Why Maymay Entrata understands Easter better than most people

It's now coming to a week since the world celebrated Easter again, but just as we think we've moved on from the long break and its deeper meaning, Maymay Entrata reminds us what the season is really about simply by being who she is.

It was just before Holy Week when the singer-actress-cum-runway model and proud probinsyana took the mic at Star Magic's monthly "Spotlight" press conference — a media event that rotates ABS-CBN's management talents for updates and interviews. Seated across DJ Jai Ho, the moderator, she initially carried herself in her usual Maymay way — bubbly, bright, and effortlessly charming in that familiar Bisaya lilt the nation has come to love. But beneath her trademark sparkle, there seemed to be something different — something quieter, something that felt heavier.

Indeed, over the last two years, Maymay has been in and out of the spotlight. Fans have wondered and worried. Reporters speculated she must be cooking up something abroad, especially since she triumphantly broke through the international modeling scene and noticeably started spending more time in Japan. But the rising star who left the "Pinoy Big Brother" house a winner in 2017 and stepped into a life that once felt out of reach never really explained why — until that heartfelt media con.

"I'm not super okay, but I'm okay," said Maymay when asked how she has been. Then she paused, as if steadying herself, before sharing what she hadn't been ready to say before. Through tears, she revealed that her mother has been battling cancer over the past two years, and that she's been doing everything she can to care for her. On top of that, Maymay is also seeing to her grandmother — the woman who raised her from childhood when her mother left to work in Japan — who, as many knew, requires lifelong dialysis for a chronic renal condition.

It is these extremely difficult and deeply personal challenges that have had Maymay shuttling between Cagayan de Oro, Japan, and her showbiz commitments in Manila and elsewhere — not only to be with her mom and lola, but also to keep working so she can help shoulder the cost of their ongoing treatments.

"Hangga't may oras ako na makapiling ko yung dalawang nanay ko, gagawin ko — paulit-ulit," she said. ("As long as I have time to be with my two mothers, I'll do it — over and over again.") "Sobrang mahal na mahal ko po sila." ("I love them so, so much.")

As the room fell silent in sympathy for Maymay, every single one feeling her pain, she paused again — not for herself this time, but to thank everyone who had helped her carry on. In Filipino, she expressed, "I praise God because every time I felt like I couldn't go on, I had the support of my friends, family, co-workers and bosses at ABS-CBN."

It was a simple, sincere acknowledgment of the strength she draws from others and a way of assuring her supporters that she's able and determined to keep going.

Maymay's grounded strength struck me. And while her story was already enough to move anyone listening, it moved me even more — because I knew exactly what she was going through. I felt compelled to approach her after the program, not just to say I admired her, but because we shared something deeply personal. My own mother is still being treated for cancer, and like Maymay, I've been learning how to juggle the demands of work, having my own family in my case, caregiving and the constant ache of wanting to be in multiple places at once. I told her how much I admired her for choosing to show up where it matters most — for staying present, for doing what needs to be done, and for moving forward steeled with faith.

She listened, asked to hug me, and finally said something I hadn't been able to forget. For while she confided in me that her mother was already in palliative care — unlike mine, who still has a chance at remission — she clearly carried the heavier burden, yet met it with the kind of strength I can only pray for.

"Wala na akong masyadong maraming ("I don't have too many) worries ngayon because of God's promise — because I know that I can see my mom again in the next life."

There was nothing dramatic about the way Maymay said this, but I knew and felt that she meant it. And that's what made it so powerful.

Now, almost a week into Easter, I keep thinking about how much her words reflect what the celebration is all about. In fact, Maymay had already echoed Easter's deepest promise, not with fanfare or a script, but with incredible certainty. That death is not the end. That love doesn't vanish. That something beautiful awaits on the other side. That we rise like Jesus did. Still, even with her powerful faith stirring beneath the surface, Maymay didn't allow the rest of the afternoon to grow too heavy. In a huddle with our group, SPEEd (The Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors), for one, she couldn't help but throw in the occasional one-liner, flash her animated smile and break the tension every few minutes with a joke or a quip.

She laughed about her disbelief at being chosen by Disney to sing the Filipino version of the Snow White theme song, "Nasaan ang Hiling?" — her latest career milestone.

"Ako, prinsesa?" ("Me, a princess?") she wailed. "Kasi di ba dapat si Snow White mahinhin? Eh ako, kabogera," ("Isn't Snow White supposed to be demure when I'm a kabogera.") she added, referring to her hit single that celebrates being bold, loud, and unapologetically herself. The very things that make Maymay so beloved.

And yet the recording turned out stunning, by the way — a theatrical, fairytale-worthy performance that has since been shared, praised, and replayed across the country.

Now, if there was anything I managed to say to this wonderful human being on that inspiring afternoon, it was this: that children who are good to their parents will always blessed in life. It's a belief passed on by many Filipino mothers — mine included — and one that I told her I could already see coming true in hers. For, after the Disney coup, Maymay is set to star in an upcoming Netflix mini-series, "Happy Crush," and will release her new album aptly titled "Reborn," co-written with US-based songwriters.

To wrap up, someone asked Maymay, whose birthday is May 6, for her wish. And true to the heart she had shown that afternoon, her reply came clear and steady: "I wish that no matter what trials come my way, I will always choose to be happy; I will always choose to be hopeful; and I will always choose, somehow, not to give up."

Again, Maymay didn't say it to impress. She said it because it's simply how she lives today, steeled by her challenges — in a life of hope, a life of faith, and always, a life that chooses to rise.