The Brilyante Chose Them

Bianca Umali, Faith Da Silva, Kelvin Miranda, and Angel Guardian are seated across me for the GMA Integrated News Interviews. The four are set to play the new generation of Sang'gres in "Encantadia Chronicles: Sang'gre": Terra, Flamarra, Adamus, and Deia.
But for a moment, they weren't flexing their mythical warrior roles from Lireo or Sapiro. They were just four young people… powerful in their honesty.
We were rolling. Then we played a throwback clip from October 2023, an interview from months ago. They watched themselves, younger, a little greener, maybe unsure. And that's when the shift happened.
K
elvin was first to speak up. As always, chill, thoughtful, but this time, unexpectedly emotional. I could see tears almost welling up from where I sat.
'Nung nag-dub kami ng ilang scenes, grabe narinig ko yung boses ko, iba. Nakita ko 'yung the way ako kumilos, magbigay ng emosyon sa eksena, sabi ko, 'hala, ibang-iba talaga.' Parang nabataan ako sa sarili ko dun," he began.
[When we dubbed some scenes, I heard my voice again and I thought it was different. I saw how I moved, how I gave emotions to the scenes and I thought I was so different. I was so young back then.]
Kelvin Miranda at the GMA Integrated News Interviews. Courtesy: Nelson Canlas
"Ang gusto kong sabihin sa kanya, maraming salamat dahil ipinagpatuloy mo ang paniniwala mo sa sarili mo. Kasi kung hindi, malamang wala ka sa kinauupuan o kinalalagyan mo ngayon. And salamat sa tiwala," he added.
[I wanted to thank you for his continued faith in himself. Because if not, we probably wouldn't be here. Thank you for the trust.]
It was, for me, an emotional thing. A young man thanking his younger self for simply holding on. That hit close to home.
T
hen Angel — soft-spoken, but clearly carrying with her a turning point — admitted she almost walked away from it all. According to Angel, she didn't understand why she was in showbiz, even while she was doing "Running Man Philippines."
Angel Guardian at the GMA Integrated News Interviews. Courtesy: Nelson Canlas
She was poised to just wait for her talent contract to end, then she would just go abroad to study. But now, she gets it. Why God made her wait. Because she was destined to do something she can truly be proud of.
'I see myself there. I know how much doubt I had back there… ilang beses ko sinubukang umalis. Pero parati akong hinihila pabalik. And heto, sobrang laking harang na nito. And kung may sasabihin ako sa sarili ko two years ago, siguro na magtiwala ka sa sarili mo, the way na nagtitiwala sa 'yo yung mga tao… I think it's time na makita ko rin yung sarili ko tulad ng nakikita ako ng ibang tao.'
[I see myself there. I know how much doubt I had back there. I tried to leave many times, but each time, something always pulled me back. And here, this opportunity is the biggest obstacle for me to leave. If there's anything I want to tell myself two years ago, it's to trust yourself the way other people trust you. I think it's time for me to see myself the way others see me.]
Sometimes we don't need a breakthrough. We just need a mirror.
Faith Da Silva. Courtesy: Nelson Canlas
W
hen Faith, radiant but private, let her guard fall just enough, it showed the little girl still healing underneath. 'Lagi akong may fear na tatanggapin ba nila ako? Iba rin pala yung tapang ng pag-ask ng help from the people around you… Yung journey na 'to, hindi magiging dikit na dikit sa kanila kung hindi ako humingi ng tulong.'
[There's always a fear if people will accept me. Asking help from people around you takes a different kind of courage. In this journey, I wouldn't be this close to them if I hadn't asked for help.]
I could almost hear her exhale. It's not easy to admit you needed people. But she did. And she's stronger for it.
T
hen finally, Bianca. Always poised, always brave. This time however, she was vulnerable, and yes, wiser in the most grounded way. She said she's always had no choice to be brave "because I didn't have any fallback."
"I didn't have anyone to catch me when I fell," the Kapuso celebrity continued.
"But then now, I understood the strength in that. I let myself fall and then I brought myself back up," she said.
Sometimes, the most powerful warrior is the one who has learned to rise on her own.
Bianca Umali. Courtesy: Nelson Canlas
What I witnessed in that sit-down was a moment of arrival. A reckoning. A soft unveiling of everything it took for these four believers to reach this point, not just in their careers, but in themselves.
These Kapuso artists stepping into destiny with open wounds and open hearts.
They grew up watching "Encantadia" and even dreamed of being part of its colossal project. But sitting there, I couldn't help but think… maybe it was never really about them chasing the dream.
Maybe it was the brilyante that found them.
Maybe it chose them, because of the scars. Because of the doubts. Because they had to fall before they could fly.
And now, here they are, carrying not just the legacy of a beloved fantasy, but the real, lived wisdom of what it means to fight for your space, your light, and your voice.
The magic of "Encantadia" has always lived in the realm of the brave. But this time, it's shining through the ones who dared to be vulnerable.
The realm could not be in better hands. — LA, GMA Integrated News

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