Photo from @acbonifacio

AC Bonifacio summed up her realizations after her Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition experience in a simple sentence: "I believe PBB changed me for the better." 

More than another entry in her dossier as a showbiz personality, it was an eye-opening experience that allowed her to know herself better. On life after PBB, AC said, "It's a lot of adjusting. It's a lot of accepting, which I'm totally open to. I approach everything with an open mind."

AC's life has become an open book inside the Pinoy Big Brother house, putting her under scrutiny, with viewers forming opinions about her. Bashers have inevitably entered the picture, but AC chooses to see beyond the negativity. 

Photo by @jumigo_rafols

Her PBB experience, she said, showed people that she's only human after all—mistakes and other missteps do happen. "I do still have flaws, and I appreciate people calling out my flaws," AC said. "Because now, I know, I'm aware of [them], and I can be better from [them]."

As she has become a subject of bashing, AC didn't want to dwell on the hurtful comments, so she purposely deleted her social media apps. "I go on it every now and then just to reassure people that I am okay. But I don't read [the comments]. I try my best not to read," she revealed. 

People around her gave her an idea of what people were saying about her, and that was enough to ground her and for her to understand what was going on and what she may need to improve on. 

Photo from @acbonifacio

Asked to share a message for her bashers, AC told Metro.Style, "One, definitely that I appreciate them. I appreciate them for calling out my flaws. I appreciate you guys for taking the time to still continue to do that on every post that I have...  I hope you guys also see that I'm understanding you, guys. Thanks for watching me. Inaabangan niyo rin po ako. But I hope you get to know the real me. I hope you get to see my true intentions."

AC also took the opportunity to express her gratitude to and appreciation of her fans and followers. She shared, "My fans are also open-minded. They also tell me off. And you can see that in the tweets, and I appreciate that so much na hindi lang sila 'yung, 'Hindi, idol ko 'to, idol ko 'to,' ganun ganun. They tell me to be better. They show me that, 'You did make a mistake here, but I appreciate you being better. I appreciate you acknowledging it.' And that's what I love about them. I love that they're so open-minded, and it makes me want to be open-minded too."

She added, "Kaya maraming maraming maraming salamat po. Thank you for the love."

Photo from @acbonifacio

What's her biggest takeaway from her PBB experience? She reflected, "It's okay to sit down and listen. It's okay to take time. Hindi mo kailangan sumabay sa sobrang fast-paced na world. It's okay to sit and observe and understand before you make an action."

Now that she's moving on to the next chapter of her career, AC sets her sights on nurturing herself as an artist—an actress, singer, dancer, and host. "I will continue performing...  If I'm growing in my personal life, I will also want to grow in my artistic life. So acting, singing, dancing. I will always try to do better in those things. Hosting also," AC mentioned.

What her fans can look forward to next from her is the movie The Four Bad Boys and Me, which they filmed last year. "Coming from High Street, my character in The Four Bad Boys and Me is very different. Complete opposite," she described. "'Yung sa High Street po kasi, very kontrabida ako. May hidden agenda po kasi ako du'n. Dito sa [The Four Bad Boys and Me], I think I'm my regular self, honestly. I'm very bubbly, very up, very energetic. And I also dance there. So, abangan niyo po talaga." 

AC's showbiz journey started from the ABS-CBN reality dance competition show Dance Kids and the singing and impersonation competition Your Face Sounds Familiar: Kids. As an actress, she appeared on the American TV series Riverdale and starred in Kapamilya shows Lyric and Beat and High Street.

Interview by Tricia Matias

Lead photo from @acbonifacio