Former “Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition” housemates Kira Balinger and Emilio Daez joined Star Magic’s monthly catch-up session with their artists last May 2 at Coffee Project, Wil Tower, Quezon City, the Spotlight presscon was made extra fun with the two in attendance.
Kira Balinger, known as the “Hopeful Belle ng Cavite,” shared her experiences inside the “PBB” house: “Everything played out exactly how it was supposed to. It may have taken me longer than the others to open up, but I’m super proud of my experience. I’m happy with my journey inside the house, and I don’t think there’s anything I would like to redo.”
Both Kira and Emilio also spoke about the personal lessons they gained from their time inside the house and how it helped them grow personally.
Kira shared how the experience helped her come out of her shell: “Before going into ‘PBB,’ sobrang introverted ko po. I had a very hard time socializing with people my age. Pero ngayon po na nag-PBB ako, na-survive ko ‘yon, and I know that I have good people as my friends… In other words, sobrang nag-improve po ‘yong social skills ko.”
Meanwhile, Emilio reflected on how the environment allowed him to connect more deeply with himself: “Mas nakilala ko yung sarili ko. Kasi sa bahay ni Kuya, marami pong mga beses na nagre-reflect ka talaga mag-isa kasi wala kang cellphone, wala kang distractions…Kasi pagpasok ko ng bahay, one of my goals was to become a better actor. And how can I become a better actor? I have to understand myself first more. So, talagang dinadamdam ko talaga lahat ng nararamdaman ko, pinapansin ko, and I believe that’s one of the keys to become an actor. You have to understand yourself first, feel everything and hopefully it will translate on screen.”
Emilio also added, “Ang hirap maniwala na parang ang warm ng reception ng mga tao sa inyo…It really just makes me want to be a better person, work harder and be the best that I can be para sa lahat ng mga sumusuporta.”
Kira talked about her plans. “For the longest time po, I’ve always been doing the bida roles—the good girl roles, the rich girl — so I really want to try, kontrabida naman… At saka ano… nahihiya ako sabihin, pero, Dyesebel talaga.”
The “Mr. Bankable Achiever ng Pasig City” Emilio, before entering “PBB,” had also already stepped into acting with a role in the television drama-thriller “Pamilya Sagrado,” where he starred alongside Piolo Pascual and Kyle Echarri.
Now that he’s out of the house, Emilio shared that he’s fully embracing the opportunities coming his way and staying focused on his dream of becoming a leading man.
“Leading man talaga ang pangarap ko nung pumasok ako ng industriya — walang iba kundi maging leading man ng ABS-CBN.”
His dream is slowly becoming a reality as he is soon to be seen in the upcoming iWantTFC original series “Love At First Spike” playing the lead role.
When asked about the possibility of collaborating, Emilio expressed his interest in teaming up with Kira for an action project:
“Napag-usapan din namin na you’re also into action [Kira]. You haven’t also tried it, so if we were given the chance, I think action would be amazing.”
On the other hand, Kira was asked if she’d be open to working with Emilio on something like a potential second season of “Bagani,” and she was delighted.
“Absolutely. Bagani, that was super iconic. To follow in their footsteps, that would be a huge honor.”
