Entertainment

Ruby Ruiz beats Cinemalaya acting record of Eddie Garcia

Kristofer Purnell - Philstar.com

August 19, 2026 | 2:47pm

Ruby Ruiz beats Cinemalaya acting record of Eddie Garcia

Composite photo of Ruby Ruiz and Eddie Garcia, the most-awarded actors of Cinemalaya.

CCP / Erickson dela Cruz, released

MANILA, Philippines — From one veteran actor to another.

Ruby Ruiz set a new record for acting wins at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, breaking the tie she had with the late Eddie "Manoy" Garcia.

The actress received her fourth Balanghai trophy after winning a second Best Actress award for "Status: Rejected."

Her previous Best Actress win was for "Iska" in 2019, while the other two trophies were Best Supporting Actress for "Ekstra" in 2013 and "Ginhawa" in 2022.

Garcia won three Best Actor awards before he passed away in 2019: "ICU Bed #7" in 2005, which was the first Cinemalaya, "Bwakaw" in 2012," and "ML" in 2018.

The only other actors with multiple wins at Cinemalaya are Meryll Soriano, Baron Geisler, Mylene Dizon, Lou Veloso, and Ina Feleo.

According to the synopsis of "Status: Rejected," Ruiz plays a grandmother "longing for love and the promise of a better life and is swept into an online romance that challenges her sense of worth, family, and the dreams she refuses to let go of."

During the 2026 Awards Night held last August 17 in a Mandaluyong mall, Ruiz began her acceptance speech by riffing off her movie to say "Status... accepted!"

Ruiz admitted not to preparing a speech as she knew Cinemalaya had a lot of surprises and would not be swayed by what Filipinos were saying online.

"'Pag nabigyan ka ng Balanghai, talagang papahalagaan mo dahil pinag-hirapan ito, hindi siya nabibili," said the actress.

She called it an honor to win another trophy despite initially thinking she might not receive another Best Actress award after winning in 2019, but reitereated every win is the fruit of an actor's labor.

The veteran actress thanked Cinemalaya for paving the path for her to be more widely recognized as Ruiz's foundation is in theater.

Ruiz thanked the "Status: Rejected" team led by director Vahn Leinard Pascual, all those who watched the movie, and her son to whom she dedicated her latest win.

It's a tie

Making the moment even more special was that Ruiz tied for Best Actress with comedienne Marietta "Pokwang" Subong, the star of "2 Valid IDs."

The film marked Pokwang second's film at Cinemalaya and a decade since her first appearance at the festival, "Mercury is Mine."

The comedienne honored her late parents, noting how she was the ninth of 12 children and her father said she was "kakaiba" from her siblings.

Pokwang thanked the festival, its jurors, her co-actors Meryll Soriano, Joey Marquez, and Zaijian Jaranilla, and most especially all those who flocked to theaters to see the movie.

"Alam niyong gaano kahirap ang buhay ngayon — tipid-tipid — pero nandiyan kayo. Pinatunayan niyo na kaya ng Pilipino, kaya ng industriya, kaya maraming, maraming salamat!" Pokwang said.

The actress-comedian even quipped that she and Ruiz could give girl group KAIA, who were the ceremony's guest performers, a run for their money.

"Kaya natin! Kaya ng mga Pilipino! Sa lahat ng Sylvia," Pokwang ended by referencing her character, "Sa lahat ng Pilipinong may pinagdadaanan, huwag kayo mawalan ng pag-asa. Laban lang!"

There was another tie that evening in the Best Supporting Actor category, which saw child stars Lucas Andalio of "Mag-iina" and KD Omalin of "Hand of God" share the award.

It was only a couple of years ago when Marian Rivera and Gabby Padilla jointly won the Best Actress award for their respective films, "Balota" and "Kono Basho."

"2 Valid IDs" also won the Special Jury Award and Audience Choice Award, while "Status: Rejected" received the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema, or NETPAC, Award.

The evening, however, was dominated by the female-led "Mag-iina" as it won six trophies including Best Feature Film. Queer-themed "Tayo Lang Ang Nakakaalam" followed with four wins led by Best Actor Martin del Rosario.