“I’m not affected,” she says. “It’s my life and I have the right to live it the way I want to. Life is short and as long as you don’t go beyond the barriers of moral standards and decency, you’re free to do what you want. I am what I am and I’m not going to change my style just to please anyone.”
She comes from the well-to-do Prieto family that has a stake at the Inquirer for which she writes a column. Her brother was an executive in the paper when he died tragically at such a young age, making her realize that she should “seize the day” so she’d have no regrets in life. A graduate of architecture from UST and an interior design graduate of the College of Notre Dame, she’s now part of Paolo Bediones’ team that renovate houses in “Extreme Makeover Home Edition Philippines”. She says doing her job as stylist for the houses they make over is a true labor of love.
“It’s so tiring, pero siempre, ang dami ko pa ring change of outfits,” she adds. “But it’s all worth it when you see the big smiles of the families we help to get new houses. The local edition actually did more houses than any of its other versions worldwide. We’re the first one to be allowed to make row houses for mountain people in Nueva Vizcaya, in cooperation with Gawad Kalinga. We also work with the biggest crew that require 200 people on the set and use 12 cameras simultaneously to record everything we do. We also had to fight the weather kasi biglang umuulan. Choosing the recipients of the make over was hard because all those who applied have their own interesting stories to tell. At hindi lang bahay nila ang sinikap naming baguhin kundi pati mga buhay nila by giving them a livelihood. The Philippine edition is the only one with a 'kabuhayan' component in that we give a sari-sari store or tricycles para matulungan sila financially. The beneficiaries can feel that we really care kasi we really want them to have better lives as our show aims to give them ‘Bagong Bahay, Bagong Buhay’.”
Aside from Tessa and Paolo, also in the show's design team are fashion model Divine Lee, interior designers Tristan Jovellana and Marilen Faustino-Montenegro, and financial consultant Joby Belmonte. Kapatid stars like Sharon Cuneta, Nora Aunor and David Archuleta appear as special guests who welcome the families to their new homes. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Philippines" primetime debuts starts on Sunday, April 15 after "Talentadong Pinoy". Now it’s time to know more about the show’s other co-hosts.
