PBB TEEN EDITION PLUS: Beauty’s father wishes “Big Four” finish for daughter

Teen housemate Beauty Gonzalez turned 17 yesterday inside the Pinoy Big Brother house, with a celebration earned for her by fellow remaining housemates after successfully completing a task.

When asked for a birthday wish for Beauty, her father Ybarra Manuel Gonzalez, told The Freeman Entertainment in an exclusive interview that his only wish was for her to make it to the Big Four.

Ybarra said that he couldn’t ask for more, as Beauty already made him proud when his daughter emerged from the challenge that Big Brother posed to her a couple of weeks ago with a hard but wise decision. This was when Nicole’s Mommy Sandy was voted for eviction as a guardian and Beauty was granted the power to change things. In the end, she decided to exchange her mother’s stay in PBB for her Tita Sandy’s survival. Nicole’s mom eventually won P150,000 and a business franchise from Potato Cuddler after placing third in text votes during the Guardians’ Big Night. 

While Nicole and mom were overwhelmed with appreciation for the gesture, Beauty’s decision drew mixed reactions from viewers, with many calling it a lost opportunity. But the teen housemate from Dumaguete had explained that she felt her Tita Sandy needed it more and she has come to realize as well that not everything can be bought by money—and money is not everything. Beauty had explained to her mom that what she can give her, instead, is a better and improved self.

“I was the proudest father of all. It was a hard decision to make and difficult to top,” said Ybarra, who added that he was also very proud of her wife’s reaction. Mom Carina, who upon learning of Beauty’s decision, embraced her daughter and reassured her that she did the right thing.

Ybarra, a former Jai Alai professional player from Spain who has since retired in Negros Oriental where he’s running a farm business, jokingly admitted that he’s getting more pressured by Beauty’s PBB stint than the time when he was a Jai Alai pilotare. This is because whatever Beauty does inside the house is also a reflection of how she was raised, explained Ybarra, who is a naturalized Filipino and speaks Cebuano fluently.

He shared that Beauty wasn’t interested to join Pinoy Big Brother at first, but it was upon the prodding of family friends that she finally gave in. Ybarra was, in fact, the last person to know that Beauty auditioned and finally made it to the short list. He had never heard of PBB prior to that, and despite much hesitation, what convinced him to give Beauty his permission to join was his daughter’s desire to prove herself. His only advice for Beauty then was “to take this seriously.”

Beauty, who’s part-Cebuana because mom, Carina Luche, is from Daanbantayan, was born, raised and schooled in Dumaguete. She was a Business Management freshman prior to entering the PBB house. Going by the message boards devoted to the primetime reality TV show, Beauty is being touted as one of the strongest contenders for the Big Four. Even some of the teen evictees, such as Jolas and Josef, have named her as one of their bets for the Big Four.

Ybarra, for his part, doesn’t entertain the idea of his daughter going away with the top prize on Big Night come June 7, in the same way he doesn’t want to speculate on what awaits her daughter after PBB. One thing is certain: he believes that all the teen housemates are winners now. “I think, for me, they’re getting education, they’re getting discipline, and they’re enjoying. I consider all of them winners already.”

Another eviction night will take place on May 31 (Saturday) and June 4 (Wednesday), during which ABS-CBN will reveal the Big Four who will compete against each other for the Big Night of Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus.

* Special thanks to Beauty’s aunt, Bernadette Luche Tad-y, for arranging the interview.