The first thing that Anji Salvacion did when she got out of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) house after her Top 2 finish, along with Alyssa Valdez, was call her family in Siargao Island and checked on them after the island was badly hit by Supertyphoon Odette. She was relieved knowing that they were OK and safe.
She likewise felt blessed over her victory at the PBB Season 10 Celebrity Edition and expressed her thanks to all those people who supported her.
One notable act from Anji in PBB was when she donated Kumu points/diamonds to fellow housemates Madam Inutz and Samantha Bernardo. “I never expected po anything. I just really wanted to show people how much I appreciate them,” she told The STAR in an exclusive Zoom interview. “I remember talaga my dad always telling me na to always share your blessings. Nandiyan din po yun sa Bible, ‘The more you give, the more you receive.’ Yun yung pinaka (mantra) ko po sa buhay ko.”
Her goal of signing up for the reality game show is to buy a house for her mother and chase her dream of becoming an artista and a singer. “I was three years old; they have a picture of me singing. I don’t know if that was a little mic yung hawak ko before, tapos kumakanta ako. I think that’s the very first moment na I know na I wanted to have this kind of profession,” she recounted.
Anji detailed her humble beginnings while she was starting out in the entertainment industry. From Siargao Island, she would travel long hours to General Santos City to try out auditions.
Her first audition was when she was around 12 or 13 years old. “Nag-audition ako for Star Circle Quest and PBB din before. Papunta pa lang sa Surigao City, you have to travel by RoRo (from Siargao) for four hours and then papunta naman GenSan from Surigao, it will take you 13 hours of travel to go there,” she narrated.
“Naalala ko dati palagi akong sumusuka na sa sasakyan kasi hindi ako sanay sa traveling kasi all my life I’ve been living in an island. And then I get to think na grabe ‘tong mga experience na ‘to. Hindi biro ang maging artista. Hindi biro ang makapunta sa kung saan ka ngayon kasi andami mo po talagang dapat pagdadaanan na maliliit na bagay na magbibigay talaga sayo ng very big impact sa buhay mo,” shared Anji.
Because of these modest beginnings, she was able to “appreciate small roles” given to her as a newcomer. She used to be a double body for Sam Cruz and her older sister but now, she gets to work with them and they’ve become close friends.
“I remember na during the taping na dinouble body ko yung sister ni Sam, sabi ni direk, ‘There is no small role. Every role matters.’ I was like in awe na how these people appreciate the small things and then it made me realize na we should appreciate talaga more kung anong meron tayo,” said the 19-year-old actress-singer.
Dubbed as the “Singing Sweetheart of Siargao,” Anji shared how it was like “living in a paradise my whole life.” “I’m so blessed to be given that opportunity to experience growing up in an island, very simple living. Ma-appreciate mo po talaga yung mga malalaking bagay na nangyari sayo ngayon kasi duon pag pumunta kayo, duon makikita niyo po talaga sa mga tao kung gaano sila ka-appreciative sa mga maliliit na bagay.”
That’s why when she heard about how Typhoon Odette brought destruction to her beloved hometown, she immediately called her family to monitor their safety and did fundraising activities to help typhoon victims.
Anji also recalled how her mother, a registered nurse, took care of their family during those tough times. “Nung bagyo nandito siya sa Manila kasi siya sana ang susundo sana sa akin if ever na ma-evict ako during the eviction night,” she shared.
“But then unexpected things happened. Sobrang sakit po yung nangyari sa akin, especially to my family kasi I don’t know whether they were safe or not kasi I’m inside pa sa bahay ni Kuya. At di po talaga mapanatag yung loob ko,” furthered Anji.
When the typhoon had passed, her mom flew right away to Siargao to help fellow Siargaonons. “It’s her job din as a nurse and it’s like her mission in life. She wanted to fulfill that (calling). She helped po sa mga taong nasalanta and she took care din our family din, sa brother ko, cousin ko, sila nanay and tatay (Anji’s grandparents) kasi they are old na po and wala pong nag-aalaga sa kanila.”
Meanwhile, Anji’s dad, who went missing when she was eight years old, is her source of inspiration in making music, with tracks such as Coming Back and Dalampasigan.
The self-confessed daddy’s girl fondly recalled her memory of him during the interview. “I remember that he is always so sweet to me. Palagi niya akong pino-protektahan. Naalala ko dati kung masugatan lang ako ng kunti sobrang worried na yung papa ko. Tsaka di na ko papalabasin kasi ayaw nila na masugatan ako. Or kung lalabas man ko, malalaki yung mga damit ko. My dad spoiled me a lot.”
“Yung bonding namin ni daddy every early in the morning, like 6 a.m. pa-sunrise yan and then pupunta kami sa dagat para lang turuan kami mag-swimming ng brother ko. I remember our favorite bonding with him was to stargaze and he’d tell a story about the Bible. (He would also) tell us to be brave, to reach for our dreams and don’t be afraid to dream big,” she added.
“We don’t know what really happened to him and we still don’t have that closure,” she said of her father, an American citizen with Jewish-Russian descent. She described her parents as a happily married couple until her missionary dad disappeared.
Before the Zoom talk ended, she left this special message for him: “Daddy, wherever you are, just know that I love you so much and you are the best dad that we ever had. Mommy and I are blessed to have you. Kasi you taught us how to really love, how to build a strong bond with each other, and like how you really protected us from all stuff, na hindi mo kami iniwan.”
She vowed, “You’re always gonna be my daddy. You’re always gonna be my hero. Just know that we love you so much. You inspire me a lot daddy. I love you.”