Ang pagdadalaga ni Nene

For 111 days, from Aug. 21 to Dec. 10, the voyeurs in all of us Filipinos were glued to ABS-CBN’s reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother (Ang Teleserye ng Totoong Buhay) as 26 hidden cameras monitored the movements of 13 housemates who became like members of your and my household that we fondly call them by their nicknames – Raquel, Uma, Cass, Jason, Say, Chx, Franzen, Rico, Sam, JB, Bob, Jenny and Nene.

One by one, the housemates were evicted until there was one. She’s none other than Nene – Jennivev Tamayo, 24, a native of Romblon, second to the eldest among seven children of a below-average family. Her parents are Geny and Maria Belly Tamayo, and her siblings are (chronologically now) Jennybel, Billy Jean, Geny Jr., Jemar, Jebert and Jefferson.

Because she played boys’ games and climbed coconut trees back in Romblon, Nene had been mistaken for a tomboy. Actually, she is not. In person, Nene looks like a sweet sixteener, very charming and very friendly (no airs – yet?). She looks as if she’s just emerging from her cocoon – you know, ang pagdadalaga ni Nene.

At grand finals held at Clark Expo, Angeles City, last Saturday night, Nene bagged the following prizes: P1 million cash, a Nissan Frontier Titanium 3, house and lot at St. Monique Valais in Rizal, lifestyle showcase from Promac and a kabuhayan showcase worth P2 million from Ink For Less. She beat the three other finalists – Cass, Uma and Jayson.

Not bad for a girl who worked as a legal assistant at the MLEU Law Offices after finishing Computer Science at the University of the East. She was No. 343 among more than 25,000 who auditioned for PBB.

"I still keep that number," said Nene during an exclusive interview at Hotel Rembrandt where she has been booked after she came out of Big Brother’s house.

Did you know that you would win?

"Not when the PBB was just starting. At that time, all I wished for was to be included among the 12 finalists. I told myself that if I didn’t try, I’d regret it all my life. I got a feeling that I would win when only four of us were left as finalists. But I told Big Brother that Kuya Jason might win. Siya ang pinaka-gusto ko. Simple siyang tao. I consider him my big brother and I call him kuya even if he’s only one year older than I."

What do you think made you win?

"I just did what I thought was kaya ko. Inside Big Brother’s house, we were ourselves; our moves and actions were not scripted. So, what you saw was what you got. We didn’t have to pretend to be what we were not."

What will you do with your prizes?

"The house I will keep even if it’s far from my workplace. You see, I’ve always been a workaholic. My aim was to save money and build my own house in five years. Look, I realized my dream not in five years but in only three months. Ang buhay nga naman!"

Before PBB, what was the biggest amount that you ever handled?

"Nasa million din. At our office. But the money was not mine."

How much were you getting as a legal assistant?

"Just enough to support my needs. There were several benefits, including free travels (domestic). I loved my work. My officemates are like family to me. Just the other day, I dropped by our office but I couldn’t stay long because I had tapings, guestings, etc."

What will you do with the money?

"Half of it I will deposit in the bank. The rest, I will distribute among my family."

Do you drive?

"No, I don’t. Honestly, I’m not so interested in the car. But I can drive a motorbike. And I love horses."

You’re fond of "manly" things.

"That’s why people think that I’m a tomboy. The truth is that I am not."

You also climbed coconut trees.

"Yes, when I was a kid. I told myself, ‘If the guys can do it, why can’t I?’ So I proved to them that I could."

Did you really want to be a soldier when you were younger?

"Yes, I did. At UE, I was the first ROTC Corps commander. Inside Big Brother’s house, they called me Kumander Nene."

What sort of childhood did you have?

"I was really makulit as a kid. Lahat ng games sinasalihan ko – patintero, track and field and softball in school. We were a little hard-up because my father couldn’t work. He has weak lungs. Pero nakaraos din naman kami, sa awa ng Diyos. We were able to go to school. The only thing I didn’t experience in my family was being open. I envied my classmates because they were physically affectionate, yumayakap at humahalik sa parents nila. Hindi ko naranasan ‘yan."

You spent 111 days inside Big Brother’s house. Did you ever get bored?

"Sometimes I did, especially when we had nothing to do and we just waited for Big Brother to tell us what to do. During those idle hours, I looked for something to do. I washed clothes or I strolled around the garden."

Did you follow the same routine every day?

"Almost. Wake-up call was 8 a.m. but we had no idea because we were not allowed to wear watches. We had breakfast and then took a bath. Then, Big Brother would tell us to get our provisions from the storage room. And then we waited for Big Brother’s orders."

What was your most memorable experience inside Big Brother’s house?

"The dance marathon. I really enjoyed it because I love dancing. That was when my housemates started calling me Energizer, kasi I was full of energy daw and I kept on dancing even if they had stopped already."

Didn’t you develop any romance with any of your housemates?

"No."

Why, did you have a boyfriend (outside)?

"None. Mayroon akong minahal pero hindi ko siya naging boyfriend. It even became an issue when Willie (Revillame, PBB co-host with Toni Gonzaga and Mariel Rodriguez) asked me if I still loved the guy."

Now that you’re popular and a millionaire, guys will scramble over one another to court you. What qualities do you look for in a guy?

"Tall. Not really handsome pero dapat may hitsura naman. I don’t like fair-skinned guys. Mas gusto ko ‘yung dark. He has to be serious but with a sense of humor."

Inside Big Brother’s house, who was closest to you?

"Raquel. From the beginning, siya talaga ang ka-close ko."

During your confession inside Big Brother’s house, you cried when you revealed that you had a "cold war" with your mother. How did you sort things out?

"We already talked, but not long enough because we didn’t have time. I want to spend more time with her and my father, brothers and sisters when I spend Christmas with them, sana in our new house. This will be our happiest Christmas, the first time we will spend Christmas together."

What are your immediate plans?

"I want to be a dancer or a TV host."

No plans to be an actress?

"None. I know I can’t act. I don’t want to try it because I might look ‘trying hard.’ So sabi ko, huwag na lang."

What have been the changes in your life after PBB?

"So far, not much. I’m just surprised when after I went out of Big Brother’s house, a lot of people recognize me, asking for my autograph and having their pictures taken with me. It’s all so sudden. Up to now, parang hindi pa nagsi-sink sa isip ko that I’m the winner, that I won P1 million, a car, and house and lot."

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