PAULINE Mendoza, lead star of GMA Afternoon Prime’s hit soap “Babawiin Ko ang Lahat”, is very open about her relationship with the very young mayor of Alaminos City, Pangasinan, Bryan Celeste. It’s an LDR (long distance relationship) kind of relationship since Pauline is based in Manila while Mayor Bryan is in home city famous for its Hundred Islands, but it’s working well, thanks to today’s modern technology where they can easily make video calls to keep in touch.

When Pauline was interviewed by the press via zoom for “Babawiin Ko ang Lahat”, she and her family are with Bryan in Alaminos. Pauline is intending to put up her own skin care and beauty center in her boyfriend’s turf. She wants to make it clear that they’re not business associates but she’s putting up her beauty center all on her own.

She and Bryan practice all the necessary health protocols before they saw each other. “Yes, nagpa-swab test muna kami to make sure we’re both okay,” she says. “Mahigpit din sila dito sa Alaminos about safety protocols, lalo’t maraming nagpupunta rito from outside to visit Hundred Islands.”

Since she’s putting up her own business in Alaminos, it looks like she’s seriously considering settling down there for good. Have they talked about wedding plans?

“No, not yet. Kasi we’re both so young. I’m just 21 years old and he’s 24, so pareho kaming mas focused pa sa aming careers. Lalo na ako, ngayon lang ako nabigyan ng lead role ng GMA dito sa ‘Babawiin Ko ang Lahat’, so dito muna ang focus ko. Kaya as of now, career muna ang priority namin.”

She’s so proud of Bryan as she can see that the people of Alaminos love him. “He was only 22 years old when he won as mayor and he really dedicated himself sa trabaho niya kaya naa-appreciate siya ng mga tao. Sobrang nakaka-proud nga kasi he’s really hardworking and people know he’s a dedicated public servant.”

She’s also happy that viewers liked “Babawiin Ko ang Lahat”. “Nababasa ko ‘yung comments nila sa social media and they really follow the story and enjoy watching every episode. Affected sila sa mga nangyayari sa amin ng mother ko, played by Tanya Garcia, and they really hate Dulce Espejo, the villain played by Carmina Villarroel. Andaming nagtatanong sa akin kung kailan ko daw ba gagawin ‘yung title na ‘Babawiin Ko ang Lahat’, naiinip na sila. So I told them, wait lang kayo. We will get there soon. Basta huwag kayong bibitaw at panoorin nyo ang susunod pang pasabog na episodes. Makakabawi rin kami ng family ko mula sa lahat ng pang-aapi sa amin.”

‘BTBAS’ 2nd season grand winner Jehramae inspired by Sarah

JEHRAMAE Trangia is the latest singer from Cebu to hit it big as the grand winner in the second season of Cignal, Sari-Sari and TV5’s “Born to be a Star” which was hosted by Matteo Guidicelli and Kim Molina. Cebuanas who made it big in singing include Pilita Corrales, Dulce, Manilyn Reynes, Vina Morales, Sherlyn Regis, Amapola, Anna Fegi, Morisette Amon, and the two “The Clash” winners, Golden Canedo from Season 1 and Jessica Villarubin from Season 3.

Jehramae is from Talisay and she won P1 million cash and a five-year recording contract with Viva Entertainment in the exciting finals last May 8. Her runners up are Hans Paranda, 15, of Antipolo, and Jannah Faye Bocatia, 18, of Manila.

Jehramae rendered the ballad, “Sana,” of I Belong To the Zoo as her winning piece. “The three of us chose different genres in our performances,” Jehramae offered. “I would always convey the message of my song to the Star Agents. I gave my best throughout the competition.” Andrew E, Sam Concepcion, Katrina Velarde, Janine Teñoso and Georcelle Dapat-Sy served as the Star Agents of “Born To Be A Star.”

In Cebu, Jehramae joined a number of mall and barangay singing contests. From the time she was 10 years old, she also started taking voice workshops in Cebu. As early as 12, she started joining musical competitions.

“Ang daming singing competitions na dumaan sa buhay ko, like ‘Tawag ng Tanghalan’ and ‘Idol Philippines’,” says Jehramae who’d go to Manila just to join amateur contests. “Ilang beses ako natalo pero hindi ako pinanghinaan ng loob. Marami din akong natutuhan sa mga pagkatalo ko, but I managed to improve and rise above my losses.”

This makes her a true-blue kontesera. By the time she was proclaimed grand winner in Born to be a Star, one can truly say that the time was ripe for Jehramae to finally claim her triumph.

Jehramae is grateful that “Born to be a Star” provided her with a venue to showcase her singing talent to a wider audience, a unique experience that could very well pave the way for a professional singing career. By staying focused on her goals all throughout the competition, Jehramae was able to consistently shine the brightest, a fact that did not escape the discerning eyes of the Star Agents.

She told herself: “Ito ‘yung dream mo, Jehramae. Ito ‘yung passion mo. So just keep on going. You won’t reach your dreams if you just wish for it. You have to work hard for your dreams. ‘Yun ang hindi ko inalis sa isip ko.”

Born and raised in Cebu, Jehramae really learned to speak Tagalog fluently. “The competitions were always here in Manila,” she said. “I should be good at speaking in Tagalog.”

Today, Jehramae can converse in fluent Tagalog with hardly any Cebuano accent. You can simply just ask her where she hails from to know her roots. The youngest in a brood of four, Jehramae is presently in Grade 11 at the Asian College of Technology, an international school in Cebu. She admits she found it hard juggling her time between singing and coping with her online classes as a student of Accountancy and Business Management (ABM).

“There were times I really had to cope with school,” she admitted. “I would miss out on activities on time, but my teachers gave me consideration. They understood and allowed me to catch up. They gave me special activities. Aside from being a professional singer, I also want to finish college. It’s really different when you graduate and have a college degree.”

Her inspiration and role model is Sarah Geronimo. “She’s a star,” said Jehramae about Sarah. “She can do a lot of things. Singing, acting, dancing, hosting. I want to be like her, all around. She’s my big inspiration.I want to be versatile. I’m really trying my best to explore new things. In this industry, you should not just stick to one. You should be ready to explore your craft and show your versatility.”