Bianca Manalo: Thankful for second chance

With the recent victory of Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach in the 2015 Miss Universe pageant, there’s been renewed interest in beauty queens who are also actresses, or who trace their roots to showbiz.

One of them — who recently returned to the Kapamilya network — is Bianca Manalo. The former Binibining Pilipinas-Universe took on a role in On the Wings of Love (OTWOL), and says it’s like she was never really away from the spotlight. Bianca, who once also hosted the noontime show Happy Yipee Yehey and also had a lead role in Juanita Banana, is grateful that the network gave her a second chance to make a go of her acting career, because it’s something that not every artist gets.

She considers herself lucky, and wasn’t even choosy about the role or the show. Although Bianca has played lead parts in the past, she didn’t mind doing a supporting role this time around.

“Ako po kasi, as long as there’s work, it’s a blessing. I’m very grateful and, of course, ngayong pagbabalik ko po sa Kapamilya network, for me, hindi naman ‘yan porke’t bida or ano, ang importante may project ka, may trabaho ka, at mahalin mo yung trabaho mo, yun po.”

She wasn’t even concerned whether it was a bida or kontrabida role. She explained that even if it were a kontrabida role, that she would welcome it. It’s never been in her nature to turn down a career blessing. She has always been of the belief that work is work.

She once did a kontrabida role, but it wasn’t as an out-and-out bad girl. The character was just bad enough to challenge herself as an actress. “Parang wala pa po akong naging kontrabida role, very, very light lang sa Aryana, pero hindi talaga siya yung super kontrabida. But it has been my dream to play kontrabida. Gusto ko parang, ano kaya itsura ko sa TV ‘pag mataray? For me, work is work. Hindi mo naman napupulot po ang pera kung saan-saan lang, kailangan paghirapan mo yan. So, would you turn down a blessing?”

In OTWOL, she plays the elder sister of Leah (Nadine Lustre). Her character is a single mom with a young daughter. She spoke about her character in a one-on-one interview: “Siya ‘yung nagtatrabaho nang maigi para sa family, especially for her father. She’s the type who will endure it all to the point that she will keep things from her sister so as not to burden her or anyone.”

For Bianca, this return to TV is like just picking up from where she left off the first time. “Parang parehas lang po eh, kasi yung call time ganu’n pa rin, parang same naman.”

Even now that she is getting deeper and deeper into showbiz, Bianca still maintains the regal bearing of a beauty queen. She looks back on those days with fondness, and says there were a lot of good memories she had from her pageant experience that she carries with her until this day. From that, she learned courage, inner strength and poise, all skills that she needs to make it in this world of showbiz. Of course, her pageant journey might not have ended the way she wanted it to, and it led her down a different path — to show business — but for Bianca, it was time well-spent.

“Nothing is ever wasted, all your experiences in life will lead you somewhere,” she says.

Looking back — and at the same time looking forward — Bianca says she’s eagerly anticipating the other breaks coming her way. And with the kind of beauty and talent that she has displayed, we’re sure that all these will come in due time.