Zaijian Jaranilla

Zaijian Godsick Lara Jaranilla (born August 23, 2001) is a Filipino actor and dancer who is best known for his role as the orphan Santino in May Bukas Pa, a 2009–2010 religious-themed teleserye based on and Philippine adaptation of 1955 Spanish movie Miracle of Marcelino and a revival of the 2000–2001 series of the same name.

Zaijian was also a cast member in the children's sketch comedy show Goin' Bulilit.

He portrayed "Ding", the brother of the iconic Filipino superhero Darna in the TV series of the same name under ABS-CBN from August 15, 2022, to February 10, 2023.

Jaranilla was born on August 23, 2001, in Gloria, Oriental Mindoro, to Glendelle Lara Jaranilla from Lucena, Quezon and Zenon Louis Jaranilla from Marinduque, grew up in Roxas District, Quezon City, Metro Manila, and spends his vacation days in Boac, Marinduque.

He is the oldest in the family and has two younger brothers, Zildjian Godweevil and Zymic Demigod Lara Jaranilla. His parents separated in 2006 when he was only five years old, and residing currently with his father.

He was fond of Hot Wheels scale model car toys which made him inspired to start owning a personal vehicle in 2011 with the first is Toyota Hiace Super Grandia, and then later acquired a Geely Coolray where ABS-CBN's head of TV and entertainment production and Star Magic head Laurenti Dyogi took a ride on March 26, 2023.

He developed his driving skills since his child star days at the age of 11 in 2012, and then ten years later on May 17, 2022, he obtained a LTO non-professional driving license.

Jaranilla is also fond of gaming, such as playing PC games like Defense of the Ancients (DotA), Final Fantasy, and Plants vs. Zombies, and various PSP, PS2 and recently mobile games like Mobile Legends.

He has a personal driver named Eduardo Mejos.

In 2008, he joined ABS-CBN where he became a contract artist of the network's talent management agency Star Magic.

He appeared as guest cast on Goin Bulilit.

He made his first appearance on anthologies on Mars Ravelo's Komiks Presents in 2008.

He also became a regular performer for a Sunday variety show, ASAP and had multiple appearances on It's Showtime and Maalaala Mo Kaya.

Jaranilla studied at General Roxas Elementary School in Roxas District, Quezon City until he finished Grade 1 in 2009 where he was one of the 40 pupils and top 9 in the class.

He transferred to Angelicum College where he was a student there from June 2009 until his second or sophomore year at junior high school in 2017.

He should enter school physically as a Grade 2 student at Angelicum on the said month of 2009 but not able to do so for a year due to the ongoing schedule of taping of the drama series May Bukas Pa where it is still in production during that time and instead he attended home study program and at various other schools such as Wordlab E-Learning and Language Tutorial Services and Headway School for Giftedness to take the lessons and activities of a grade level where he was supposed to belong with.

From February 2, 2009, to February 5, 2010, he was cast as the main role for a TV series, May Bukas Pa as its protagonist Santino Guillermo, a boy who met Jesus Christ.

His portrayal for the role pushed his name to fame, wherein he became a household name.

This series received a special award at the 2009 Catholic Mass Media Awards, given by Cardinal Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales.

The special award was received by Jaranilla together with his supporting actors.

On November 4, 2009, the "Bro, Ikaw ang Star ng Pasko" campaign kicked off with the launch of the Christmas station ID, and the lighting of an 18-foot parol led by ABS-CBN executives including chairman Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III and president Charo Santos-Concio, and ABS-CBN talents, including Zaijian himself.

With several departments, divisions and subsidiaries contributing their ideas to the station ID this year’s campaign not only unites ABS-CBN employees for the common goal of bringing cheer to the Filipinos and infecting them with the Christmas spirit.

It also inspires and uplifts a nation in need of healing after the double whammy inflicted by tropical storms Ondoy and Pepeng.

The way to “Bro, Ikaw ang Star ng Pasko” started as early as June, when teams from Sales, Marketing, Creative Communications Management (CCM), Licensing, Production, and Property pitched concepts to the leadership committee composed of Channel 2 head Cory V. Vidanes and department heads.

Vidanes suggested merging all the concepts—including Marketing’s company-wide Christmas tree lighting activity, Licensing’s Parol ni Bro, CCM’s tagline and station ID, a Christmas bazaar and the Win sa Bituin viewers’ promo—into one big campaign.

He resumed entering school physically in June 2010, still at second grade, four months after May Bukas Pa ended on February 5 of the said year and one month before the premiere of his next on-screen appearance on a drama series which is Noah on July 12 of that year for the lessons that he did not yet take during his pause from regular school.

The series was also awarded an Anak TV Seal Awards twice and Jaranilla was given the Male Makabata Awardee and 2010 Anak TV Roster of Makabata Stars (with the latter along with Noah).

The series gave Jaranilla the "Best Male New TV Personality" for 23rd PMPC Star Awards for Television, "Natatanging Gawad Tanglaw para sa Sining ng Telebisyon" at the 2010 Gawad Tanglaw Awards, "Students' Choice of Actor in a Daily Soap Opera" at 6th USTv Awards, Pinakapasadong Simbolo sa Kagandahang Asal at 12th Gawad PASADO Awards, and Most Favorite Child Personalities at the 1st Lingkod TV Awards awarded in 2010 and announced through television in 2011.

After May Bukas Pa ended on February 5, 2010, and as a result of the series' success, Jaranilla was given another roles throughout his child and teenage actor period for 11 years from 2010 to 2021.

In 2011, he made his first movie on-screen appearance alongside Vic Sotto and Bea Alonzo on Pak! Pak! My Dr. Kwak! portraying as Angelito, an angel that has fallen from heaven.

The movie has similarities with May Bukas Pa where Jaranilla (who portrays as Angelito in the movie) can able to do miracles to help other people such as healing the sick as well as communicating with spiritual beings (Bro/Jesus Christ and Satan (in the form of a red light) in May Bukas Pa, and God (as a white light). It was released on April 14, 2011.

On May 22, 2011, Jaranilla reprised his Santino role on a documentary entitled Banál (Tagalog for "holy") on the occasion of the beatification of Pope John Paul II.

Zaijian Jaranilla and Jaime Fabregas reprised their roles as Santíno and Father Anthony as they present the life of John Paul II and his significance for Filipinos.

The 2009 Christmas ID Star ng Pasko were used on two station IDs that were released at the first and last year of the 2010s decade and after the series ended which are the 2010s Ngayong Pasko Magniningning Ang Pilipino ( and 2019's Family is Forever with the former is due to May Bukas Pa was still the highest-rating television series in Philippine television during that time and before the 2010–2011 series Mara Clara overtook the title on June 3, 2011, and the latter as part of the network's 65th anniversary both feature Jaranilla, signifying that the series currently stands as the country's highest-rated show of all time since Philippine television switched to a nationwide TV ratings system in the opening day of 2009 and the Star ng Pasko is famous and well-known since its release on November 4, 2009.

He voiced the fish Otep in Agua Bendita, immediate successor to May Bukas Pa and another religious-oriented series, and in a fantasy-adventure television series, Noah alongside Piolo Pascual and Jodi Sta. Maria, with the latter is where he made his next on-screen appearance on a drama series five months after May Bukas Pa ended and aired until February 4, 2011.

After his sophomore year in 2017, he stopped schooling due to him struggled to juggle his requirements, and for him to continue his studies in the year level he was supposed to be in, Zaijian had to pass the Philippine Educational Placement Test of PEP Test from the Department of Education.

He passed the exam allowing him to go straight to Senior High School.

He studied SHS at Colegio de San Juan de Dios in the said municipality of Bulacan from 2021 to 2023, and announced that he had graduated on May 31, 2023, under the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) strand.

Nine years and four months after May Bukas Pa ended, Jaranilla returned to Bacolor Church in June 2019 as part of the year-long 65th anniversary celebration of ABS-CBN.

On February 11, 2020, Jaranilla was interviewed about the comparisons between his answers when he still played the role of Santino and a grown-up and teenage actor named "Same Interview, Ten Years Apart".