GMA-7 Building Up 14-Year Old Bianca Umali As Their Next Teen Idol

BIANCA UMALI is a pretty 14-year old lass who’s given her biggest break in “Nino”, GMA-7’s new inspirational stories about faith and life to be helmed by Maryo J. de los Reyes. She started as a TV commercial model when she was only two years old. She had a copy of the TV commercial she did then for a brand of diapers and she was really so cute. She did more commercials as she was growing up, then at 11, she started acting in soaps for GMA as the young Angelika de la Cruz in “Kaya Kong Abutin ang Langit” and was also included in the kiddie show, “Tropang Potchi”.

“Pero pina-graduate na po ako roon kasi nga teenager na raw ako,” she says. “At 13, I was paired with Miguel Tanfelix in ‘Paroa’ and ‘Mga Basang Sisiw’. Ngayon, kami na ang leads sa ‘Nino’. Lalaki kaming magkasama sa pangangalaga ni Tita Luz Valdez at ang alam namin, magkapatid kami, pero si Miguel, pinaanod lang pala sa ilog noong baby pa siya at napulot ni Tita Luz.”

So how’s Miguel as a young ka-love team? “Okay naman po siya. Magkasundo kami. Comfortable na ako sa kanya dahil matagal na nga kaming naging magkasama sa work. Sobrang happy ako na binigyan kami ng break as lead dito sa ‘Nino’.”

Bianca is now an orphan. “My mom died of breast cancer when I was 5 and my dad died naman of heart attack when I was 10. Bale lola ko po ang nagpalaki sa akin. My mom was 44 and my dad was 50. Only child po nila ako, but I have half siblings from their past relationships. Maliit pa ako, gusto na ng parents kong mag-artista ako so itinutuloy ko lang yung pangarap nila for me, kahit wala na sila.”