Ashley Ortega and Shuvee Etrata (second and third from left) with their friends Skye Chua and Roxie Smith.
Pam Production via Ashley Ortega’s Instagram

MANILA, Philippines — Shuvee Etrata revealed that if it weren’t for Ashley Ortega, she would have given up and moved back to Bantayan Island in Cebu.

The Sparkle stars sat down with TV host-actor Vice Ganda for the latter’s YouTube vlog uploaded yesterday. They talked about life after their successful “Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition” stint, where they were both housemates.

They might have not made it to the Big 4, but both Shuvee and Ashley gained a significant number of followers and fans after their stint inside the house.

The two women, who each bared their souls in front of millions of TV viewers and livestreamers, battled their respective demons. And while they were also pursuing their dream stardom, they had each other’s backs.

“She made me a better person po talaga. Like super. Kinaya ko ang buhay dito sa Manila because of her. If it weren’t for her, baka bumalik na ako sa isla,” Shuvee admitted.

The girls cried for a moment, each reaching for tissues to wipe away the tears they shed, looking back at their struggles.

Shuvee and Ashley shared to Vice how they found each other — Shuvee landed her first show as one of the supporting characters of Ashley’s new show “Hearts on Ice,” a 2023 sports drama show that paired the latter with Xian Lim.

Both women revealed that they are a sisterhood of four, together with their other co-stars in the show, Roxie Smith and Skye Chua.

The Cebuana first found fame as a TikTok creator, and was offered her first role in the GMA-7 show. Ashley had wanted to get to know her co-stars and thus, she reached out to Shuvee.

Their getting to know eventually led to night outs, which included a steak night. Shuvee recalled a funny anecdote about going out to dinner with Ashely, secretly tapping at a friend to send her emergency money thinking she would have to split the bill. She only had P4,000 in her wallet. In the end, Ashley paid the bill, and it has almost always been the case with them.

Ashley said that it was easy to love Shuvee, whom she described as a selfless person. Shuvee would almost always give whatever she earned to her family back in Cebu, where she has eight other siblings relying on her.

Shuvee, on the other hand, said that Ashley is “mayaman but maraming problema.” Ashley had shared about her current family life, which she shared during her first week inside the house. She went independent, and she had strained relations with her mother. Her mother, however, sent her a letter while inside the house.

Their friendship grew outside of the set. They used to living in separate condos — Shuvee in a studio unit, while Ashley in a two-bedroom condo. They decided to move in in their current condo, and have been living in the same unit for a year.

As housemates in real-life, their friendship even grew stronger. As someone who has been in the industry for 12 years, Ashley has the upperhand, and this advantage she graciously shared with Shuvee, who was able to borrow Ashley’s wardrobe for showbiz commitments.

Shuvee and Ashley revealed that they are set to move to a new home next month.

“Sabi niya nga, willing pa rin daw ba ako tumira sa kanya? Sabi ko talaga hindi ko iiwanan ikaw kasi ikaw ‘yung nandoon nu’ng alam mo ‘yun nung nagsisimula pa lang ako? Hanggang sa magsawa na siya sa akin,” Shuvee said.

Now that she has more money with her newfound fame and growing number of endorsements, Ashley is one proud friend of Shuvee.

She assured her that no matter what she went through — growing up in a poor family who constantly had to worry for their finances  — Shuvee deserves the success she is currently reaping.

“‘Yan ‘yung natutunan ko dito sa Maynila. Kaya pala akong mahalin. Kamahal-mahal din pala ako,” Shuvee said.

Without hesitation, Ashley said, “Oo naman, babe. Actually, sobrang easy lang din mahalin si Shuvee. Kaya ko rin siya naging kaibigan agad-agad kasi magaan ang loob ko sa kanya kasi napaka-genuine niyang tao saka masayahin siyang tao. I want to surround myself with people who are happy all the time despite sa pinagdadaanan namin para makalimutan din namin ang problema namin.”

“Si Shuvee rin nakatulong sa akin noon and sobrang proud ako sa’yo babe. Deserve niya po talaga lahat ng blessings kasi sobrang selfless niyang tao. Lagi niyang inuuna ang ibang tao. Now seeing her shine, ‘yun ‘yung gusto kong mangyari sa kanya ever since… And sabi niya, hindi daw siya maka-survive sa Manila without me. Actually, hindi ‘yan totoo, babe. You can survive on your own. Tingnan mo nga. I mean, what you have right now. It’s your own doing,” Ashley said.