Vince Saldana is a step closer to showbiz fame

Out of the 24 candidates and almost 1,000 aspirants of the recently concluded reality model search "Close-Up to Fame 2," Vince Saldana, dubbed "Crush ng Bayan," emerged as the victorious "fame seeker" alongside his partner Ara Hanesh, the exotic beauty from Pangasinan.

Ever since the contest started, almost everyone had put their bets on 19-year-old Vince who stands 5'10" tall because of his promising charm and interesting family background. He was even broadly tipped to win just by going with the forecasts of his co-fame seekers.

Only a few people might not know that Vince is actually the nephew of award-winning actor and screen heartthrob, Piolo Pascual. Piolo's mom Amelia is the second cousin of Vince's dad. Vince even fondly calls Piolo as Tito PJ. But for Vince, having a famous uncle like Piolo Pascual was never an assurance to winning the contest. During an interview in their Cebu tour, Vince told The Freeman Entertainment weeks before he won the contest that he is aiming to make a name of his own and not use his uncle's prominence to become successful in the field of endeavor he has chosen. He has not even sought out the advice of his Tito PJ, although he knows the latter would be supportive of him. He stressed that he is proud of his uncle's achievements and he plans to follow his footsteps someday, but he'll do so without taking advantage of Piolo's clout and name.

Vince spent most of his growing years in Guam, joining a lot of theater activities there and only came home to the Philippines to pursue his acting ambitions. The articulate aspiring actor said that joining "Close-Up to Fame 2" does not give you a sure ticket to stardom but it exposes you to the limelight. He admitted plans of making it in the industry, reckoning, "We're already at the door and so close to getting inside the world of entertainment, so why not pursue it?"

Vince recognized the wonderful feeling of having his fans who are there to support and love him. "The recognition and the positive welcoming of the people in places we go to have been great! It's as if all my efforts to get here in this position have paid off!" he enthused.

Among the female finalists, Vince admitted that he likes Kat Reyes the most. They both came from the green squad headed by their partner to fame Nikki Valdez. Vince said that Kat is not only beautiful but is also very fun to be with. He said that they are comfortable with each other because they are able to talk about a lot of things.

Vince won P500,000 cash and a Close-Up endorsement with his fame partner Ara Hanesh. Soon their commercial will air on TV screens nationwide. But will Vince retain the instant fame he earned from the contest and make his Tito PJ proud now that the search has already ended? Well, it's still something to look forward to. But as for Vince, he'll not retreat from any challenge with this to say: "If there's a will, there's a way... If you want something, you have to pursue it for you to become successful."