AN emotional beauty queen-turned-actress Bianca Manalo has said that her late father had always reminded her to be a fighter and never give up on her dreams.
“Be a fighter at ‘wag kang aatras sa laban. Do whatever you can. Do your best and forever kahit anong mangyari stick to your values. Go back to your roots dahil in the end, kayo pa rin ang magkakampi,” said Manalo, during an interview in “Tonight with Boy Abunda” over ABS-CBN.
“Sa lahat being an actress, beauty queen, sa studies siguro ganun ka dapat sa buhay. Laban ka nang laban hangga’t makuha mo ang gusto mo,” she added.
Manalo’s father passed away in 2015. She admitted that she misses him a lot.
“Lagi ko s’yang iniisip sa lahat ng ginagawa ko para kahit nanonood nalang s’ya ngayon, proud s’ya sa akin. Ako ang taong ma-‘I love you!’ Ma-hug ako. Makwento ako sa kanya pag may pinagdaraanan sa buhay. Umiiyak ako sa kanya. Ako yung daddy’s girl.
“May dad never talks so much. That’s why pag pinatawag n’ya kami, may serious na dapat pag-usapan,” said Manalo recalled.
Winning tips
Manalo, 28, said that she is also excited about her younger sister Nichole who is candidate No. 28 at the Binibining Pilipinas 2016 beauty pageant which will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City on April 17.
“We are so proud of her at hindi na ako makatulog,” said Manalo, who represented the Philippines in the 2009 Miss Universe contest in The Bahamas.
Asked for tips to her sister, Manalo said: Nag-text s’ya sa akin nung isang araw. Sabi n’ya ipag-pray ko raw s’ya na makakuha ng title. Tahimik lang s’ya kaya pag may mga ganung small text messages, touched ako. Sabi ko sa kanya pray ka rin. We’re here praying for you pero lagi mong isipin na maganda ang intension mo kaya ibibigay sa ’yo ’yun ni Lord.
“Close kaming lahat na magkakapatid pero si Nichole may sarili s’yang little nook kasi bunso. Pero may shopping or dinner days kami at gusto ko laging may ganun. But now she’s busy, so maybe after the pageant,” Manalo said.
Super D
After playing Manang Tiffany in “On the Wings of Love,” Manalo is now shooting another teleserye entitled “Super D” which stars Dominique Ochoa in the lead role. Manalo plays the wife of Ochoa in the family-oriented series which begins on Monday, April 18, before “TV Patrol.”
“Grabe! Grade 5 pa lang ako pinapanood ko na si Dom sa ‘Whattamen’ pero ngayon asawa ko na s’ya. Nagagalit nga s’ya sa akin, sabi n’ya pinapamukha ko raw sa kanya na matanda na s’ya. Sabi ko naman sa kanya, ‘Hindi naman. Grateful nga ako dahil pinapanood lang kita noon pero ngayon asawa na kita,” Manalo said in jest.