Introducing Welshman, fish farmer, and vlogger, Kumander Daot.

I bumped into Kumander Daot in the Masskara Festival!

As a Filipino, there is something special about seeing foreigners exploring and enjoying your country, and something even more special about seeing them genuinely curious and interested in its people too. Anselm Plummer came to the Philippines as part of a 2-year trip around the world but ended up making a life for himself in Davao. He now shares his adventures around the country as Kumander Daot.

Origins

Anselm grew up in Newport, Wales, and graduated in 2013 from the University of Warwick with a Bachelor of Science in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

Early on, Anselm was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, a mental health disorder that causes self-image issues and difficulty managing emotions.

After graduating in 2013, Anselm moved to Australia to work and save for a 2-year trip around the world.

This trip finally began in early 2016. To sustain his travels, Anselm started freelance photography, writing, and marketing work. Although he no longer does it professionally, he still takes photos. You can find them here.

The Philippines was country number 2 on month number 2 with Cambodia next in the books. But his stay in the country was extended (and eventually made permanent) when he got very sick on a trek to Lake Holon in South Cotabato.

Grind

This episode and the kindness of his tour guide’s family who cared for him while sick allowed Anselm to feel comfortable enough to stay longer. During this time, he settled in Davao City, met his wife, and started a small business called Jeatney Mobile Food and Bar, a modified jeepney food truck and mobile bar.

In 2018, Anselm traded his freelance photography and small business for a crab farm where he in the end lost a lot of money following bad advice and dealing with poor business partners. But he stuck it out and pivoted to fish farming.

His work with his fish farm led to an October 2019 feature with Becoming Filipino. By this time, Anselm had found permanent residence in Cateel, Davao surrounded by a team of locals who tenderly refer to him as “kumander.”

He completed his nickname of Kumander Daot himself, with “daot” being a bisaya word for broken or defective. His nickname is an ode to his personality disorder and countless failures in the crab and fish industry.

In July 2020, Anselm posted his first video on YouTube as Kumander Daot. Two years later in March 2022, his video on Diwalwal, Davao (Philippine Goldrush Town) reached 1M views.

Scale
Kumander Daot currently has 147k subscribers and 20M+ views across 197 videos. Through his channel, Anselm shares his journey as a fish farmer, his travels around the Philippines, and the stories of locals he meets along the way.

He recently announced his fish farm operations would be put on hold to make way for future projects as Kumander Daot, where he’s enjoyed unexpected success.

The Name
Daot na! Embrace your brokenness. “Daot (Bisaya) \\da‧ot// broken, damaged, defective. Sira (Tagalog)

I’m a 30 year old British guy who moved to the Philippines in 2016. I tried all kinds of things to survive and build a life here, mostly unsuccessful… In mid-2020 I suddenly got this opportunity to make videos documenting my experiences and my passions here in the Philippines.

So now, I tell stories, I show you the country, I show you the people who convinced me to make this beautiful country home.

And I am very Daot.”

— Kumander Daot

Kumander Daot’s story is one ridden with failures and misfortunes: he was diagnosed with a mental health disorder, he got sick in a foreign country, he lost a lot of money with bad business partners, etc., etc., etc.

Yet, he decided to get to know that foreign country deeper with the time he was gifted.

Yet, he decided to learn bisaya so he could run his business himself.

Yet, he decided to start a YouTube channel to share his broken journey.

What I find beautiful is it seems his brokenness is what allowed him to appreciate the Philippines so much and his brokenness is what makes him such a great messenger for the wonders and beauties of our country.

Watching his videos, I see a genuine love for a country he’s made his own, I see true joy when he jokes with locals in bisaya, and I see the full spectrum of raw emotions that come with perils and triumph of business in the Philippines. Kumander Daot is unafraid to be vulnerable and as a viewer that’s what I enjoy so much. I feel I am on the journey with him, so it makes me so happy to see his travels bring him success.

I can’t help but imagine Anselm’s honesty (to recognize his shortcomings) and openness (to grow through them) are the foundation for any life of travel because a life of travel is ultimately a life of risks, surprises, and mistakes.

Reproduced from an article in Atomic Travels.