If Keanu Reeves could only see her now

If Keanu Reeves could only see her now. The former "sweet painted lady" who goes by the female version of the actor’s name is now a completely "reborn" woman.

Keanna Reeves (real name: Janet Derecho Duterte) just got her passport to fame, fortune and a new life last April 1 by landing the top spot in the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition. The bold starlet is no more. In her stead is a respectable woman people look up to as genuine and – despite everything – God-fearing.

The 36-year-old winner bested John Prats, Bianca Gonzales and Zanjoe Marudo of the so-called Big Four to win P1-M, a condominium unit, an appliance showcase and computers.

But more than that, she won something she could only dream of until that fateful night at the Manila Post Office where thousands gathered to see her moment of triumph. That something is respect which she thought she lost after she admitted on national TV (via Boy Abunda’s Kontrobersyal) that she acted as escort girl for top politicians.

Back then, people were telling the fiery Cebuana that she was such a fool for spilling the beans on the profession she chose to survive. Even her fellow ladies of the night taunted her. No way will you turn out to be the hero you think you will be. You deserve to suffer for what you’ve done, they chorused.

Keanna just shrugged her shoulders. With the spunk that characterizes her even as a child who went on to prove that she’s not as stupid as her father thought she is, Keanna simply moved on. She was bent on proving how wrong they are.

And she did. Televiewers saw the soft heart underneath that tough exterior when she embraced fellow housemate Rustom Padilla after he confessed he’s gay. They saw how compassionate she is (without even knowing that the word compassion exists) when she refused to leave the crying Rustom’s side.

And they concluded: here is a true friend who will laugh and cry with you.

"Rustom entrusted me with his deepest secret," Keanna says in Filipino. That’s why she loves him so and even considers him her ideal guy, bar none.

But if you’re wrong, you’re wrong.

Keanna defied her five-year boyfriend, a nonshowbiz guy only two days before entering ABS-CBN’s Bahay ni Kuya. The guy aimed a gun at Star Magic talent Archie Alemania who happened to visit Keanna at home.

"I don’t know if he did it out of jealousy or what. But one thing’s sure, he doesn’t respect me. Archie is my guest, and he’s doing nothing wrong. And that was my house," explains Keanna.

She broke up with him right then and there. Now, the guy is moving heaven and earth to win her again. He even brought a ring and a bouquet of flowers for her after she was named grand winner.

But no way will Keanna fall into what she thinks is another trap. She’s had it with him, period.

"Where was he when I was down? Why did he let his girlfriend escort all those men and simply stood by while the guys in the club looked at me with lust? Wasn’t he ashamed?" Keanna would like to know.

She wishes him luck if he wants to join showbiz. But leave her out of the picture, please.

Now that Keanna is, in her own words, "single and a millionairess," no way will she let him use her again. In fact, Keanna already warned him, "Don’t ever use my name for your own ends. Never use me to enter showbiz."

She herself didn’t get fame and fortune on a silver platter. "I didn’t resort to gimmicks to get here. Then here he comes someone saying I’m his girlfriend. It’s not that easy," Keanna relates.

The guy may continue calling her friends (he called Bahay ni Kuya, hoping to find her there). But Keanna has made up her mind, thank you. And she has no plans of turning her back on it.

"I waited for him to change. He was jobless for five years. What else am I waiting for? It’s God’s will that we part ways," muses Keanna.

All she wants now is to provide for her sons, IJ, 17 and Troy, seven.

"All this is for them," she says. "Now, they can look forward to a bright future."

She will invest her winnings in a trust fund for her children. Now, her sons can take any course they want when they reach college.

Be grateful, Keanna urges them. Go to church and thank God for all the blessings.

She plans to get them from their father and estranged husband one day (the boys stay in Cebu). After all, Keanna already has a condo unit as part of her prize. She plans to ask that the location be transferred to Boni, Mandaluyong City so it will be more convenient for her (she now rents a place in Quezon City).

Boy Abunda, her manager, has big plans for his newest talent. He wants to explore her natural spontaneity and sense of humor by casting her in TV comedies. Why, Keanna can even do stand-up comedies in bars, says Boy. He and producer Dondon Monteverde are also cooking up a movie for Keanna.

Like a battle-ready soldier, Keanna is raring to venture out into the field.

"Work – decent work – is my priority. I’m one of the few blessed with this kind of work. So I better grab this opportunity while I can," she relates.

Gabriela, the outspoken women’s group she donated P1-M to, has tapped her to become its speaker. It’s another unexpected honor for Keanna. But she’s thankful for being able to inspire people that way.

Now, she has one message for those groping in the dark the way she has done before: Never ever lose hope. You make your own destiny. There’s life at the end of the tunnel.

Keanna, the woman Robin Padilla has dubbed a modern Mary Magdalene, knows whereof she speaks. And how!

(More on Keanna in a future issue of Starweek).