Joaquin Arce: ‘I want to deserve what I have’
After 127 days inside the “Pinoy Big Brother” house—where he had to make do with, or earn, basic necessities—Joaquin Arce went out with a newfound appreciation for the little things we may take for granted.
So deep was his gratitude, in fact, that the first thing he went after was a box of chicken nuggets. They were “the best thing ever.” “I was so happy! I missed the freedom to eat what I wanted,” he tells Lifestyle Inquirer, looking back on his first day outside “Bahay ni Kuya,” after finishing third in the competition.
“That’s one of the most valuable lessons ‘PBB’ taught me. You should really appreciate every single little thing,” he adds. “Now I look around and I’m like, thank God I have this, or I have that small thing.”
Just blabbering away
Another one of those “small” things—which, in hindsight, aren’t actually small—was the conversations he would have with his family. Upon arriving home and closing the door, words just came rattling off, says Arce, mimicking the rapid-fire sound of a machine gun.
With his father Neil Arce, his mother Sunshine Samson, his stepmother Angel Locsin, and his grandmother “Lola JLo,” Arce talked and talked and talked the night away. He didn’t sleep until 3 p.m. the next day.
“Ang lala,” he says, laughing. “It was like going home with your best friends after something crazy had just happened. We were just blabbering away and lost track of time.”
Another simple, cherished moment was visiting his mom’s side in Pampanga, and impressing them by cooking the chicken curry he perfected inside “PBB.”
“Even before joining, I knew how to cook basic stuff for me and my mom. Pero marami pa akong natutunan sa loob. Now I know more recipes and I wanted to show them,” he says. “Nagulat silang lahat. My Lola Irma was like, ‘Luto ba talaga ni Joaquin ‘to?’ Their disbelief was a big compliment.”
Darna to the rescue
But while his experiences after rejoining the outside world were overwhelmingly positive, he later found out—and this he more or less expected—that not all public feedback was kind.
Going into “PBB: Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0,” he already knew some critics were already branding him a nepo baby. He took it in stride; that his father is a television and film producer, and his stepmother is Darna herself, are things he can’t do anything about.
However, the criticism only intensified during his time on the show. Some people claimed that he had an unfair advantage because Locsin is a big star who could wield her massive influence to promote him and rally her fans to vote for him. The issue continued to spark strong reactions—so much so that Locsin, who has made herself scarce in public in recent years, took to social media to defend her stepson.
“Naging active si Tita Angel sa pag-support sa’kin. I’m really thankful pinagtanggol ako ni Darna and her supporters,” he says.
Much of the debate over the term “nepo baby” comes from its evolving meaning in the Philippines. Traditionally, the term refers to children who gained prominence mainly because of their family’s influence or position. However, more and more people now associate it with children of public officials or businessmen accused of corruption or involved in questionable infrastructure projects.
And if that’s indeed what some people are implying, then Arce is compelled to set things straight.
“While there are people in this world who got to their position through unjust means, it’s unfair for people like us, whose family made it the right way, justly,” he says. “It’s true that my family is influential in a way. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It only becomes bad if they got what they have through corruption. But they worked for it.”
Like an oversized shirt
But in any case, Arce acknowledges that, if we stick to the original meaning, he’s indeed a nepo baby—and he’s perfectly okay with it. He’s aware of the platform his family has given him. But at the end of the day, he says, how he uses it is entirely up to him.
“It’s true that my parents worked hard for what they have right now. Wala akong magagawa diyan. What I can control, though, is whether I take advantage of it or not. I want to take a ladder—not an elevator—and work hard for where I want to be,” says Arce, who actually told his family not to spend money on his “PBB” journey.
“I want to deserve what I have,” the 18-year-old aspiring actor stresses.
And if you will allow him the analogy, he compares his circumstance to being handed an oversized shirt. You can wear it, but it won’t fit. “I have to put in the work to fill those clothes,” he says.
Arce knows he has a long way to go—heck, he has barely even started. But at the very least, he knows he’s setting off on his journey better equipped and more understood than he was before “PBB.” “I feel like I have grown stronger,” he says. I have learned to adapt to different people and personalities. I’m grateful for the confidence that gave me.”
