MANILA, Philippines — Social media star and actress Mika Salamanca has expressed deep gratitude to Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Celebrity Collab Edition for giving her a chance to redeem her public image and show her true self to the Filipino audience.

Speaking during a media conference hosted by Sparkle, her talent agency, last Thursday, Salamanca shared that prior to joining the reality show, she was often labeled a controversial figure.

“May nakakakilala po sa akin bago ako pumasok sa Bahay ni Kuya, pero kagaya po ng sinabi ko kanina, sa ibang paraan po kasi siya. ‘Yun nga po, kontrobersyal po ako at sobrang misunderstood,” she admitted. “Sobrang laking bagay ng PBB sa akin para maipakita ko po talaga kung sino po ako sa taong bayan.”

Her appearance at the mediacon was part of Sparkle’s event to showcase talents who had joined the latest celebrity edition of PBB. Salamanca emerged as the winner of the show, an experience she said brought unexpected results.

“Sobrang tuwa ko po kasi po ‘pag labas, ang ine-expect ko po kasi is ganon pa rin, kung ano ‘yung pagkakakilala nila sa akin, especially noong nakuha ko yung red flag. Then nagulat ako nong pagkalabas ko at iba na ‘yung perspective ng tao sa akin,” she said, referring to an in-show penalty that initially made her doubt how the public would receive her after her exit.

Mika also took the opportunity to thank her agency and its leaders for making her long-time dream of becoming a housemate come true. She recalled auditioning for earlier seasons and wishing she could one day join the show.

“Sobrang grateful ko po, hindi lang sa PBB pati kila Miss Anette (Gozon, GMA executive), kila Miss Joy (Sparkle head), kay Boss Vic (del Rosario, Viva chief), sa Sparkle na unang nagtiwala po talaga sa akin,” she said.

“Kung hindi po dahil sa kanila, hindi din ako makakapasok sa PBB. Pangarap ko po talaga ‘yung PBB ever since kaya maganda siyang platform para mapa-kilala ‘yung mga sarili namin,” she added.

Salamanca’s reputation had previously been marred by controversy, particularly her 2020 arrest in Hawaii for violating quarantine protocols during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, her journey inside the PBB house gave her the opportunity to reintroduce herself to the public — this time, on her own terms.