PBB Season 1 Big Winner Nene Tamayo looks back on her journey from breadwinner to entrepreneur
Becoming a celebrity was never part of Nene Tamayo’s plan when she auditioned for the first season of “Pinoy Big Brother” (2005). Her only goal was to clinch the ₱1-million prize, which was enough capital to start a business.
Get the full story behind her PBB journey and see how life has turned out two decades after she made history as the OG Big Winner, in this episode of “Hello Outside World” hosted by Bianca Gonzalez and Esnyr.
Growing up in the province of Romblon, Nene shared that her family rarely had cash because much of what they ate came straight from the crops they grew and the animals they raised. Wanting paper bills instead of the five- and ten-centavo coins she usually received as allowance, young Nene would ask her aunt to make suman or rice cakes, which she would then sell at school and from house to house. “Nilalakad ko. Nilalagay ko ‘yung bilao sa ulo ko tapos nandoon ‘yung suman, ilalako ko,” she looked back.
She also raised native chickens. And whenever this honor student wanted a new outfit to wear on recognition day, she would sell a chicken and use the money to buy herself clothes.
Young Nene even ventured into raising pigs. “Nu’ng naging honor student ako, binigyan ako ng ninong ko ng pambili ng biik. So ‘yung binigay niya na pera sa akin, pinambili ko ng biik tapos pinalaki naging inahin, dumami ‘yung biik ko.”
She also helped her grandfather process coconuts into copra to earn money for new slippers. “Wala kaming cash most of the time, so kailangan namin magbenta. ‘Pag nagkokopra kami nagkakaroon ng cash para may bagong tsinelas. Kasi noon hindi kami bibilhan ng tsinelas hangga’t hindi pa butas. Alam mo ‘yung butas na tsinelas? Hangga’t nare-repair pa siya ng perdible, pwede pa syang gamitin,” Nene reminisced, adding that she also collected gravel from the river that she could sell for ₱2 a can.
Nene learned the weight of being a breadwinner at a very young age. She described herself as technically the eldest daughter of the family (though she was second to the eldest) who made sure there was enough food on everyone else’s plate. If she and her siblings had only two pieces of ‘tulingan,’ Nene had to carefully slice them into portions that would be enough for all seven of them. “Kahit gusto mo pang magdagdag, hindi na pwede kasi ulam ulit ‘yun mamayang gabi,” she shared, and then fondly recalls hanging their pot near the cooking area to make sure the leftovers were safe from the cats.
Nene was watching the news when an announcement for a new reality show called “Pinoy Big Brother” appeared, asking whether viewers wanted to spend 100 days on television. That part didn’t interest her at all. But once she heard that the winner would take home ₱1 million, she was in.
At 23, Nene wanted to save enough from her salary to start a business, estimating that it would take her around five years to build close to ₱500,000 in capital. So when she learned that a new reality show could potentially double that amount, “Sabi ko, sige, go, join. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung nagpa-motivate sa akin kung bakit ako nag-audition. Kasi gusto kong puhunan.”
Even then, she wasn’t dreaming of an extravagant life. She didn’t care about owning a car and would have been perfectly happy with just a motorbike. What she really wanted was a business that could give her a stable income.
Funny enough, Nene almost backed out of the PBB audition at ABS-CBN. Remember, nobody knew what to expect from this brand-new reality show yet, and being number 342 in a seemingly endless line of aspirants almost convinced her to give up and go home.
But the ever-practical Nene also didn’t want to just throw away her taxi fare. A cab ride was already a luxury for her at the time, and there was no way she was letting that splurge go to waste. “So sabi ko, sayang naman ‘yung pinamasahe ko sa taxi. Nandito na rin naman ako, sige tuloy ko na. Tapos, nakita ko mabilis lang [‘yung audition’].”
Nene let another hopeful go ahead of her so she could snag audition number 343, which adds up to 10, her favorite number. Knowing what happened next, we’d say her little numerology trick worked out pretty well. “Pagpasok doon sa Studio 8, maya-maya labas na. By batch kasi pinapaakyat na Direk Lauren [Dyogi]. From 341 to 350, sa ten na ‘yun ako ‘yung naiwan. Basic question lang,” she recalled.
“Alam mo, ‘yun ‘yung unang-una kong audition ng kahit ano sa buong buhay ko. At ‘yun din ‘yung unang-unang pumasok ako ng studio sa buong buhay ko. At unang-unang panahon na pumasok ako ng ABS-CBN Compound.”
Little did she know that her first-ever audition would lead to one iconic PBB run. Inside Bahay ni Kuya, Kumander Nene brought her astig personality, discipline, and natural leadership to the OG batch, proving her strength not only in physical tasks but also in moments that tested her principles.
After 111 days inside the house, Nene was named the first-ever PBB Big Winner.
Remember how Nene entered the house with hopes of winning enough capital to start a business? Well, 20 years later, entrepreneurship remains very much a part of her life. She has since founded a food company that offers gourmet delicacies.
Of course, entrepreneur isn’t the only hat she wears. She is also a hands-on mom and still popping up for occasional showbiz guestings. She also gives talks on entrepreneurship, sharing what she’s learned with people hoping to start businesses of their own.
Join “Pinoy Big Brother” alums in candid conversations on “Hello Outside World,” hosted by Bianca and Esnyr, with fresh episodes every Wednesday, on ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube Channel.