Show business’ next mestizo stars

Pinoy showbiz would certainly be less enticing — and far less diverse — without Pinay “afam” (gay slang for “foreigner”) wives.

Sisters Anne Curtis and Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Bea Alonzo, Julia Montes, Derek Ramsay and Gerald Anderson are just a few major stars whose mothers were/are afam wives. In fact, a chunky number of local celebrities are children of afam wives, including two Miss Universe titlists: Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray.

Of course, not all the children of afam wives use their father’s surname in showbiz, so it’s not always obvious that they’re mestizos or mestizas. Bea, for instance, is Phylbert Angelli Ranollo Fagestrom in real life — her father is British. Julia is Mara Hautea Schnittka, the daughter of a German father.

So, who among the biological women featured in ABS-CBN’s recently launched Afam Wives Club on iWant TV might one day raise a daughter or son who will become a major star in Pinoy showbiz?

“Biological” is emphasized here because one of the featured “wives” is a trans woman: Keylyn Trajano. It’s admirable that ABS-CBN recognizes trans women as women with equal rights and visibility.

Keylyn appears in the show with her afam partner — essentially her husband — Luiz Catapam, about whom little information exists online. Hopefully, the show gives him (or Keylyn) the chance to share more about his background.

The biological women in the reality show are actress Nathalie Hart, lawyer Julia Chu, and vlogger Mari Fowler, who is the sister of rapper-vlogger-occasional actress Toni Fowler.

Nathalie has been an afam “wife” twice and is now a single mom to a six-year-old daughter whose father — her first partner — is Indian. Her second “spouse” is Australian. All the wives in the show were required to appear with their afam partners, but since Nathalie currently has none, she was allowed to bring her very young daughter, Penelope, who is getting early showbiz exposure through Afam Wives Club. Should offers come in, Nathalie might just accept — Penelope could grow into a fine actress over the years.

After the media preview of the first episode, Nathalie revealed to some entertainment journalists and vloggers that the production team tapped her for comic relief. She said they see her as “kooky.”

Nathalie is herself a daughter of an afam wife. Half-Australian, she was born Princess Tinkerbell Cristina Marjorie Pedere Snell and began her showbiz career on ABS-CBN in 2013 as Kristina Snell. She moved to GMA in 2014 as Princess Snell, left the network in 2016, became a talent of the late Leo Dominguez — who renamed her Nathalie Hart — and soon after began taking lead roles in sexy films.

Mari Fowler’s partner in Afam Wives Club is British national Landon Moore, who is just 21 years old, while Mari is in her mid-30s. They already have one infant son.

Pinay lawyer Julia Chu and her Polish husband, Michal Mazurkiewicz, are another interesting couple. Now in their late 20s, they met at the University of Malaga in Spain in 2019 while both were Erasmus Mundus scholars, though enrolled in different academic programs.

They moved to the Philippines soon after their wedding in Palawan in 2021. Both find deep fulfillment in their careers and have yet to become parents.

Unlike traditional reality shows, Afam Wives Club focuses on sisterhood over competition. Each episode delves into a chaotic yet deeply relatable feminine truth, capturing the messy growth that comes with cross-racial relationships.

The show’s first episode streamed for free on iWant, but succeeding episodes are available only to subscribers.

Co takes charge

Business tycoon Vincent Co has begun taking a more public role in Puregold’s arts and culture projects — specifically the video campaign Sari-sari Stories.

The “sari-sari” in the title refers to the myriad neighborhood stores across the country, many of which are members of the price club. Co is acutely aware of both its economic and cultural roles. The video series, however, focuses on culture rather than business.

The company also hosts a film competition with categories for professionals and students. Student winners who have since graduated were recently hired to produce a vertical series now streaming on the company’s YouTube channel.

Expect the formerly camera-shy Co to start attending events tied to the company’s arts and culture initiatives. Who knows? He might even be up for a few selfies with attendees.