Shuvee Etrata: The Island Is Her Inner Compass
From Bantayan’s white sand shores to national television, Shuvee Etrata reflects on how her journey through PBB redefined her view of wellness, one rooted in family, faith, and nature.
When Shuvee Etrata walks into any space, the energy shifts. She doesn’t need to say anything—her presence alone speaks volumes. Her morena skin glows like it’s been kissed by the sun, her eyes sparkle with an unspoken mischief, and her bright aura is instantly disarming. She greets everyone with a warm smile and a hug, often cracking a joke, and yet when the moment calls for it, she can hold a room with wisdom and depth far beyond her 24 years.
Borgy Angeles
But ask Etrata where she truly feels most like herself, and the answer is never the city, never a set or a stage. It’s the ocean where she recharges her energy. “Exaggerated man siyang pakinggan pero kailangan ko talaga ng dagat,” she says. “I’m physically and mentally unwell if I don’t see the dagat.”
Raised in the coastal beauty of Bantayan Island, Cebu, Etrata is a model, actress, host, and viral content creator who carries her island roots like a badge of honor. For someone who has graced TV screens, TikTok feeds, and pageant stages, Etrata remains deeply tethered to the simple life she left behind—not out of nostalgia, but out of need.
For Etrata, wellness has evolved far beyond her daily gym routines and home workouts. taking care of her “whole self.” “Not just my physical self, but my mental state,” she reiterates.
And nothing nourishes the soul quite like nature. “I don’t want to take for granted how I like to connect with nature, how I like to be grounded,” she says. The sea, especially, holds a spiritual place in her life.
Etrata’s journey to the limelight wasn’t paved in glitter. The eldest of nine siblings, she grew up in a family that valued hard work and sacrifice. She juggled physical therapy studies and long commutes across Cebu before choosing showbiz as a faster way to support her family.
Leaving Cebu to move to Manila was not just a matter of sacrificing comfort or leaving the island that she calls home. For her, it also meant leaving behind her long-held dream, a sacrifice she wished she didn’t have to make: to be a physician. “I’ve always wanted to become a doctor,” she tells Allure Philippines. And to be an artist, she had to sacrifice that dream.
But that leap of faith paid off. From her viral moment in Family Feud to playing Veshdita in Encantadia Chronicles: Sang’gre, and staying true to herself as Shuvee inside Kuya’s house, with the help of fellow housemates—“Ate Klang, Bianca, and Pamilya De Guzman,” Etrata emerged as more than just a rising star. She became a symbol of authenticity.
Spend more than five minutes with Etrata and you’ll quickly see she’s much more than the “Dalagang Pilipina” archetype that made her go viral on TikTok. She’s unsheltered, but introspective; funny and smart; a Bisaya through and through, unashamed of her accent or roots or her skin tone.
“I was bullied for my skin,” she recalls of her time in Polomolok, South Cotabato in Mindanao. But in Bantayan, she received so much love for how and who she is. It’s also where her Lola, the woman who raised her with “super tough love,” lived. “I’ve had a really tough childhood, but I’ve been loved by my Lola,” she recalls fondly.
Even today, when life post-PBB threatens to sweep her away, Etrata grounds herself in the values Lola instilled: love for family, faith, and simplicity.
More than the accolades, what Etratra values most are the letters from fans who say she changed their lives. “Before, my purpose was just to help my family. But now, I feel I’ve found something greater,” she says. “With great power comes great responsibility. I’m dedicated to be a role model, to be a good example, to still make people happy, [and to] uplift their spirits,” she believes. “I would say, I found my purpose,” she says with a smile.
Borgy Angeles
When asked what her ideal, fully-well self looks like, she doesn’t speak about how she looks or her career milestones. “It’s a mindset that radiates confidence,” she says, the kind of confidence that comes not from applause, but from knowing your roots. For Etrata, that’s the white sand of Bantayan, the prayers whispered in quiet moments, the sea breeze reminding her that no matter how loud the world gets, she is enough.
After all, “When I’m sitting on the beach, with the scenery, the sea, the pristine waters, the waves, I feel so small,” she reflects. “I feel like the ocean is so big that my problems are so small.”
Production design: Justine Arcega-Bumanlag
Photographer’s assistants: Rojan Maguyon and Pao Mendoza
Makeup: Denise Go-Ochoa
Hair: Renz Pangilinan
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 Sparkle GMA Artist Center
