Ara Mina (born Hazel Pascual Reyes-Almarinez; May 9, 1979) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

actress, singer, endorser, and entrepreneur.

Career

Mina became part of the Philippine entertainment industry at 14 years of age via the youth-oriented program '' That's Entertainment'', hosted and spearheaded by the late master showman

German Moreno German Molina Moreno (; October 4, 1933 – January 8, 2016), also known as Kuya Germs ( or ) and dubbed as "The Master Showman", was a Filipino television host, presenter, actor, comedian, talent manager, producer, writer, and director. Early ...

("Kuya Germs"). Since then, Mina has starred in about 40 television shows and 60 movies and released 3 recording albums. She won her first acting award for Best Actress for the movie ''

Mano Po ''Mano Po'' () is a 2002 Filipino drama film produced by Regal Entertainment, and an entry to the 2002 Metro Manila Film Festival. The film focuses on the lives of the Chinese Filipino community. ''Mano Po'' stars an all-star cast headed by Ma ...

'' at the

Metro Manila Film Festival The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an annual film festival held in Metro Manila, Philippines. The festival, which runs from December 25 (Christmas) through New Year's Day and into first weekend of January in the following year, focuses on ...

in 2002. The following year (2003), she received 3 more Best Actress awards from

Manila Film Festival The Manila Tagalog Film Festival, also known as the Manila Film Festival was a film festival organized in the city of Manila, Philippines. It is considered as the precursor to the Metro Manila Film Festival. History Then-Manila Mayor Antonio Vil ...

, FAMAS and Golden Screen Awards for the movie ''Ang Huling Birhen Sa Lupa''. She also won the Golden Screen Awards and

Star Awards The Star Awards (Chinese: 红星大奖) are awards for artistic and technical merit in the media organisation Mediacorp of Singapore where Mediacorp recognises entertainers under their employment for outstanding performances of the year. The ...

in 2004 for Best Supporting Actress in a drama in the Philippines for her role as Luna in ''

Minsan Pa ''Minsan Pa'' (''One Moment More'') is a 2004 Filipino indie drama film directed by Jeffrey Jeturian, and written by Armando Lao. It stars Jomari Yllana, Ara Mina and Christian Vasquez. The film was critically acclaimed and garnered numerous award ...

''. Mina also sings aside from acting. Her self-titled and first album from

Star Music Star Music (stylized in lowercase as starmusic; formerly known as Star Records), is a record label in the Philippines owned and operated by media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation. It was formerly a separate company operating as a wholly owned su ...

(formerly Star records) which carried the hit song "Ay, Ay, Ay, Pag-Ibig" received a gold record award a few months after its release. Because of this, the record label decided to produce another album for her entitled "Heavenly", which was also a big hit and included the track "Oops Teka Lang" which was also the theme song of the movie of the same title starring

Robin Padilla Robinhood Ferdinand Cariño Padilla (; born November 23, 1969), known professionally as Robin Padilla, is a Filipino politician, television personality, martial artist, actor and director currently serving as a Senator of the Philippines since ...

and

Claudine Barretto Claudine Margaret Castelo Barretto (; born July 20, 1979) is a Filipino actress, singer, and entrepreneur. Popularly dubbed as “''The'' ''Optimum Star''” by various media outlets, Barretto has won 3 FAMAS Award including 2 Best Actress w ...

from

Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Philippines, Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film ...

. Her version of the Rey Valera hit "Kung Kailangan Mo Ako" was also used as the theme song of the

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

miniseries ''

Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako ''Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako'' () is a Philippine prime time television drama weekly short-lived miniseries aired on ABS-CBN every Monday. It aired from November 16, 1998 to September 6, 1999. It was replaced by ''Judy Ann Drama Special''. Cas ...

''. In 2008, she produced her 3rd album which was released under Sony BMG. It consisted of acoustic covers of hit songs like "What Do We Mean To Each Other" by Sergio Mendes, "Somebody" by Depeche Mode, and "Very Special Love" by Maureen McGovern. She truly showcased versatility by starring in television shows of different genres, from sitcoms to heavy drama. ''Super Klenk'' , her first television sitcom wherein she played a super heroine, showed her comic skills and agility. She was then included in the cast of "

Bubble Gang ''Bubble Gang'' is a Philippine television sketch comedy show broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Frasco Mortiz, it stars Michael V. It premiered on October 20, 1995 on the network's Friday night line up replacing '' Vilma''. The show is the ...

", which was her longest stint for television. The character that she played in the TV series ''

Mulawin ''Mulawin'' is a Philippine television drama fantasy series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Don Michael Perez and Dode Cruz, it stars Richard Gutierrez, Angel Locsin and Dennis Trillo. It premiered on August 2, 2004 on the network's Teleb ...

'', Vultra, is also remarkable. In 2007, she switched to freelance acting and transferred to ABS-CBN doing projects via

Prinsesa ng Banyera ''Prinsesa ng Banyera'' (International title: ''Fish Port Princess'' / ) is a 2007 Philippine weekday daytime soap opera of ABS-CBN's ''Hapontastic'' afternoon block, from October 8, 2007 to May 23, 2008 which aired after ''Wowowee''. It stars Kr ...

and Ligaw na Bulaklak. She returned to

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

and did multiple teleseryes for over two years. From 2011-2016, she did stints with

TV5 Network TV5 Network Inc., commonly known as TV5, is a Philippine media company based in Mandaluyong, with its alternate studios located in Novaliches, Quezon City. It is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting, with subsidiaries and ...

but was able to do shows with the Kapuso network through

Teen Gen ''Teen Gen'' is a Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is a spin-off of the 1990s television series '' T.G.I.S.'' Directed by Mark Reyes and Albert Langitan, it stars Angelu de Leon and Bobby Andrews. It premi ...

and Yesterday's Bride. Her most recent television stint was for GMA-7's ''

Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa ''Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa'' (International title: ''Envy'' / ) is a 2017 Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is based on a Philippine graphic novel and a 1987 Philippine film of the same title. Directed by Gi ...

'' and was also part of the movie '' My Ex and Whys'' starring

Enrique Gil Enrique Mari Bacay Gil V (; born March 30, 1992) is a Filipino actor, dancer, and commercial model. Gil has appeared in various films and television shows such as ''Mula Sa Puso'', ''Budoy'', '' Princess and I'', '' Muling Buksan Ang Puso'' an ...

and

Liza Soberano Hope Elizabeth Soberano( , ; born January 4, 1998), professionally known as Liza Soberano, is a Filipino actress, model and singer. She started in a range of television series and films, including ''Wansapanataym'' (2011), '' Kung Ako'y Iiwan M ...

. She staged a teleserye comeback on

Araw Gabi ''Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Araw Gabi'' (International title: ''The Secrets of El Paraiso'' / ) is a 2018 Philippine drama television series under '' Precious Hearts Romances'' based on the Filipino pocket book novel ''El Paraiso'' by Ma ...

after doing anthology roles with the channel.

Personal life

The eldest of 9 children, she grew up in

Marikina Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina ( fil, Lungsod ng Marikina), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,159 people. It is loca ...

with her mother, Francis Marie Klenk, and stepfather, Romeo Reyes. At 18, she met and was acknowledged by her biological father, Chuck Mathay, a formercongressman from Quezon City. Actress

Cristine Reyes Ara Cristine Pascual Klenk (born February 5, 1989), known professionally as Cristine Reyes, is a Filipino actress, model, dancer and endorser. She is often called as the "Ultimate Star" by the local media for her acting prowess and popularity. ...

is her half-sister through her mother while San Juan councilors Cris and Macky Mathay are her half-brothers. Mina has one child with

Bulakan Bulakan, officially the Municipality of Bulakan ( tgl, Bayan ng Bulakan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 81,232 people. It is north of Manila. Bula ...

mayor, Patrick Meneses. On January 13, 2021, she got engaged to Dave Almarinez, CEO of the Philippine International Trading Corporation. Mina supports children with birth defects through the Ara Mina Foundation, which she founded in 2007.https://buzzflare.com/ph/2018/05/20/ara-mina-to-hold-fund-raising-event-for-children-with-down-syndrome/ Her youngest sister was born with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

, was the inspiration behind this cause.

Filmography

Television

Film

Awards

Discography

*''Ara Mina'' (Self-Titled) (1999,

) *''Heavenly'' (2001, Star Music)

References

External links

*
Ara Mina
a
iGMA.tv
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mina, Ara 1979 births Living people 21st-century Filipino actresses 21st-century Filipino women singers ABS-CBN personalities Actresses from Manila Filipino child actresses Filipino female models Filipino film actresses Filipino television actresses Filipino women comedians GMA Network personalities Star Music artists That's Entertainment (Philippine TV series) That's Entertainment Tuesday Group Members TV5 (Philippine TV network) personalities Viva Artists Agency