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Who would have thought that learning about different types of medicines can be entertaining? Pharmacist Ramon Christian Larga, who is popularly known on social media as Arshie, successfully created a perfect formula to make it more interesting in his informative TikTok videos.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arshie said he felt the need to share his knowledge with the public.

“Dahil wala akong magawa sa botika and nakita ko na maraming taong nagkakasakit… Nakita ko as a pharmacist parang it's my responsibility to educate them kung anong gamot ang tamang inumin and para hindi sila mapraning. Kasi, yung mga tao noong time na 'yon, sobrang hindi alam yung iinumin na gamot. Yun yung nakita kong paraan to share my knowledge as a pharmacist,” the pharmacist from Boac, Marinduque, said in short chat with GMANetwork.com at the OreoPHXBLACKPINK event held recently.

@arshielife Basta antibiotic po ang bibilhin kailangan laging may dalang reseta📝 #healthtokph ♬ BAWAL YON - Chin

Aside from creating video content, Arshie also has a donation drive that aims to give free medicines to those in need.

It actually started in 2021 when he publicly posted his QR code in a digital wallet app and jokingly asked his followers for “gifts.”

Surprisingly, a lot of his fans responded and gave generous donations, which Arshie, later on, decided to use to help the less fortunate in their province.

“Actually, hindi ko ine-expect na ang daming mga tao ang tatangkilik nung donation drive ko. In the first place, sino ba naman ako para pagkatiwalaan ng ganun kalaking halaga,” he commented.

As a responsible content creator that he is, Arshie makes sure that he's transparent to his donor by constantly updating them about the donations.

He said, “Nalaman ko sa isang tao na kinakailangan natin maging transparent, kinakailangan nating maipakita sa mga tao kung saan napupunta yung dino-donate nila. That's what I do para, at least, magtiwala pa rin sa akin ang mga tao.

“I'm thankful na hanggang ngayong 2023, naipagpapatuloy ko pa rin yung ganung donation drive. Thank you so much po sa inyong lahat.”

For transparency. Hindi ko akalain na aabot ito ng ganito kalaki

Maraming salamat po sa inyo at sa inyong tiwala! pic.twitter.com/CP6y05tgre

-- Arshie Larga (@Arshiethromycin) December 26, 2022

On becoming popular

Because of his very informative content, Arshie easily became popular in the video-sharing app. As of now, he has more than three million followers on TikTok and almost 200,000 followers on Twitter. The young pharmacist has also created a strong fan base on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

He has also received several recognitions including Popular Creator of the Year at the TikTok PH Awards 2022 and Best Regional Influencer during the Thailand Influence Awards 2022.

He has also appeared in several TV shows, including GMA's hit game show Family Feud.

“Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin ako [makapaniwala],” Arshie said when asked about his gained popularity.

He continued, “Sobrang surreal na dati yung mga pinapanood ko lang sa internet na mas sikat na vloggers, ngayon parang nare-recognize na rin ako. Humbling pa rin na I get to have this experience.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arshie Larga (@arshiethromycin)

While he's enjoying the attention he's been getting, Arshie promises to continue pursuing his goal as a content creator: to give the right information to the public.

“Focus pa rin ako sa goal ko to educate people about medicine para at least naga-guide sila. Kasi, kinakailangan natin 'yan, lalo na sa panahon ngayon na marami ang nagpapakalat ng fake news and misinformation.

“So, it's always important that we use our platform responsibly. At kapag magbibigay tayo ng opinyon, dapat ito ay backed with facts and not only mga chismis,” he said.

When asked if there would be a chance for him to leave his profession to be a full-time content creator, Arshie gave a funny response, “Sa ngayon talaga, gusto ko na lang mabuhay. Gusto ko lang talaga ng simpleng buhay.

“Like what I shared recently sa vlog ko, parang okay na sa akin yung simpleng buhay as a pharmacist. Siyempre, kung may opportunities in the future, why not. I'm open naman to explore kung ano pa yng kaya kong maibigay aside from doing contents sa TikTok.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arshie Larga (@arshiethromycin)

Arshie then expressed gratitude to his parents who supports his passion to spread information about medicine through content creation.

“I'm very thankful to have parents na very supportive sa ginagawa ko,” he said.

He also thanked his avid followers who continuously support his career as a content creator.

“Sa lahat ng mga nanonood ng TikTok videos ko, sa lahat ng mga natututo sa TikTok videos ko, thank you for supporting me po. It really means a lot. Maraming salamat po sa inyo and patuloy ko pong gagawin kung ano yung mga nasimulan ko na. Hopefully, nandiyan po kayo hanggang sa huli,” he concluded.

MEANWHILE, CHECK OUT THESE TIKTOK STARS WHO APPEARED ON TV SHOWS: