Mika Salamanca gives back after ‘PBB’ big win

MANILA, Philippines — One of the first things Mika Salamanca did after winning “Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition” was to give back — donating her entire P1 million cash prize to a chosen charity and committing to help more scholars from low-income backgrounds pursue their education.

“Yung pagpasok ko sa ‘PBB,’ pangarap ko po siya nung bata ako,” the popular YouTuber and influencer shared in an interview with The Philippine STAR. “Pero ngayon po, kaya po talaga ako pumasok sa ‘PBB’ kasi kailangan ko pong i-reintroduce sarili ko. Yun po yung laging sinasabi ko.

“Winning the title wasn’t really in my bingo card (when I joined). And like I said, even just being part of the Big Four would have been enough for me. Medyo impossible pa. But I told myself, go, let’s still aspire for it.

“And because it was given by the Lord, by the grace of God, and it was the people who put me in that position — I didn’t expect it — I wanted to give it back to the people in whatever way I can.”

That led her to give her winnings to Duyan ni Maria, a charity for children in Pampanga, which she and fellow “PBB” big winner and duo partner Brent Manalo, had selected while inside the “PBB” house.

Mika Salamanca is the big winner of ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition,’ alongside Brent Manalo, making them the first duo to share the Big Winner title in the show’s 20-year history.—Photo from Mika Salamanca’s Facebook page

“Actually po, the Duyan ni Maria kung saan po ako nagbigay ng donation, yun po yung chosen charity po namin ni Brent sa loob ng bahay ni Kuya. Hindi pa namin siya napupuntahan ni Brent but it’s something that’s close to our heart because we’re both Kapampangan. And sa Pampanga po yung chosen charity namin na yun.”

A grateful Mika poses in front of the ‘PBB’ house: Thank you for letting me reintroduce myself.

The STAR learned that Mika has been involved in charity work before “PBB,” quietly and away from cameras and social media. This only came to light shortly after her “PBB” stint when a fellow content creator shared pictures of Mika during a previous charity activity.

“Hindi lang po siya documented before kasi yun nga po, ayoko po ma-misunderstood ng mga tao yung pagtulong ko. So ngayon po kaya din masarap siya sa pakiramdam… at least ngayon ‘pag tumutulong ako kaya ko na po siyang i-share sa mga tao and possibly matulungan ko din po yung mga tao na makita yung importansya ng pagtulong po sa iba (to help others see the importance of offering a helping hand).”

Mika credited her family for teaching her this early on.

“Ako po kasi pinalaki po ako ng family ko — not just my parents, but my whole family — na bukas po yung mata sa pagtulong. Kinalakihan ko na po na tumutulong yung pamilya namin hangga’t kaya po namin, nag-o-outreach po kami,” she said.

It was in her hometown in Pampanga where she first became aware of how tough life could be for some families in her neighboring communities.

“Kasi sa tabi po ng bahay namin sa Pampanga, yung barrio po dun, dun po yung mga sobrang less fortunate na mga tao. So there were times when they became my playmates when I was younger. I knew what they were going through. I knew their struggles because they would share them with me. So sobrang close po sa heart ko yung mga ganun, especially the kids and the elderly kasi yung lola ko din po yung nagpalaki sakin.”

She also advocates causes that focus on people struggling with mental health challenges.

“Yun naman po malapit din po siya sakin kasi po pinagdadaanan ko din po yung ibang pinagdadaanan nila. Sa mundo po kasi natin, kahit meron lang pong isang tumulong sayo or magtiwala sayo, magkakaroon ka po ng pag-asa talaga na lumaban sa buhay. So yun po yung gusto kong maintindihan din ng mga tao.”

Now, beyond “PBB,” Mika said she intends to take this support further. After funding the education of two students, she pledged to provide financial assistance to five more scholars with her earnings from YouTube, which has over 4 million followers to date.

“Actually, before, the scholars were fans. But now, I’d like to focus on adults who want to study but can’t afford to send themselves to school because they prioritized their children’s education,” she said.

“This time, may magpapaaral naman po sa kanila. May mga tao po kasi na tumitigil sila sa pag-aaral dahil kailangan po nilang pag-aralin yung pamilya nila. And this time, gusto ko pong mamili na — or magbigay ng chance sa iba po na mga nagpapaaral naman po, para mapaaral ko po sila — yung mga may gusto po.”

The STAR likewise learned that Mika has been allocating 60 percent of her YouTube earnings for charity work.

“Kasi po lahat po kasi ng kinikita ko sa YouTube, 60 percent po nalalagay po sa mga tinutulungan kong scholars and tsaka po tinutulungan na mga organizations. So ganun pa rin po yung plano namin. Tuloy-tuloy.”

Told that people might be surprised by the percentage that goes to social initiatives, Mika explained her decision to do so.

“Actually, napag-usapan din po namin dati na napakalaki ng 60 percent. Parang ‘Napakalaki ng 60 percent, ano pa matitira sayo?’ Ako po kasi, ang mindset ko po don (is) I have enough para po sa sarili ko. And yung parents ko po, never po nila akong pine-pressure na magbigay sa kanila. May trabaho po yung buong pamilya ko po. So kahit bigyan ko po sila, hindi po nila kinukuha,” Mika said.

“So sabi ko sa sarili ko: I have enough for myself. And gusto ko naman na ibigay na sa iba. Kasi po, yun po — parang… na-ko-konsensya din po ako ‘pag sobrang dami po ng nakukuha ko. Kaya parang OK po ako ibigay yung ganung percentage sa ibang tao po.”

She added that her family has been her biggest support system when it comes to these matters.

“They never tried to stop me from helping. If anything, they’re actually very proud.”