Daniel is PBB All In winner

When Brazilian-Japanese model Daniel Matsunaga got in the famous Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) house as an official housemate in May this year, he said he chose to live in the Philippines for good because he loves the country and its people.

At the PBB All In: The Big Night, Filipinos proved that the feeling was mutual when Daniel was named the Big Winner of PBB All In after garnering the highest percentage of net votes from viewers.

Daniel burst into tears just as his name was called out as the winner, clearly overwhelmed by a loud showing of support and acceptance from the country that, as he said in his own words, “gave us huge opportunities to be here.”

“Sa tingin ko dahil mahal na mahal ko kayo. Some people would think na hindi ako Filipino, pero I am so much more proud to be a Filipino at heart than many others out there na hindi proud sa country,” Daniel said, when asked why he thought Filipino viewers voted for him.

“I’m thankful, first to God, who gave me this opportunity. One day sinabi Niya sa akin na I have a purpose dito sa Pilipinas, and I guess this purpose is today. Mahal na mahal ko kayo,” he added.

Daniel garnered 11.69 percent net votes, from his combined 18.52 percent “votes to save” and -6.83 percent “votes to evict.”

Dubbed as the season’s Hunk of the World ng Makati, Daniel entered the famous PBB house during the first live eviction of the season. As the Big Winner, he won P1M, three business franchises, an Asian tour for two and a brand-new condominium unit.

Teen housemate Maris Racal, meanwhile, was hailed as the Second Big Placer for getting 3.1 percent net votes and won P500,000.

Actress Jane Oineza emerged as the Third Big Placer with -0.73 percent net votes, while regular housemate Vickie Rushton was named the Fourth Big Placer with -0.78 percent net votes.

Jane and Vickie got P300,000 and P200,000, respectively. All the Big Four housemates each received a home entertainment package.

In an interview after the announcement of winners, Daniel’s sister, Vanessa, who is also a model, revealed that their entire family is relocating to the Philippines.

“This country adopted us and gave us opportunity that we never had before. I am just so happy,” she said.

“You don’t really choose where you’re born, but in our hearts we can choose where we belong to, and Daniel belongs to this country. I’m really happy that the Filipino people accepted him as their own,” Vanessa added.

The Twitter-trending Big Night, hosted by Toni Gonzaga, Bianca Gonzalez, John Prats and Robi Domingo, featured performances and appearances from PBB alumni Kim Chiu, Sam Milby, Melai Cantiveros, Jason Francisco, Ejay Falcon, Matt Evans, Alex Gonzaga, celebrities Joseph Marco and Tutti Caringal, and all the ex-PBB All In housemates.

PBB All In marked many firsts for the successful reality show, including revealing some of the housemates in several TV programs before its grand kick-off, holding its final eviction night a day before the Big Night, and assembling a diverse set of 19 teen, regular and celebrity housemates.

Daniel has lived for five years in the Philippines. During his stay in the PBB house, he was regarded as the housemates’ Kuya who led the tasks, set a good example by being hardworking and sincere, and helped them out with their problems.

With his big win, Daniel has made it clear that with a deep sense of belonging and love for the country, being a true Filipino goes beyond blood.

He didn’t lead in any of the previous eviction nights’ polls, but in the end, he topped it on the night when the results mattered most.

With the victory, Pinoys will definitely see more of their Big Brother Daniel.