Now, as the first big winner of Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition, Keanna is indeed reborn. She also seems to have gained a certain degree of respectability, even among people who used to treat her like trash. Now, she’s being offered projects and endorsements left and right. TV guestings and offers for magazine covers are pouring in. She now goes around wearing gorgeous gowns, designer clothes and jewelry given to her by friends. Her fan base is growing, with people following her around wherever she goes, asking her for autographs and the chance to have pictures taken with her.
The sudden fame is something Keanna still has to get used to, but yes, she’s definitely loving it. "It’s too good to be true talaga," laughs Keanna. "Hindi ako makapaniwala sa dami ng blessings na dumadating. Dati, tanggap lang ako ng tanggap kung anong trabaho ang ibigay sa akin dahil kailangan ko ng pera. Ngayon, iba na."
The thing that she enjoys the most is the chance to inspire a lot of people with her story. The second of five children, Keanna had a difficult childhood growing up in Cebu. All of her brothers and sisters were intelligent while she had to struggle through school. "Ako, maliliit (mabababa) lang ang grades ko," she says. "Kahit paluin ako ng paluin ng magulang ko, wala talaga."
She remembers one time when she asked her father for money because she had to pay the admission fee to a review class for the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE). He refused to give her the money, saying, "Sus, magsasayang ka lang ng pera, hindi ka naman makakapasa."
So, at 17, Keanna got married. Her husband was a nephew of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. They met through her aunt. "Naging barkada niya ang tiyahin ko," says Keanna, who, back then, had started to make a career out of joining beauty contests in her hometown.
They got married in church, but unfortunately, the marriage – which according to reports, may be null and void, because Keanna was only 17 at the time – didn’t last. They had two children, sons IJ and Troy. When IJ was 11, her husband reportedly turned violent on her. "Ginagawa akong punching bag at binabaril ako sa paa, eh aantayin ko pa bang mamatay ako?" asks Keanna. "At saka babaero din."
So one night, when he was asleep, Keanna escaped. Everything that happened was told in her life story, which was shown on TV sometime after the escort girl exposé.
She came to Manila, where she was hoping to find a better life. But as most probinsyana who come to the big city discover, that was easier said than done. "Gumawa ako ng paraan para mabuhay," says Keanna. "Nag-showbiz ako, tapos hanggang mapunta na nga ako sa escort-escort na ‘yan."
It was the worst time of her life. Sure, she was making more money than she ever had in her life, but it was at the cost of her self-respect. Her career was also going nowhere. Finally, she decided to come clean by appearing on Kontrobersyal, where she spilled the beans on the escort girl scandal. At the time, Keanna thought the exposé would give her career the needed shot in the arm. But instead, it backfired. People did talk about her, and she did get publicity, but it was not necessarily of the right kind. At least, it wasn’t the kind she wanted.
The only people who continued to believe in Keanna at the time were friends and family. Even some colleagues in showbiz, on hearing of her involvement in the scandal, started to shun her. "Ang tingin sa akin ng mga tao, maliit. Parang basura. Lalo akong inalipusta."
Fortunately, her two sons were still too young to understand what was going on. "Hindi alam ng mga anak ko ang nangyayari. Akala nila, gimik lang ang lahat dahil nga nag-aartista ako. Para sa kanila, wala ‘yon. Ang tingin pa rin nila sa akin, mabait ako," she says.
It was this hope that Keanna clung to in the midst of all the darkness. She used that as a stepping stone to changing her life. Her sons became her inspiration. She wanted to change her life for their sake. Fortunately, there were also friends who helped her without expecting anything in return.
Slowly but surely, Keanna managed to pull herself out of the hole she was in. It wasn’t easy, but she did it. That, she thinks, is what helped her win Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition. She is no stranger to hardship, or being on her own. "Sanay kasi ako sa hirap," she says.
Another thing that helped her was that throughout the whole show, Keanna never put on a false front. She was always at her most natural. "Pinuhunan ko ang puso ko," she says. "Naging totoong tao ako. From the start, wala akong ipinakitang kaplastikan."
She learned a lot of lessons from her Big Brother experience. "Doon, naramdaman ko na di talaga puwede yung mabubuhay kang mag-isa. Kailangan mo talaga ng kaibigan. Ako kasi, uhaw ako sa kaibigan."
Those lessons will stay with her now that she is on a different path. She is happy that she won Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition, not necessarily because of all the financial blessings that have come her way (although they are certainly welcome), but because it has not only given her new hope; more important, it has given her a chance to inspire other people.