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Bianca Umali

Brave, Beautiful, Breathtaking

Bianca Umali’s life is a perpetual reminder that no storm can break us and that love, while it may not shield us from sadness, can help us go on with life with hope in our hearts.

Text By Aedrianne Acar
Photos By: GMA Artist Center and Bianca Umali Instagram

Where to begin the story of the remarkable Bianca Umali?

My first encounter with this charmer happened in 2014, when I started a new job as an online content producer for GMANetwork.com handling the promotion of a new sitcom, Ismol Family, which happened to be the new project of the tween star, too.

Back then, Bianca Umali was just starting out her acting career. She was quiet, reserved, observant, eager, promising—a diamond in the rough.

While she was not the type that easily stood out in a room full of people, one couldn’t help but be drawn to her captivating beauty and bewitching smile.

Six years later, having gone through several big wins and losses along the way, Bianca Umali has grown into a confident and stunning 20-year-old lady, who has established herself as one of the best actresses of her generation.

Growing-up in showbiz

GMANetwork.com gets the chance to speak with Bianca via video conferencing on a rainy and gloomy Friday afternoon in August, at the time Metro Manila was placed back under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

After a few minutes dealing with some technical difficulties due to the spotty internet connection, her face—still that beguiling, captivating beauty—appears on the screen, lighting up the chatroom. 

“Natatakot ako [laughs],” she blurts out giggling, breaking the ice.

It is amazing that a woman of her age commands so much presence already, but her warmth makes you comfortable that any walls between you crumble immediately.

Bianca started her career in showbiz at the tender age of 2. Back then, she was already active in doing commercials.

Bianca recalls, “I started doing commercials when I was two years old and then I started doing TV when I was nine. Kumbaga noong two pa lang ako, I was already on and off camera.

“I actually grew up doing what I love doing—acting, being in front of the camera and being on set.” At the time, Bianca didn’t realize that she was dipping her toes in showbiz waters already.

She only developed a much deeper appreciation for what she was doing later on. As she matured, Bianca realized that becoming an entertainer was her true calling.

Mobirise

“Lumaki ako na ’yun ’yung nakasanayan ko ginagawa without even knowing kung ano ’yung ginagawa ko na nag-aartista na pala ako.

“Ang pag-aartista ko hindi siya decision, it was something na I grew up doing and it was a natural thing for me to do, kasi nga kinalakihan ko e.”

“Nung malaki na ako doon ko na lang na-realize na mas na-appreciate ko na ’yung ginagawa ko that I was acting in front of the camera.”

Bianca's first regular TV project was doing the children’s show Tropang Potchi, which ran from 2009 to 2013. Some of her co-stars in the show were Julian Trono, Sabrina Man, Miggy Jimenez, and Lianne Valentino.

She considers her stint in the show a stepping stone in showbiz—a stint that opened a lot of doors for her.

Bianca’s eyes glow as a wave of nostalgia sweeps over her. Tropang Potchi, after all, was the show that shaped her childhood.

“The shooting day, which is every Tuesday of the week ’yun ’yung sa studio namin, ’yun ang set-up namin ’yun ’yung bahay ni Potchi.

Giggling, she recounts her happiest moments in the show. She vividly remembers the production staff who would always remind the cast to refrain from eating the sweet and gooey snack right before their tapings.

“Ang favorite ko siguro is when lahat kaming cast members kapag darating kami sa set, it’s either while reading the scripts together or kapag nag-iintay kami ng ibang cast members na mag-ready is ’yung lahat kami nag-aagawan sa Potchi na nasa set.

“Mayro’n kasi kaming lagi na isang malaking bowl ng Potchi sa center table sa Bahay ni Potchi, so lahat kami inuubos namin ’tapos ginagawa naming snack and then pinagsasabihan kami na huwag n’yo ubusin, kasi hindi pa tayo nagti-tape.

Looking back, the Kapuso actress owes to this program.

“It was instrumental in opening all the doors that I have been through, siguro sa Tropang Potchi ako lumaki, Tropang Potchi ’yung naging buhay ko noong mga panahon na ’yun and that was where I experienced a lot of firsts in my life.

Mobirise

“Inampon niya ako sa kanila nang walang pag-aalinlangan, when I had nothing and nothing at all.”

“Tropang Potchi is where I discovered so many things, doon ako lumaki. Tropang Potchi was my childhood in every way."

From then on, Bianca Umali began stretching her wings further and polishing her craft as she took on different projects.

She was cast in such soaps as Mga Basang Sisiw (2013) and Niño (2014). Bianca was also given the opportunity to hone her comedy skills via Ismol Family (2014) and was chosen to be part of the big-budget telefantasya series Mulawin VS. Ravena in 2017.

Together with her on-screen partner Miguel Tanfelix, Bianca was given the opportunity to become lead star of her own shows like Once Upon A Kiss (2015), Kambal, Karibal (2017), and the primetime series Sahaya (2019).

Another icing on the cake were her roles in the family drama movie ‘Family History’ and the horror-suspense thriller ‘Banal,’ which were shown in 2019.

With all of these projects under her belt, Bianca has nothing but gratitude for her home network, which gave her opportunities that helped her improve as an actress.

Bianca confidently tells GMANetwork.com, “And after all the years siguro naman I have worked hard enough to say that I have improved in my craft.

“I can also say na mas confident rin ako.”

Of all the roles that she’s done, it was Sahaya that left an indelible mark on Bianca. For one, it was a complete departure from her usual teeny-bopper roles.

The GMA Artist Center beauty says that the inspiration behind Sahaya was the popular Disney character Moana.

Why Moana?

“When they described the character to me, tuwang-tuwa ako kasi siyempre mahilig sa dagat.

Ako personally mahilig ako sa dagat and then eventually ang unang nag-flash sa isip ko was Moana. ’Yan ’yung pinaka-peg ko, kasi everything was also similar- ’yung look, sa isla nakatira, ’yung courage niya and ’yung kindness niya, ’yung eagerness niya to discover new things, Moana was actually my peg.

The primetime series, which was directed by Zig Dulay, presented a unique test for Bianca, since she needed to immerse herself in the Badjaw culture.

“Isang malaking challenge din for me is to study ’yung culture of the badjaws or ’yung the children of the sea, kung paano sila mag-dasal, kung paano ’yung sayaw nila, kung paano ’yung pananalita or kung paano ’yung pronounciation ng ibang salita nila that was also one of the challenging things that I have to go through para sa Sahaya."

Her hard work did pay off.

With her convincing turn, teamwork of the whole cast, and the show’s solid storyline, Sahaya won the Best Drama series at the 41st Catholic Mass Media awards in November 2019.

Strength amid personal loss

It might come as a surprise to some that beyond her smile, confidence, and maturity that she projects on and off screen, Bianca Umali had gone through the unbearable pain of losing both her parents when she was a little girl.

It is a part of her that she seldom shares with the public.

She opened up about this grim chapter in her life back in May of this year, when she penned a tribute to her late mom and dad on her Instagram.

On May 8, a day which brings her joy and sadness, Bianca commemorated the 59th birthday of her mom, which also coincided with the 10th death anniversary of her father.

While time taught her to deal with the pain, it has not healed all her wounds. As the actress herself puts it, her life suddenly felt “incomplete” without her two angels by her side.

In a somber tone, she says, “'Yung pain hindi mawawala, well at least for me, hindi ‘yun mawawala sa akin. Parang I will always feel I’m incomplete.

“I think hindi ko masasabi na nalagpasan ko na siya. Yes, I have been going through it, but up until today and I think hanggang sa tumanda ako or I don’t know until when, maybe until I die, I will never get to move on from not having my mommy and my daddy beside me.

“It’s not something you just forget, e."

Through this misfortune, it was her Lola Victorina “Vicky” Umali, her paternal grandmother, who became her pillar of strength through it all.

As she talks about her lola, one can sense Bianca’s profound gratitude to the woman who took care of her.

Bianca tells how her grandmother a.k.a her “superhero” stepped in to provide for her and fill the void left by the death of her parents. “My Lola (Vicky), I call her my superhero.

“She is my superhero, kasi ’yun nga noong ako po ay naulila sa mga magulang, tinanggap niya ako with her arms open, wholeheartedly, inampon niya ako sa kanila nang walang pag-aalinlangan, when I had nothing and nothing at all.

“As to who and how I am today, this, I believe is all her doing.

“Napalaki niya ako into a strong person and I’m very thankful for that and kung wala siya hindi ko alam kung nasaan ako ngayon."

What made pain a little more bearable was the love she received from the people who also deeply cared for her.

That love served as a beacon of hope for Bianca, giving her reason to get up and go on with her life, no matter how painful the journey.

“Kahit papaano, e, nakakalimutan ko ‘yung lungkot. You don’t focus on the negativity and that’s what I always advise din sa mga tao na kapag nadapa ka or when something bad happens you don’t sit in a corner and cry,

“But what you do is cry, when you’re okay na, pag hindi ka na makaiyak, pag naubos mo na ’yung luha mo, tumayo ka and you go on with life.”

Mobirise

Life in the new normal

The death of her parents made Bianca a stronger person. It prepared her for a different kind of nightmare brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, which ravaged the Philippines.

Just like many of our kababayans, the highly-contagious disease upended her life and threatened her livelihood, the very industry where her life revolved.

To help stem the spread of the disease, the whole entertainment industry had no choice but to adhere to the strict government protocols and procedures. Shoots were postponed, studios were temporarily shut down for weeks, even months.

Bianca recalls that she received the news about the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March while she was in the midst of shooting a movie.

“I think I was shooting a movie and I was on set tapos nalaman ko nga na mag-ECQ na. It was hard adjusting ’yung first few weeks na nasa bahay ka lang, hindi ka nakakalabas and you don’t get to see the people you love.

Nakaka-miss din e. Sa first few weeks, ma-miss mo ’yung outside world. It was hard to go out to do the groceries, mahirap mag-adjust, I had to learn everything at home.

What made her quarantine life more challenging was that Bianca had to survive on her own for a while as she was separated from the rest of her family, who stayed in Parañaque.

“Because I have a place where I go to na mas malapit sa work and my whole family is in Parañaque.

May weeks na hindi ko sila kasama and it was hard then na maka-uwi all the way to the South, kasi ang daming checkpoints, kailangan ng quarantine pass and all.”


“Sobra-sobra ’yung pag-iingat ko, kasi takot ako na mawala sa akin ’yung ability to do my work.”

What was her greatest fear amid this pandemic?

Without batting an eyelash, she replies, “’Yung makuha ko ’yung virus.

Pouring her heart out and baring her anxieties, the Kapuso star says that contracting the virus might impede her from doing her job as an actress.

The idea was simply hard to swallow.

“Hanggang ngayon, siguro ’yung makuha ko ’yung virus, tapos hindi ko na magawa lahat ng trabaho ko. So, everything right how is on pause, sa lahat din ng ginagawa ko naka-pause.

“Sobra-sobra ’yung pag-iingat ko, kasi takot ako na mawala sa akin ’yung ability to do my work.”

Still, Bianca did not let her fear of contracting COVID-19 to take over her life. She couldn’t let it be a hindrance.

Coping with the new normal, she takes extra precaution as she goes about her daily routine, especially when going out.

According to Bianca, she diligently sanitizes everything she buys from the grocery and the deliveries she would receive.

Even if the pandemic has affected her source of income, Bianca proudly says that she’s managing quite fairly, because she has saved up enough just for this kind of emergency.

She again credits her Lola Vicky for giving her sound advice on handling her personal finances.

“Personally kasi, tinuruan ako ng lola ko na pag nag-iipon ka hahatiin mo ’yung money mo na you should always have your personal gastos and then your savings money and then your emergency fund.

“With or without the pandemic or knowing man na magkakaroon ng ganito o hindi, I put aside emergency money.”

Mobirise

The art of ignoring bashers

Fame has a price. And it’s a steep one.

While there’s a number of adoring fans cheering you on, there’s also a number of people jeering you and pulling you down.

As your name becomes bigger, you instantly become an easy target of nasty and incessant bashing from doubters and haters.

Sadly, this is not something new to Bianca.

Her July 25 Instagram post, for instance, went viral for all the wrong reasons. Instead of appreciating the message of her post, people took notice of her slimmer figure and blatantly body-shamed her.

Mobirise

“You can never let anyone bring you down.”

Many came to her defense like fellow celebrities Jennylyn Mercado and Ruru Madrid, and entertainment columnist Lolit Solis. But for Bianca, she would rather not spend her precious time responding to these nasty comments being thrown at her.

She chooses to pay them no mind.

“When I received negative comments or sensitive comments, what I say to myself, honestly, is that it’s okay.”

“Why is it okay?

Kasi, number one it’s normal and kasama siya sa trabaho bilang isang artista and again you can never please everyone.

“Everyone has their own opinions of different things, everyone will have different opinions about you and you should respect that."

The Kapuso actress clarifies that she doesn’t want to give her bashers the satisfaction of eliciting a response from her.

“That’s why never ako pumatol ever, never ever ako sumagot sa [bashers ko].

“I don’t mind and don’t read [what they say about me]. Kasi maapektuhan ka lang naman if you let them affect you and I think that’s what the negative people want to happen.

“’Yung maapektuhan ka and bring you down. You can never let anyone bring you down.

Bianca Umali constantly reminds her family to avoid engaging these internet trolls who are out to humiliate her.

The TV-movie actress also has this to say to her detractors.

“Pag maraming bashers parang mas naiisip ko na gusto ko sila pasalamatan, because they give me their attention and they spend so much time stalking me, they visit my accounts just to comment, e.

“I think I’d rather be thankful you know for their time, kesa sagutin ko sila and gamitan ko rin ng oras ko.”

Learning from Tita Mylene

Bianca Umali has had the pleasure of working with some of the industry’s best and brightest actors. But there’s one actor that has left quite an impression on her.

With a smile, Bianca says that Mylene Dizon, who played Sahaya’s mother Manisan, is the first person that comes to her mind.

She respects Mylene for her professionalism and the way she carries herself every time–a perfect role model for her, who is still learning the ropes of showbiz.

“Because siya ’yung nanay ko sa Sahaya and naging malaking influence siya for me, hindi lang sa isang bagay, e, ’Yung professionalism niya sa trabaho and kung paano siya as herself in real life.

“How confident she is and how strong she brings herself. I really looked up to her, sobra-sobra. Isa siya sa talagang mga hindi ko makakalimutan na katrabaho."

Sahaya was the second time that she has worked with Mylene Dizon. The first project that they did was the 2015 drama romance comedy series Once Upon a Kiss. Bianca admits that meeting Mylene again was nerve-wracking, since it was such a long-time since their last soap.

But to her surprise, the versatile actress remembered her.

"Si Tita Mylene when I saw her again, I thought she won’t remember me, honestly.

“So medyo, nahihiya ako lumapit, but then siya naman ’yung nag-open and siya ’yung nag-insist na naalala niya ako and ganun na this time around ako naman ’yung anak niya.

“So, I was happy.”

More than a co-actor, Mylene was a friend to her.

“She won’t make you feel na baguhan ka. She’ll make you feel comfortable, hindi siya intimidating.

“She’s very approachable, especially when you get to bond with her and kapag kabisado niyo na ’yung isa’t-isa, sobrang ganda ng flow ng relationship niyo on and off cam.

As we approach the tail-end of our interview, we pose one last question to Bianca.

If someone were to write a book about her life, what would its title be?

The mestiza beauty takes a moment to ponder, as the question seems to have caught her off-guard.

She says coyly, “Mahirap ah. I have never thought about that. I mean as someone who loves reading, never ko naisipan bigyan ng title ’yung kuwento ng buhay ko.

A few moments later, in a calm and composed voice, Bianca finally answers, “Sa ngayon, nafi-feel kong title ngayon, ‘This Too Shall Pass.’”

By overcoming the many tribulations in the past, she’s learned that there will always be a silver lining in every situation, no matter how bad life gets.

If your heart and head are in the right place, you’ll be able to make it through any tempest that will come your way.

“Kasi, yun ’yung lagi ko sinasabi ko sa sarili ko kapag may pinagdadaanan ako. That this too shall pass and everything does pass.

“And at the end of the day, you are okay. Natapos na ’yung problema mo, napagdaanan mo ’yung problema mo, pero ikaw nandiyan pa rin.

“Patuloy pa rin ’yung buhay.”