Arby Bacasmas, the man behind ‘good morning sunshine!’ | Viper Shots photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines—With all the hardships brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, a simple greeting would mean a lot to anyone.
This is how Arby Bacasmas’s “Good morning sunshine” became popular to fellow Cebuano cyclists.
The 25-year-old Cebuano cyclist and businessman came up with this greeting during the pandemic to help lift up the spirits of those who were affected with the pandemic.
Just like many Cebuanos, he considered cycling as an avenue not just for fitness but also as a diversion for his mind away from the stress brought by the pandemic.
According to Bacasmas, his fellow cyclists never fail to greet each other before they head out to their regular rides.
But Bacasmas made it extra special by adding a term of endearment that his fellow cyclists love to hear.
Although it may sound as a simple greeting to many, Bacasmas said there’s more meaning to it.
“I was in the States for a year and when I came back, Covid-19 happened [and] shut down everything. The moment I went back to cycling, I felt the excitement again, getting to places, setting and breaking records, and probably this is one of the few reasons why this phrase became viral to the cycling community,” said Bacasmas, an artist from Creative Thespians of Cebu.
Bacasmas is also a regular stage performer of various musicals and plays such as the local version of Les Miserables and Prince Siddharta.
After Bacasmas started greeting his fellow cyclists, it didn’t take long for the greeting to become popular.
“They felt that energy or positivity every time I would give them the ‘good morning sunshine’ greeting paired with a smile from ear to ear, which I think is what most of us need these days. I have always been adept with all sorts of silliness so to those who know me and shared or tagged me on social media it was just probably simply seeing my silly face giving them my good morning sunshine face,” he added.
One of his fellow cyclists and friend, Miss Universe Philippines Gazini Ganados, made the greeting more popular after posting it on Instagram.
It eventually became a tagline for many in Cebu’s huge cycling community.
“One time, I went cycling with Gazini and posted it on Instagram. I think she’s one of the reasons why this went viral as we all know that she is a famous personality with many followers. We cycle in groups and every single cyclist that I know or anyone that I cycle past I would say hello or simply just say “good morning sunshine” until I did not realize that it had so much positivity and voila they started tagging me on social media #mrsunshine,” Bacasmas said.
As the greeting became more popular, Bacasmas couldn’t help but feel very happy about his simple gesture that spreads positivity among fellow cyclists.
Aside from greeting people with ‘Good morning, sunshine!’ on the streets, Bacasmas said that he finds cycling a sport that brings in a lot of positivity.
“Cycling to me is my way of destressing and also an exercise to burn some calories and strengthen my cardiovascular health,” said Bacasmas who’s been cycling for 15 years already.
/bmjo
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