There’s no stopping Roxie now

Everybody deserves a second chance. But a third one?

Definitely – if the person seeking is as determined and talented as Roxanne Barcelo. Starting in show business as a winner in a TV talent search, Roxie went from support to lead actress on some soap operas in just a matter of months. It was a promising start, indeed, but as things were about to take off, unexpected events forced Roxie out of these shows.

A detour into recording followed. In 2003, Roxie released a debut album under Universal Records composed of ballads and dance tracks. But while riding high on a couple of hit singles, Bella Tan (the label’s matriarch who was the moving force behind Roxie’s singing career) passed away. Promotion of Roxie’s album suddenly stopped.

Roxie, for the second time, was down. But she wasn’t out.

While concentrating on finishing her studies (Roxie was a fourth year Communication Arts student then), Roxie received a call: Would she like to be part of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Celebrity Edition? The rest was history. Though voted out from Bahay ni Kuya, Roxie came out of PBB with another chance in show business. But more importantly, she was much wiser from the experience.

"You can’t please everyone is the first and biggest lesson PBB taught me," she says. "On the other hand, I also learned that not everyone is out to victimize you. There are detractors as there are friends who look after you. In the end, one just has to accept that life is a balancing act with your values and dreams as center of gravity. Keep a healthy but realistic perspective and you won’t fall. Keep believing, keep moving on and you’d eventually make it to the other side."

This attitude is bound to finally see Roxie reach the success she deserves. "Character determines destiny," so people say, and Roxie has it. "I’m not into the business for the money or fame," she says. "Cliché that may sound, but it’s true. I’m here because I feel I have something to offer and this is where I belong. Showbiz is where God always brings me back."

Roxie admits to moments of uncertainty. Right after PBB, Roxie applied at a multi-national company as property consultant. She got in. She was up for training. It was as far as that went. The night before her first day at work, Roxie was confused. In her heart, she still believes the entertainment world is where her calling lies.

So at Sunday Mass, Roxie offered a prayer of acceptance. She resigned everything to God. "I said, ‘God, wherever you want to take me, I will go. I will not question but follow,’" says Roxie. "Looking back at that moment, I was afraid of the answer. I knew that if I reported for work the next day, there would be no turning back."

Then, as Roxie stepped out of church, her phone rang. ABS-CBN was offering her the stint of hosting PBB Uplate. It was an answered prayer. "I shouldn’t have been surprised. It wasn’t the first time God intervened. There are other talents in ABS-CBN they could have given the job to. But the chance was laid before me without me asking for it. His message is clear," says Roxie.

During the run of the reality show, many saw Roxie as a cry baby. Some saw her as a flirt. All of them were wrong. "People don’t know what I’ve been through to say that I’m iyakin or a flirt," says Roxie. "They don’t know that I’m not even supposed to be here. My mom had cancer when she was young and she was diagnosed to never have kids. But here we are, her children. There must be a purpose."

As for being accommodating to the opposite sex, Roxie just had to laugh. "I’ve never had a boyfriend for quite some time now. If I were a flirt, I’d have boy friends left and right and all the time. And even when I had one, I didn’t tell the world about it; I didn’t flaunt it."

On her third return, a focused Roxie is in the wings. Now done with schooling, she is ready to concentrate on her career. Now sure of her calling, she is open to anything. "God gives people so many talents but in the end, one has to choose which one to cultivate to the fullest," she says. "For me, this will be acting and hosting."

Other projects are still in the negotiation phase but Roxie is unperturbed. She is willing to wait; confident in the knowledge that destiny does not err. Does she pray for success?

"I pray to thank God and not to ask for more blessings. He has already given – and continues to give – enough. With success I’ll work hard for it. I believe that God helps those who help themselves first."

We don’t have to go far to know this is true.