Director and seasoned actress, Gina Alajar raised the bar higher in the recent Southern Luzon audition of GMA's grandest artista search, Protégé: The Battle for the Big Artista Break!

 

The acclaimed actress searched the throngs of hopefuls who lined up in SM City Batangas last June 15 to get a spot in her search for protégés.

 

"Nasa akin ang pag-asa nyong maging artista, convince me that you deserve to be my Protége," said Alajar as she challenged the young aspirants to 'sell' themselves in only two minutes.

 

The contenders, who took a trip from Sucat, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Surigao del Sur, Iligan, Oriental Mindoro and Naga instantly pushed themselves to make their performances a notch higher.

 

"Pahirapan niyo ako sa pagpili. I want lahat ng nanggaling dito sa region ay magagaling. Yung tipong hindi ako makapili kasi everyone is really good," said Alajar.

 

Nevertheless, the actress, who was perceived to be difficult to please, was frank enough to say who got her vote particularly if their performances are wonderfully executed on stage.

 

One of those who caught Alajar's attention was an executive assistant from the Senate of the Philippines, who skipped work to try out the auditions.  Moreover, Alajar was astonished when a pretty young girl from Camarines Sur performed her self-composed song about tourism in their province through a tongue-twisting rap. A chef also joined the long queue to finally get a shot at pursuing his long-time dream to become a star. Furthermore, a stewardess from Pampanga decided to try her luck by showing her talent in acting.

 

Aside from judging, Direk Gina generously shared pieces of advice on acting to the protégé hopefuls. She said that they have to continuously practice their craft and join acting workshops to hone their talents.

 

"It's not mere talent that we're searching. We're looking for people who deserve na gastusan ng network para i-build up. Those people who want to be trained and are willing to have their talents honed. When you perform onstage in front of us, make it look like it's the best five minutes in your life," Alajar stressed.

 

Find out who will be chosen by Direk Gina Alajar to represent Southern Luzon in the much-awaited new season of Protégé: The Battle for the Big Break soon on GMA!