Cristine Reyes: The sweeter side of @PilyangSweet

Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once said, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” If you have been a long-time Twitter follower of internationally acclaimed drama actress Cristine Reyes, then chances are, you have encountered these words on her profile page.

Pilyang Sweet truly describes Cristine’s character, but her overly outspoken nature emphasizes the “pilya” rather than the “sweet.” Cristine was never the epitome of primness; never did she claim to be propriety personified, but she lives her life with emotional sincerity.

Cristine was first introduced to the world of show business when she joined the reality artista search Starstruck on GMA-7. Being the younger sister of actress Ara Mina, Cristine easily had an advantage. But having an actress for a sister was not actually a privilege for Cristine as stardom was not served upon her in a silver platter.

Cristine was not lucky enough to make it to the finals of Starstruck but the young actress dreamed, believed, and eventually survived, as the show’s battle cry goes. Cristine landed her first title role via ABS-CBN’s Eva Fonda, and the rest, as they say, was history. Cristine’s acting was acclaimed by no less than the Seoul International Drama Awards, which handed her a Special Acting Citation.

Being the free-spirited person that she is, Cristine’s carefree character had been subject to criticisms of some. Her free-spirit is often mistaken for extreme audacity; her sincerity for blatant arrogance. Cristine had been easily judged by people who equal timidity to propriety. Cristine is too avant-garde that her boldness is rather frowned upon than looked up to. Cristine is often seen as “pilya” and leaving the “sweet” forgotten.

True to her Twitter name, Cristine may be indeed “pilya” at times, but she is oftentimes “sweet.” Despite the busy schedule she has due to a successful showbiz career, Cristine never fails to allot time for her loved ones. Though usually depicted as emancipated, Cristine heeds to her mother’s advice, may it be professional, personal or otherwise.

Though a younger sister to her Ate Hazel (Ara Mina), Cristine is an ate to a specially abled darling Mina Princess, whom she loves dearly. Cristine loves her so much that she decided to spend her birthday last February 5 with the special children of Pasig City.

About 250 differently abled children attended a birthday party organized by Cristine, with the help of some friends, yours truly included, in a school compound in Pasig City. Unlike other celebrities, Cristine celebrated her birthday with the special kids without media fanfare.

Cristine is not a soldier without a battle. She has had personal battles, which she fought and continuously fights successfully. Just recently, Cristine had been dragged into a controversy after the ex-girlfriend of her current boyfriend resuscitated a long-dead relationship issue. But at 22, Cristine already had innumerable experience that she has learned to choose her battles wisely. Instead of reacting to a thing of the past, Cristine opted to cherish her wonderful relationship with her equally good-looking partner Rayver Cruz.

Often misconstrued to be arrogant, Cristine, on the contrary, is actually sweet and charming. Her feistiness is but a mere reflection of her sultriness. Deep inside, she remains to be a sweet little girl who wishes nothing but good for others.

“Pilya” and “sweet” best describe Cristine. Conversely, only Cristine can best seamlessly merge the distinct sensibilities of “pilya” and “sweet” to form a person of rich character like her.