Deanna Wong  on ‘unexpected’  fame, learning  self-love

All eyes are once again set on volleyball superstar Deanna Wong as she returns to the court for the Premiere Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference with her teammates in Choco Mucho Flying Titans.

Her popularity is considered phenomenal. Deanna is followed and adored by fans, who cheer for her inside and outside of the court.

If you’ve been living under a rock, then, it’s hard for you to know how her skills in setting the volleyball can be so impressive. Before a game, Deanna said that she motivates herself by listening to music.

Her charming personality and inimitable dance moves are also sending shrieks and thrills to netizens. On Instagram alone, Deanna (deannawongst) has 1.4 million followers.

“All that is happening to me now is very unexpected. All I know is that it started last year after the (game) season and I was surprised that even if we lost (in the game), we were still trending on TikTok,” said the Cebuana setter, who was selected to be a part of the collegiate varsity senior women’s volleyball team of the Ateneo de Manila University, where she took up AB Interdisciplinary Studies. She played her rookie year in 2016.

Her kababayan in Cebu are equally showing admiration for Deanna. Last Holy Week, fans reportedly trooped to her home in Minglanilla as early as 6 a.m. just to get a glimpse of her.

“I really understand from their perspective, pero sa totoo lang hindi ko talaga alam kung anong ginawa ko. It’s a nice feeling to know that I inspire a lot of people kasi kahit kumain lang ako, they would say may gana na raw silang kumain. That’s the best thing. I am touched every time I hear them say that I saved them from depression, anxiety. That’s one thing that truly inspires me.”

Just recently, thousands of supporters responded to my invitation to send questions for Deanna through my social media accounts. The 10 netizens, whose questions were chosen, received P5,000 worth of gift certificates. Deanna addressed them one by one during our conversation for The Interviewer Presents on The Boy Abunda Talk Channel on YouTube.

Here are excerpts:

What is the story behind your jersey number? (Deanna’s jersey number is 3).

Actually, nothing. It didn’t matter to me what number, but because during grade school, uso pa kasi yung mga class numbers so, me and two of my best friends, meron. My one friend, class number n’ya 3, ‘yung isa, 13 and I was 33. So, it was just that, dahil sa friends ko dati.

Take me back to the time when you were not as big as you are today. Did you hear from the bleachers all the praises and tirades? Did you get affected?

Honestly, I was affected before, especially when I was just starting. Being that young player and a girl from the province coming to the big city, you get affected because you’re not used to (hearing) those things, but as time passed by, you learned to be able to filter that noise and, well, I’ve learned this from a teammate that even if you do good, a lot can still be said about you, so you just have to learn to listen only to opinions that matter.

In your lifelong journey, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned na nakatulong sa ‘yo para lumaban at magpatuloy?

Self-love. It was really something I couldn’t find before, over the past year, because I was like, in a state of losing myself. Let’s say, you’ve just started playing and you’re told to act fast so, marami talagang beses na parang you’ll really break down, to the point of not even knowing how to love yourself. But step by step, day by day, you’ll realize that it’s really not a hard thing to do because just by going out by yourself, is already a form of loving yourself. It’s a process.

Is there a possibility of you being in a relationship with an opposite gender?

Wala namang imposible. I’m always open to the possibility, Tito Boy, because if I like the person and as long as that person treats me right, treats me kind, (is) God-fearing, then, wala tayong magiging problema. So, whoever comes, why not?

Have you fallen in love with somebody from the opposite gender?

Wala pa.

I like that openness because I believe that love knows no gender. But do you get bothered by a question like this?

No, it’s normal. Walang problema kasi I’ve also been thinking about that na, well, lalo na for my mom (laughs).

What does mom say?

Well, mom is still hoping, hahahaha. Not just mom but also dad. But you really can’t control what you would feel towards a certain person. Love comes unexpectedly, so the best thing to do is kung saan ka masaya.

People know you play musical instruments, with your dad being a musician. What kind of musical instruments do you play?

Drums. My dad plays the guitar, my sisters are great at singing, my other sister plays the piano. My mom plays a little guitar and she also sings.

What’s your indulgence?

Shoes. I really love shoes.

Bakit ayaw mong pinapahawak ang buhok mo?

Only in games because it takes a long time to fix the hair. Before the game, parang may ritual kami na all of us, we fix our hair. Kapag nahawakan nawawala sa ayos and all of them know that I don’t want my hair to be touched.

As we just celebrated Pride Month, what message or advice can you give to the people when it comes to love?

My advice is love knows no gender. You can’t really control what you feel or how you feel towards a certain person and for as long as you’re happy, as long as hindi mo tinatapakan ang mga tao or wala kang ginawang mali, then go for it.

Is it possible for you to fall in love with your fan in a romantic way?

I’m open to the possibility na kahit sino ka man, where you come from, I really don’t mind.

What’s the difference between loving someone and being in love with someone?

Loving someone is really essential, it’s like the greatest form of connection between you and someone else. You can love someone in such a way that you can wish them the best, you can root for them, but romantically, you’re not soulmates. Being in love is a different risk because it means that you are willing to bet on that person, you’re willing to go to any length to make that happen, parang romantically na maging kayo or something like that.

(For the full interview, watch the Boy Abunda Talk Channel or batalk channel on YouTube.)