Events host undergoes cosmetic surgery to get jobs

An events host went under the cosmetic knife several times so he could land jobs.

In a “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” episode on Sunday, Michael said he was proud of his decision which led to his growth as a person.

Michael’s childhood

Growing up, Michael said he was frequently bullied for the way he looked.

“One time, nasa labas ako ng bahay. Nakaupo ako sa hagdan. Kasama ko iyong friend ko. Tapos she squeezed my face. Sabi niya, ‘Michael, ang pangit mo.’ (One time, I was outside the house, sitting on the stairs with my friend. She squeezed my face and said, ‘Michael, you’re ugly.’),” he said. Since then, he felt conscious of the way he looked.

Good thing, his family always made him feel good and handsome.

One surgery after another

When Michael finished school and started working, he began saving money. By 2013, he had his ears and nose done.

When he went home with a bandage, his dad thought he had gotten into a fight. Michael then told his parents that he had his nose done.

After one surgery, Michael went to another. Then another, and another one after that to the point where he had about 10 surgeries, which amounted to almost P1 million.

“Nag-reunion kami ng mga college friends ko. Iba na iyong tingin nila na hindi na ganon katulad dati na ‘pag inaasar nila ako (My college friends and I had a reunion. They looked at me differently, unlike before when I would get teased a lot),” said Michael.

“Masarap iyong nabubuhay ako sa mundo na may nagmamahal sa akin sa kung sino ako at kung sinong mahal ang pinili kong maging ako. Sobrang naging mas buo, mas naging confident ako (It feels good to live in this world where I am loved for who I am and who I choose to be. I feel complete and more confident),” he added.

Michael said he felt this way more when he met his partner Aandrei David.

“Nakita ko ’yung old photos niya nung hindi pa siya gawa. Nagtawanan lang kami together.   Tinanggap ko siya nang buong-buo hindi dahil sa hitsura kundi sa buong  pagkatao niya (I saw his old photos when he hasn’t gone under the knife yet. We just laughed together. I accepted him wholly not because of what he looked like but because of who he is),” said Aandrei.

Before the pandemic hit, Michael said he would get two to three gigs in a day. Many people had been approaching him to take a photo with him and ask for his number.

While he has grown to become more confident of himself, some people continued to say negative things about him.

“Minsan, nakakarinig ako na iyong, ‘mukha na siyang robot,’ president ng science club kasi nga gawa ng siyensa. (Sometimes, I would hear comments, saying how I looked like a robot and was a product of science) Just when I was bullied as a kid, I just kept quiet and I processed things inside,” said Michael.

To once and for all answer repeated questions about his cosmetic surgery, he shared his story on his TikTok account.

“Hindi ko sila ine-encourage magpa-cosmetic surgery, gusto ko lang ma-realize nila kung bakit may mga taong nagpapagawa. May mga katulad ko na mahirap ang pinagdaanan. (I’m not encouraging anyone to go under the knife. I just want them to realize that people undergo cosmetic surgery for a reason. For me, I did it because I went through a lot)”

“It’s 2021. And these things should be normalized,” he said.

Today, Michael is content with what doctors have done for him.

“It feels good to be accepted by your close friends and most especially by your family. Siguro, mas mabubuhay tayo ng masaya sa mundo kung maganda na lang iyong sasabihin natin tungkol sa iba (I think we would live more happily if we would say only nice things about other people),” said Michael.

“At the end of the day ’pag hinarap na natin ang Diyos, ito naman din iyong titignan niya, eh. Okay na magpaganda pero dapat maganda rin iyong kalooban (When we face God, this is what He will look at. It’s okay to make yourself look good, but who you are inside should be good too),” he added.

“Choose to be your own beautiful.” – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News