Atom Araullo was already the “crush ng bayan” even back when he was in college.

He graduated from Philippine Science High School and was taking up Physics at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He was a triathlete and a young man with a cause. At that time, he was also reportedly already competing in triathlons. We use the term “reportedly” here because we have no actual proof that he was a triathlete at that time.

In other words, he was a hot and athletic nerd.

We still love Atom not just because he is good looking and famous. Let us tell you why:

He isn’t afraid to speak his mind.

He loves the outdoors.

He is concerned about the environment.

He’s an old school journalist who knows his way around social media.

He goes against popular opinion, without being rude or disrespectful.

He was awesome in last weekend’s documentary, Philippine Seas, for GMA News and Public Affairs. Okay, any man who can carry a big tuna with blood dripping over his arms and still look like that is our man crush forever.