engage more meaningfully with one’s roots. She wants her audience to feel “brighter, prouder, and more connected to their family, their country, and their power to learn and lead.”

As her platform continues to grow, Magno-Veluz sees the future of Mighty Magulang not as a solo voice, but as a chorus. “I want to collaborate with other storytellers: artists, historians, advocates, so that we can build a richer, more layered tapestry of Filipino identity,” she says. For her, storytelling is a collective act of preservation and progress, one that thrives in dialogue, diversity, and shared memory.

In a world where digital noise can often drown out nuance, Mighty Magulang’s legacy is becoming clear: she is helping Filipinos around the world see themselves with sharper clarity and deeper pride. Her stories may travel far, but their power lies in how they bring people home—to their families, their histories, and their identities.

Going global, yet staying grounded: that is the Mighty Magulang way.

Photo Credit: Mona Magno-Veluz (with permission to use)