Brent Manalo: The Heart Behind the Hype
Brent Manalo, once reserved and self-critical, shares how his PBB experience taught him to open up, lean into vulnerability, and extend kindness to his younger self.
Brent Manalo doesn’t command a room the way you’d expect a reality show finalist or overnight fan favorite to. He doesn’t enter with fanfare. Instead, his presence is steady, thoughtful, and almost reserved… like someone who’s long learned how to listen before he speaks. Introverted by nature, Manalo seems more at ease in stillness than in spotlight, and yet, in a world where noise is often mistaken for confidence, it’s his inner silent strength that cuts through.
Borgy Angeles
At 5’10”, the 27-year-old actor, model, and influencer might easily be cast as the leading man type. In fact, he already has: appearing in The Broken Marriage Vow, Beach Bros , Ampalaya Chronicles, and most recently, in the viral Hayskul Crush series by fellow PBB housemate Esnyr Ranollo. But it’s not the polished on-screen charm that draws people in. It’s sincerity.
His calm demeanor first intrigued Pinoy Big Brother viewers. But it was over time, and through the slow unraveling of his vulnerability, that audiences began to truly see him.
Inside Kuya’s house, where privacy is a myth and introspection becomes both survival and growth, Manalo found himself rethinking what wellness actually meant. “Prior to PBB, I thought as long as I looked healthy on the outside, people would see me as someone who takes care of his health,” he reflects. But living in close quarters for four months—with no phone, no personal space, and no escape—forced him to go deeper. “You really have to have a more holistic approach when it comes to taking care of yourself.”
Stripped of digital distractions and faced with the relentless mirror of reality TV, he began confronting the emotions he used to tuck away. “We have so many outlets outside that when we encounter problems, we try to distract ourselves,” he says. “But inside, you really have to face everything.”
There were other revelations, too: that it’s okay to cry, that softness is not weakness, that people connect with authenticity more than composure. “People only started liking me when I became more emotional,” he admits. “Most people thought I had no feelings because when someone would get evicted, I wouldn’t cry or I wouldn’t show that I was hurting.”
Manalo has always been the type to carry his own weight quietly. Before PBB, kindness to self was a foreign concept. “When I do well, I say, ‘As you should.’ If I don’t do well, I beat myself up for it,” he shares. “But now, after PBB, I have gentler and more self-assuring words for—not [just] myself now—[but even for] my younger self. I’m sure I made him proud.”
That younger self he often speaks about—the one who bore the weight of rejection long before he understood it—wasn’t just a passing memory. He was a boy who sat quietly at the edges, who felt disliked, overlooked, and out of place. A boy who cried himself to sleep, wondering if things would ever get better, if he would ever be enough. And now, years later, Manalo offers that version of himself the reassurance he never had.
“I know it’s tough right now,” he shares what he would tell a younger Brent, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “I know you’ve been crying, but just give it time. You’re going to flourish.”
Though his fame has grown, Manalo has drawn a clear boundary between public figure and private person. He speaks with conviction about keeping his family out of the spotlight. “I’m really happy I kept it that way and I want to maintain that, because they never really signed up for this life of mine,” he says. “It’s my own decision.” It’s not a reactionary defense but an intentional choice, one grounded in self-respect.
So when the topic of hate burgeoning online comes up, he responds with the resolve of someone who’s seen both sides of visibility. “It’s not healthy having to read all the comments that you know are not constructive,” he says.
Borgy Angeles
And as for the newfound love from fans? He receives it with gratitude, not ego. “It’s all the people who helped me, my support system, the supporters, my family,” he says. “I’m only in this spot because of all the help I got.”
These days, Manalo likes to clock in exercises that reflect how he’s grown over the past few months: with time and with intention. Gratitude lists in the morning, a few minutes of meditation, a little prayer to God, and five minutes of silence before checking his phone.It’s that image of future Manalo—disciplined, grounded, and gentle with himselft—that feels most moving. Because the transformation wasn’t loud or performative. It was slow, raw, and hard-earned. And in a culture that often prizes toughness and perfection, Manalo reminds us that wellness isn’t in the performance—it’s in the pause.
Production design: Justine Arcega-Bumanlag
Photographer’s assistants: Rojan Maguyon and Pao Mendoza
Grooming: Myckee Arcano
Hair: Myckee Arcano
Styling: Joy Bernardo and Jolo Bayoneta of StyLIZed Studio, assisted by Jethro Barrietta, Ayi Custodio , Ashley Jamlang, Beatrize Lagco, and Stephanie Satorre
Art direction: Nicole Almero
Beauty direction: Trina Epilepsia Boutain
Writers: Leira Aquino and Lia Cruz
Special thanks to Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition and Star Magic
