She maybe Canadian but Riza is pure pinay, her parents hailing from Bulacan and Bataan. Both engineers, her parents’ jobs took them to Canada as immigrants. And although she has lived in North America all her life, Riza is raised with Filipino values and has very close family ties. She admits though to breaking the rules and sneaking out to party with the popular kids one night when she was 16. She returned home to find her sister enraged for her parents were still out looking for her. Riza then vowed never to do it again.

Riza began concentrating on charity work and community service. She even joined the military as a medic. She’s also a counselor at a crisis center for pregnant women and has vowed to save her self for the man she loves on her wedding day. Riza even wears a ring on her engagement finger to seal this promise.

Riza, like most of her family, is an achiever. Aside from her military career and vocations, she studied Biology in college. Quite talented, she has also designed some of the gowns she has worn on pageants. Riza dreams of having a singing and acting career someday too.

Will Riza be adding to her long list of achievements PBB Celebrity Edition 2 Big Winner soon?

Nickname: Riza
Real Name: Riza Raquel Santos
Origin: Canada
Nationality: Filipino
Occupation: Model,artist
Sport: Track and Field
Hidden Ambition: To become a doctor
Claim to Fame: Miss Earth - Canada
Achievements: Filipina that represented Canada in the Ms. Earth beauty pageant
Charity: Bantay Bata 163

Source: PBB Site

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Although relatively unknown in Manila, Ruben is quite a celebrity in Davao. Working for ABS-CBN Davao, Ruben is popularly known as a member of the channel’s Joke Squad. He is also a stand-up comic in various bars with his trademark screaming faggot act. He’s become so good at it that everyone who sees him perform assumes he is gay. But this comedian is actually a ladies man and is already married with 2 kids.

Ruben is most famous in the South for “Budots”, naming his crazy dance steps after the slang term for bum in Davao. But despite the fame, Ruben is struggling to keep his head above the water. Right now, he is earning enough to get by and doesn’t want his family to experience the impoverished life he had before. Ruben is working hard to help his parents and finally buy his dream house.

With his sense of humor and charm, could Ruben easily be laughing all the way to a Big Four finish?

Nickname: Ruben
Real Name: Ruben Gonzaga
Origin: Las PiñasCity
Age: 25
Birthdate: March 16
Place of Birth:DavaoCity
Nationality: Filipino
Occupation: Comedian
Sport: Basketball, billiards and boxing
Hidden Ambition: To be a famous actor
Claim to Fame: The “Budots” dance of Davao
Charity: Cosugian Home for The Aged, DavaoCity

Source: PBB Site

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Gifted with charm and good looks, Victor is a model, actor and a host. Blessed with immense skill, intellect and talent, he’s an artist, a photographer, a music enthusiast and a sports man. He’s too good to be true that everything seems ideal with him. His life however had its share of imperfections.

Victor grew up not knowing he was part of an illegitimate family until he reached the age of 10. All he knew was his father couldn’t stay in the house too often. Even then, Victor’s family lived a comfortable life. Things went different however when his father died and they had no financial support.

Victor’s first brush with fame was at the age of 19, when he was discovered at the Mega Designer’s Competition which ushered him into the modeling industry. Soon he signed with ABS-CBN’s Star Magic and appeared in a number of shows such as the Toni Gonzaga-Luis Manzano top-billed Crazy For You and Abt Ur Luv. He was also launched as part of the ASAP Coverboys.

Despite all the fame and all these achievements, Victor Basa remains a quiet, shy-type guy. Will this all change once he meets the different personalities inside the PBB House?

Nickname: Victor
Real Name: Victor Emmanuel Basa
Origin:PasigCity
Age: 22
Birthdate: June 6
Place of Birth:PasigCity
Nationality: Filipino
Occupation: Actor / Model
Sports: Skateboarding, swimming, wall climbing and ice hockey
Hidden Ambition: To be a musician
Claim to Fame: Penshoppe image model, Best Model Form in MTV Fashionista 2004
Charity: Ahon Sa Kalye Ministrie

Source: PBB Site

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Yayo Aguila left a name in Philippine cinema after they drove movie goers bopping and bobbing via the cult hit movie “Bagets” co-starring Aga Muhlach, Herbert Bautista, Francis Magalona, Eula Valdez, Raymond Lauchengco, and William Martinez, who eventually became her husband.

Yayo and William met on the set of the movie. She was only 16 and he was 21 when they fell in love and decided to live together. During that time William and actress Maricel Soriano was a hot love team that fans were outraged when Yayo entered the picture.

Yayo and William struggled to raise a family having encountered marital and financial problems. Like the old adage “behind every great man is a woman”, Yayo stuck to William no matter what happened. Yayo had to be twice stronger than William for the kids, most especially during the time her husband was allegedly caught with drug paraphernalia at the airport on the way to a taping.

Nickname: Yayo
Real Name: Ma. Rosario Aguila
Origin:Antipolo
Age: 40
Birthdate: 13 September
Place of Birth:Quezon City
Nationality: Filipino
Occupation: Actress
Sports: Tennis, Volleyball
Hidden Ambition: To become a talk show host or newscaster
Claim to Fame: The 80s movie Bagets with husband William Martinez
Charity: BAGETS Foundatio

Source: PBB Site

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With his German father working in the military and his Bicolana mother a strict disciplinarian, Baron grew up in a pretty conservative family. But one wonders why this excellent actor one day wound up in the middle of a bar rumble and eventually signed up in a detox facility.

Baron entered show business in 1994 through the phenomenal teen show Ang TV. A year later, he became officially a part of ABS-CBN’s roster of rising homegrown talents being launched as a member of the elite Star Circle Batch 5. He was considered as one of the network’s most promising young stars alongside John Lloyd Cruz and Marc Solis in the boy trio “Koolits.” From then on, his movie and TV career blossomed and was best known as the wacky and easy-going Fonzy in the series Tabing Ilog.

Even though he won the 2005 PMPC Best Single Performance of an Actor in Maalaala Mo Kaya,
Baron’s career started to decline in 2002 when he turned to alcohol “to kill the pain” after his father’s demise. Plus, Baron’s house caught fire twice in a row and lost the love of his life to another man. He also resented the fact that his career lagged behind his contemporaries and this made his drinking even worse. His mother had no other option but to send him in a detox facility for 10 days. Inside the facility, he decided to put his life back on track. However, he was again the headline on various tabloids just this May, after getting involved in a bar scuffle that left scars on his face.

Baron knows that he has a problem and he feels that he’ll be able to transform himself inside Big Brother’s house. “Sawa na ako. I’m shaping up. Slowly yet surely. Ito na ang pagbabago na hinahanap ko… Marami pa akong pwedeng gawin sa buhay.”

Can Kuya reform Baron and bring him out of the house not just a changed man but also a winner?

Nickname: Baron
Real Name: Baron Frederick Von Geisler
Origin: Pampanga
Age: 25
Birthdate: June 5
Place of Birth: Clark Air Base, AngelesCity
Nationality: German-Filipino
Occupation:Actor
Sports: Boxing, Taekwondo and Badminton
Hidden Ambition: To be a rock star
Claim to Fame: His role as Fonzy on hit teen drama Tabing Ilog
Charity:K.I.D.S. Foundation

Source: PBB Site

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Donald is not only known as Baron Geisler’s brother but as a top-notch athlete as well. His father exposed him and his brother to sports at an early age. When he was only 7 years old, his dad introduced him to taekwondo and instantly fell in love with the sport. By the time Donald or Donnie was in high school he has immersed himself to doing sports which ate up all his spare time. His college years in UST were very memorable for aside from getting into the taekwondo varsity team, he also got the chance to represent the country at the Asian Games. Donald had to put school on hold and concentrated on his sport and in the end he gained a silver medal and 1.2M pesos from the government.

After several competitions, Donnie has to contend with several injuries. In fact, his last taekwondo competition took place last May in the taekwondo world championship and he even made it to the quarterfinal. He admits to feeling tired and going into retirement.

Donnie also wants to spend more time with his family and son. He is also trying to work hard on his relationship with his son’s mother, Trish. At this point in his life, Donnie wants to do something else aside from taekwondo which has been his focus for almost 20 years of his life.

Perhaps PBB is the change he is looking for in his life. But with the two-in-one challenge Big Brother has placed upon him and his brother, will Donald be able to control Baron and survive life in the Big Brother house?

Nickname: Donald
Real Name: Donald David Geisler III
Origin: Pampanga
Age: 28
Birthdate: October 6
Place of Birth: Clark Air Base, AngelesCity
Nationality: German-Filipino
Occupation: Athlete
Sport: Taekwondo
Hidden Ambition: To become a rock star
Claim to Fame: Consistent Taekwondo gold and silver medalist
Achievements: 5 SEA Games gold, 2 Asian Games silver, Athens Olympics 7th placer
Charity: K.I.D.S Foundation

Source: PBB Site

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Models are perceived as all beauty and no brains but 26K girl Marylaine defies this perception. Her family not being well-off, with her father an amputee, Marylaine strived for and received a full scholarship at the De La Salle University. Here she excelled greatly and she was part of the pep squad, wrote for the school newspaper, became a consistent dean’s lister and even won a Palanca award.

Marylaine also writes for various magazines and is the spokesperson for Advocates for Youth, a youth group that advocates the fight for cervical cancer. Fondly called Leigh by family and friends, she describes herself as friendly, vivacious and very eloquent.

Will Marylaine use her smarts and take Jennifer with her to victory?

Nickname: Marylaine
Real Name: Marylaine Louise Viernes
Origin:MakatiCity
Age: 21
Birthdate: September 29
Place of Birth:MakatiCity
Nationality: Filipino
Occupation: 26K Girl
Sport: Wushu
Hidden Ambition: To fly
Claim to Fame: 26K Girl on Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’s 2nd Season
Achievements: 2004 Palanca Awardee for her Kabataan essay, Ms. Teen Philippines 2005
Charity: Advocates 4 Youth Foundation

Source: PBB Site

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Acting was already in Jen’s blood since she was born. Claiming to be an illegitimate child of a big 80s movie star whose career has not only diminished but has taken a somewhat criminal turn, she has never seen her father yet the urge to be famous was there. Jen has joined beauty pageants and has won several of them including Ms. Las Piñas in 2005. She was also a part of an all female sing and dance group called the Hot Chicks which also featured PBB Teen Alumna Olym Meimban. The promise of fame excited Jen but after a year of lounging in limbo, she felt restless and she eventually auditioned to be part of KDOND’s 26K girls.

Jen has been pretty independent since the age of 9 and she’s also her family’s bread winner. She’s a natural fighter but her will to survive sometimes rubs her colleagues the wrong way. She has had fights and shouting matches with the other 26K girls because Jen just won’t surrender to anyone, especially when she believes that she’s right.

Although she isn’t a star yet, At 17, Jen feels that the world is at her fingertips. She has a lot dreams and nothing can deter or stand in her way from achieving them.

However will her stubbornness be a road block not only for her but for her ka-two in one housemate Marylaine as well?

Nickname: Jen
Real Name: Jennifer Da Silva
Origin: Las Pinas City
Age: 17
Birthdate: December 4
Place of Birth:Quezon City
Nationality: Filipino
Occupation: 26K Girl
Sport: Volleyball
Hidden Ambition: To be a famous actress and businesswoman
Claim to Fame: 26K Girl on Kapamilya Deal or No Deal’s 2nd Season
Achievements: Ms. Las Piñas 2005
Charity: Advocates 4 Youth Foundation

Source: PBB Site

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Gaby Dela Merced took public interest when she became one of the few Filipinas to dominate the Asian Formula 3 circuit. She is the only Filipina who competed in the full season of the series and her efforts to a 1st Runner-up placing in the Philippine National Formula championship. Last year Gaby appeared in a shampoo commercial that highlighted Filipina’s with “power, brain and beauty.” According to Gaby she was willing to try any sport to join the Olympics and when she got into motor sports, she knew this was her true calling. “Racing gives me a big sense of freedom, the world is yours, kaya mo lahat-lahat.”

Aside from racing, Gaby is a bonafide sports enthusiast. She also plays football and Frisbee when she has the time.

Will she be able to race ahead to the finish line and become this season’s Big Winner?

Nickname: Gaby
Real Name: Gabriella Dela Merced
Origin:Quezon City
Age: 25
Birthdate: June 10
Nationality: Filipino
Occupation: TV Host
Sport: Racing
Hidden Ambition: To achieve contentment
Claim to Fame: Multi-awarded Filipina on the Asian Formula 3 circuit
Achievements: Philippine Formula Toyota Championship, 3rd overall (2004) and
Formula BMW Asia Scholarship Driver (2004) among others
Charity: icanserve Foundation

Source: PBB Site

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A self-confessed geek, Mcoy never thought he could really sing. In high school he was often asked to sing in front of his class as a practical joke. Not used to performing, Mcoy found this embarrassing and he vowed to learn how to sing. This eventually happened when he met Clem Castro and formed Orange and Lemons in 2003.

In no time, the band showed enormous progress, dishing out UK-pop style melodies, a sound new to most Filipinos. Soon the band was topping the charts with hits like “Hanggang Kailan (Umuwi Ka Na Baby)”, “Heaven Knows (This Angel Has Flown)” and the PBB anthem “Pinoy Akp”.

Unknown to many, Mcoy is already married with two kids.

Will Mcoy succeed in making the house sing in harmony? Will he be the one dancing “Pinoy Ako” to the top?

Nickname: Mcoy
Real Name: Marco Fundales
Origin: Bulacan
Age: 29
Birthdate: November 3
Place of Birth: Baliwag, Bulacan
Nationality: Filipino
Occupation: Vocalist, Orange and Lemons
Sports: Bowling
Hidden Ambition: To write a book and be a part of a memorable sitcom or movie
Claim to Fame: Front man of the band Orange and Lemons, Sang PBB Season 1 theme “Pinoy Ako”
Charity: Emmaus Home for the Aged - Malolos, Bulacan

Source: PBB Site

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