After personal loss, Rufa Mae Quinto starts to find healing
MANILA, Philippines — Rufa Mae Quinto’s impersonation of Vice Ganda in ABS-CBN Studios’ talent competition “Your Face Sounds Familiar” elicited laughter from viewers and netizens, with some praising her effortless comedic act and how naturally she made the audience laugh.
She delivered an “unkabogable” performance of Vice Ganda’s Rampa during Week 1 of the show, hosted by Vhong Navarro and Jhong Hilario.
Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid and Sharon Cuneta sit on the panel of judges with Klarisse de Guzman and Nyoy Volante as mentors and AC Soriano, Krystal Brimner and Vivoree Esclito as online hosts.
The other celebrity performers are Akira Morishita, Alexa Ilacad, Dia Mate, Jarlo Base, Jason Dy, JM Dela Cerna, Marielle Montellano and Pepe Herrera.
During an earlier presscon, Rufa Mae shared how joining the show helped her cope with the rocky times in her life. Her husband, San Francisco police officer Trevor Magallanes, passed away last July. He died of natural causes, according to Rufa Mae.
The two tied the knot in 2016. In 2024, Trevor posted on his Instagram that they were getting a divorce. They have an eight-year-old daughter, Athena.
“I’ve gone through a lot of problems, ma-drama, so I said I want to do something beautiful para malibang ako. I need it because we (me and my daughter) are still grieving,” said the comedienne-actress. “Ang pinaka-magagawa ko lang is magpasaya habang ako rin sumasaya.”
For the past 10 years, Rufa Mae recalled that she hadn’t been full-time in showbiz because she focused on her family. But now that her daughter is already eight years old, she is considering to resume her showbiz full-on. It is also one of the reasons why she accepted the offer to audition for “Your Face Sounds Familiar.”
“She’s a bit more independent now, so I said I can work full-time on my career,” she said. “This is my first time doing this, and it’s also a sort of training for me. I’m no longer used to wearing high heels, performing and singing. Andami kong kailangang balikan. But sakto ‘to (right) for me to start again… I did this for me to be happy.”
She also expressed her gratitude to her co-performers and ABS-CBN, saying she found a family in them.
“It’s hard ‘cause I thought you’re just going to sing (in the show). But it’s different because there’s a judge, you have to dance and there are competitors. The others are really talented, and I know that no matter what I do, my voice isn’t on the same level as the champions, right?” she said with a laugh and then added a lighthearted warning, “But humanda sila!”
“I want to give happiness to people para sumaya din ako. I’m depressed but it’s OK because there’s freedom of the press like you, guys. So mga press, fans, family, friends, hep, hep, hep, hooray! Mga press ‘wag kayong ma-depress,” she quipped.
Kidding aside, Rufa Mae is seriously dedicating herself to her showbiz career at this point. “Kahit mukhang lutang lagi. Haha! Kala niyo lang ‘di ako naka-focus pero alam ko lahat ng mga plano ninyo.”
It is also a breath of fresh air for Rufa Mae to work alongside younger performers. “It’s not that perfect but when I’m with them, I get entertained so I also become happy. Go, go, grow sa pagpasaya at sa pagkanta.”
Although she admitted that singing is her greatest fear, she expressed that she still wants to be a singer and a total performer.
(“Your Face Sounds Familiar” airs at 7:15 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live and A2Z. Viewers can also catch it on TV5 every Saturday, at 8:15 p.m., and Sundays, at 8:30 p.m.)
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