MANILA, Philippines – Brent Manalo and Mika Salamanca, known together as BreKa, were crowned as the 'Big Winners' in The Big Night of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition on July 5.
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| Photo courtesy: Brent Manalo/Instagram, Pinoy Big Brother/Facebook |
BreKa garnered the highest total combined votes at 33.03%, earning them a ₱1 million prize each. They are the first-ever duo to win this edition of PBB.
However, like any success story, their triumph wouldn't be complete without the behind-the-scenes journey of those involved, such as Brent, “Ang Gentle‑Linong Heartthrob ng Tarlac.”
SEE ALSO: Mika Salamanca still can’t believe she’s the PBB Collab Big Winner
Before entering Kuya's House, Brent was already known for his modeling career. He graduated cum laude from De La Salle University with a Bachelor of Science in Advertising Management.
This doesn’t come as a surprise, really. A look back at his high school yearbook, which resurfaced in 2020, reveals a lengthy list of accomplishments—including graduating as class valedictorian.
But Brent’s story isn’t without moments of imperfection and growth. In one emotional episode inside the PBB house, he admitted to cheating in a school quiz back in high school.
“Yung mga friends ko from the other sections, sila ‘yung unang nag-quiz and mayroon po kaming mga quiz booklet,” Brent confessed. “Ginawa ko po, Kuya, pumunta po ako sa mga ibang section, sa mga friends ko. Sinilip ko po ‘yung quiz booklet nila.”
He added, “Ayokong isipin [ng parents ko] na may pagkukulang sila, Kuya, kasi it was my own mistake. It really changed my life and I’m glad that happened.”
Eventually, he also ventured into acting. His first appearance was in the 2020 iWant series The Ampalaya Chronicles, a coming-of-age anthology inspired by spoken word artist Mark Ghosn’s Ampalaya Monologue.
He later took on more roles, portraying “Jason” in Beach Bros and “Migs” in The Broken Marriage Vow in 2022.
Now that he’s been named one of the Big Winners of this season’s PBB, it’s clear that even more doors are bound to open for Brent outside Kuya’s House—especially since he’s only turning 28 this coming December 6.
There’s still so much he can offer his fans, and plenty more to look forward to. But for now, let’s take a moment to celebrate this well-deserved victory.
— Noel Ed Richards, The Summit Express