Following the Footsteps of Ruben

The three Dabawenyos who entered Kuya’s house last night.

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The second season of the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus kicked off last night (March 23). Of the fourteen housemates that were introduced, three came from the Davao City. This is quite surprising because last year, Davao had just one representative: Mikki Arceo. Arceo had a brief stay at the PBB house, becoming the first housemate to be officially evicted that season.

While it is always nice to see a good number of Dabawenyos to make it to the PBB, there’s a rather disturbing theory behind the inclusion of three Dabawenyos this year. A few months ago, Dabawenyo comedian Ruben Gonzaga won the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition handily. Gonzaga’s victory was credited by the media to the strong support of his fellow Dabawenyos. Gonzaga was said to have received so much votes from Davao that ABS-CBN big wigs were alarmed and forced to bring in not just two, but three Dabawenyos in the PBB Teen Edition to help split the formidable Davao voting bloc. Of course that’s just speculation, but it really makes me curious.

Anyway, the three Dabawenyos in this year’s Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus are:

Jieriel Papa (view official PBB profile)
The first thing I can say about this girl is that she’s cute. In fact, she’s the type of girl you’d usually have a crush on in high-school. However, considering the number of pretty girls in this year’s PBB Teen edition, she needs more than just cute looks to be noticed. We shall see in the coming days the other things that this girl can offer to viewers.

Arnann Clenuar (view official PBB profile)
Dubbed as “Ruben Junior” (in reference of course to the PBB Celebrity Edition Big winner), Nan’s sense of humor and down-to-earth persona makes it easier for viewers to connect with him. If he keeps his pasaway attitude in check and avoid forced eviction, Nan might yet follow Ruben Gonzaga’s footsteps and bring home the bacon.

Priscilla Navidad (view official PBB profile)
People call her “Miss Wow” because even though she couldn’t hear, Priscilla never backs down from a challenge. In fact, she was a runner-up in last year’s Miss Teen International. This girl is my personal favorite because we’re both deaf, and I can relate with most of the little things she’s gone through. It will be really interesting to see how viewers and her fellow HM’s accept her.

So who’s your bet among the three? Unless ABS-CBN does some dirty home cooking, I think at least one of them will make it to the Big Four. And if that happens, ABS-CBN big wigs might have to worry again and probably be forced to bring in half a dozen Dabawenyos for PBB season 3. Haha

Go Jiriel, Arnann and Priscilla. Make us all proud!

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Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus is expected to run until late May this year, when Pinoy Dream Academy is scheduled to begin. Both shows are aired on ABS-CBN.