Brent Manalo looked back on his high school days and recalled that one time he tried to take the easy way out of a quiz by cheating.

He admitted this during the March 17 airing of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition wherein Kuya asked him about the biggest mistake he made in his life. 

He shares, “Yung mga friends ko from the other sections, sila ‘yung unang nag-quiz and mayroon po kaming mga quiz booklet. ‘Tapos ginawa ko po, Kuya, pumunta po ako sa mga ibang section, sa mga friends ko. Sinilip ko po ‘yung quiz booklet nila.”

Brent confessed that he wasn’t able to use the answers, as he forgot about them quickly. However, the tittle-tattle immediately spread online—putting him under the daunting light of shaming. 

He continues, “The next day, nag-start na akong paringgan, may mga status na akong nababasa regarding sa cheating. It went on for days, Kuya, yung pagpapahiya nila sa akin.”

Brent sees this as a pivotal moment, which prompted him to finish high school with flying colors. And if any, his major takeaway from this incident was to own up to his own shortcomings. 

He says, “Ayokong isipin [ng parents ko] na may pagkukulang sila, Kuya. It was my own mistake. It really changed my life and I’m glad that happened.”

The incident seems to have changed Brent’s perception in his academic pursuit, as seen in a circulating photo of his yearbook online. In a series of photos shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, it is a fact that he is a well-decorated high school graduate.

Brent continued his momentum until college wherein he finished his undergraduate studies in advertising management from De La Salle University. He graduated cum laude in 2018. 

Brent opens up about his parents 

Drawing feelings from the same incident, Brent steered the conversation to his parents—who he says have been loaded with their own problems. 

He shares, “Sila mismo, pakiramdam ko, they carry so much, Kuya. They handle so many problems. Ayoko na po sanang makadagdag. Kahit papaano ‘yun na po ‘yung tulong ko po sa kanila. 

“Alam ko po ‘yung naturo sa akin bilang panganay kailangan kong maging matatag, Kuya. So, I did really try to. I made all my problems seem so small.” 

In response, Kuya has some comforting words for Brent. He says, “Brent, naiintindihan ko ang pinagdadaanan mo. Marahil nabigayan ang younger self mo sa kinailangan niyang harapin. You had to grow up a bit faster to give yourself a chance. 

“Hindi lahat ng tao magugustuhan tayo at kahit magustuhan nila tayo, minsan hindi nila tayo maintindihan pero palagay ko, ang pagkakaiba-iba natin ‘yun ang bagay kung bakit tayo espesyal. At sasabihin ko sa’yo na espesyal ka, Brent, dahil may mabuti kang puso.” 

Watch the full clip here: