Tradition, family top Chie Filomeno’s Christmas celebration

Chie Filomeno (SCREENSHOT)

MANILA, Philippines — Her image may be displayed in sari-sari stores and on the walls of many Filipino households next year as a featured calendar model, but former “Pinoy Big Brother” celebrity housemate Chie Filomeno will still mark the holiday season with what she holds dear.

“Christmas will be different. Being your Ginebra San Miguel 2022 calendar girl has a huge impact. But I will still celebrate it with family,” Filomeno told the Inquirer at a recent virtual media conference organized by the liquor brand to launch her as its new muse, following the footsteps of 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, Anne Curtis, and Marian Rivera.

“As Filipinos, it is our tradition that every Christmas, we spend it with our family. Our priority is to spend it with family,” Filomeno continued.

The actress and social media content creator said the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been around for two holiday seasons now, has made it imperative. “We have to show love and hope to everyone,” she said.

And for Filomeno, being a featured calendar model is a way of imparting hope to other women like her, who has received flak for their appearance.

“I can show the petite women like me that they can also achieve their dreams. I’ve been told I’m too skinny, I’m too small, I look too weak,” she shared.

Host Vince Velasco (top left) and Chie Filomeno (bottom left) at the virtual media conference launching the actress and social media content creator as the latest Ginebra San Miguel Calendar Girl./SCRENSHOT

But she said she displayed the strength of a woman in her resolve to embrace her body, and by having the courage to pursue whatever it is she sets her mind into.

“I’ve gotten a lot of scars as a kid. I wasn’t scared to try new things,” Filomeno said, sharing how she enjoyed the calendar layout where she was in roller skates.

She also shared how she found the will to pursue her passion once again, after giving up on dancing when a viral video of her girl group “Girltrends” made the rounds, earning her and her groupmates the public’s ridicule for a dance routine gone haywire.

“I didn’t dance for two years on live TV. Because of the bashing we had been receiving every day, I really came to believe what the people were saying about me,” confessed Filomeno, saying her bout with sadness lingered for a while.

“But I told myself, I will dance again. This is my passion!’ she declared, saying she refused to listen to the people who do not even know her and do not see the hard work she puts into her craft.

“Never judge people. Be kind,” Filomeno continued.