How Shuvee Etrata made it to showbiz, PBB Collab

August 19 ------ While we’re already aware of her gregarious personality through her stint in “Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition,” we got to see more of it during her lighthearted, reflective, and heartwarming conversation on “Kuan On One” with host Melai Cantiveros, as they talked about her journey from being a simple island lass in Bantayan, Cebu, to becoming a fast-rising star here in Manila City.

She may be one of the most well-loved local celebrities at present, but unbeknownst to us, Shuvee actually felt not being loved enough by her parents growing up, which she had already opened up about during her stay inside Bahay ni Kuya and her other media interviews.

As many of us probably know already, she was born in her mother’s hometown of Bantayan Island, Cebu. Being the eldest among nine siblings in a poor and dysfunctional family, she has taken on the responsibility of helping her parents take care of her younger siblings, as well as of making both ends meet for their family. Despite her traumatic experiences there, the “Island Ate ng Cebu” was still able to create memorable and beautiful childhood memories, some of which involved her maternal grandmother, who took care of her and spoiled her so much. In return, she helped her lola with her small food business by being the one to sell by the seashore the rice cakes, banana cue, and maruya that she cooked.

Shuvee may consider Bantayan Island her home forever and always, but not a lot of people perhaps know that she actually spent most of her life at her father’s hometown of Polomolok, South Cotabato. In fact, there was an old candid photo of her walking with her paternal aunt in one of the streets there, which was posted on a Facebook page, and Kuantie Melai showed it to her during the interview.

The memory reminded her of the time when she was bullied at school due to her physical appearance, particularly her dark and uneven complexion. What helped boost her confidence was joining beauty pageants, which started when her aunt pushed her to join in sixth grade. It was also her physical appearance that got her rejected in her bid to become a majorette. Although she got the skills, she was told to just play the lyre instead of seeing her legs. Regardless, she still accepted the position offered to her, learned how to play the lyre, and did everything she could to be the best. And that never-say-never spirit of hers is something that she liked the most about being a Bisaya. “Ngayong nakatira na ako sa Manila, hindi tayo basta-bastang sumusuko. May paninindigan tayo. Lalaban talaga ‘yan! Laban lang. Tapos hindi tayo marunong humindi,” Shuvee stated in Bisaya.

Unlike some of her fellow artists, it was actually not Shuvee’s ambition to make it to the entertainment industry. She confessed that it was actually not the case for her because her dream has really been to become a medical doctor ever since she was just a kid. In fact, she was taking up Physical Therapy as her pre-med at the prestigious Cebu Doctors University, with the employer of her mother as the one paying for her tuition fees, before a huge blessing came to her in her third year in college.

It all started with one video that she uploaded on TikTok, which went viral online and reached two million views in just one day. A denim company suddenly contacted her afterwards and told her that they wanted to fly her out to Manila to shoot a billboard advertisement along with their other models, Alex Gonzaga and Francoise “Laboching” Fainsan. Although her phone was old and the video wasn’t high quality, the owner of the company still liked her video and thought that she was the definition of a true Filipina, so they gave her the opportunity to go here in Manila. Since it was her first time, she was accompanied by her paternal uncle, who had the means to support her.

What was supposed to be a trip to Manila for one gig spawned another unexpected opportunity when she was offered to become an artista by GMA executive Joy Marcelo, who happens to be the best friend of her Aunty Mia, her relative here in Manila with whom she was staying. Shuvee was initially reluctant to accept the offer since she really wanted to be a doctor and not an actress, since she didn’t know how to act. But she suddenly changed her mind upon realizing that what she could earn in a single day as an actress was already a month’s worth for a physical therapist. That made her believe that this is the industry where she really belongs, so she decided to pursue becoming an actress and set aside her dream of becoming a doctor for the meantime.

However, even though it was never part of her plans to be part of the entertainment industry, she admitted that it was a longtime dream of hers to become a housemate. In fact, she used to watch it before and even had her picture taken outside the “PBB” house during her first trip to Manila. But since she’s in GMA—to which she has been fully committed—she never imagined it would come true anymore until the two media companies agreed to do the highly successful “PBB Collab.”

Source: news.abs-cbn.com