MANILA, Philippines — Actress Samantha Lopez was recently awarded Outstanding Female TV Personality of the Year at the recently concluded ASEAN Excellence Achievers Awards 2021 held at the Grand Ballroom of Okada Manila.
She is best remembered as Gracia, “Eat Bulaga's” Showdown Girl, before she first flew to New York in 2002.
For Samantha, the award can be considered an answered prayer more than just a fitting validation of her worth as an actress and performer.
"It validated my decision to go back to showbiz and permanently stay in Manila. It sealed the deal, so to speak. I’ve made the right choice of coming back to Manila and resuming my acting career. This is my 2nd chance in my showbiz career and so this award gives me more motivation to always do better and be inspired," she said.
In her Instagram post right after the awards night, she thanked her manager, Arnold Vegafria, her handler and everyone from her Kapuso family who supported her since her showbiz heyday.
Samantha counts herself as one of the lucky few who kept their showbiz careers afloat during the lingering pandemic. She reveals, "I kept myself busy by exercising daily, cooking and learning new skills like playing the guitar. Luckily, at that time, I was in contract with GMA Network for Love of my Life, and they took care of us financially."
For 2022, the Kapuso actress looks forward to keeping herself busy with two teleseryes: “First Lady” with Gabby Concepcion and Sanya Lopez, and “Love Die Repeat” with Xian Lim and Jennylyn Mercado.