Faith da Silva: “Because of Emman, I want to be stronger”

The actress reflects on kindness, courage, and learning from loss.

Faith da Silva, Kim Atienza’s cohost in “Tiktoclock,” said she was the first person in the program to have learned of the passing of Atienza’s daughter Emman.

“On the day he learned that Emman died, Kuya Kim still did the live show with us,” Faith told radar Entertainment at Emman’s wake at the Heritage Memorial Park on Tuesday night. “To be honest, I know Kuya Kim very well. He’s like my second father. The moment he walked in that day, it felt different. His energy was low. So, I asked, ‘Kuya Kim, are you okay?’”

Faith said she’s not usually the affectionate type, but that day, something felt different. “Something was pushing me to be there for him, to hug him even if I didn’t know what he was going through. I just wanted to be there for him, whatever it was. He would just keep saying, over and over, ‘Faith, it hurts. It hurts so much.’”

Keeping up appearances

She didn’t want to pry. “He didn’t need to tell me the reason,” she said softly. “But I was one of the first people he told.”

She still remembers how surreal it felt—seeing Kim Atienza, the man known for his bright energy and trademark smile, having to keep up appearances in front of the camera that day. “That feeling… for me, it was hard to explain. You could tell how broken he was inside, but when the camera started rolling, he had to smile. It must have been really hard for him, not just as a host, but as a father.”

Their bond, Faith said, goes beyond the studio. “I love Kuya Kim so much. He knows that. He’s really like a father figure to me. He always tells me that I remind him of Emman. We’re both playful, both opinionated,” she recalled. “Now we just say, with everything that’s happened, the impact Emman left behind can never be replaced.”

Empathy vs judgment

Faith also hopes that Emman’s passing becomes “a call for empathy rather than judgment. I hope we learn to have more empathy, especially on social media. There are so many people hiding behind the pictures we see, people we don’t really know,” she said.

Though Faith only met Emman a few times, she said the loss still hit close to home. “It’s hard because she was close to my age. And as a public figure, it’s not easy to avoid absorbing all the negative comments from everyone.”

She shared how Emman’s story changed her outlook: “Because of what happened, I feel like I need to be more firm. The world will never change. People’s mindsets won’t change, but what I can change is how I move in this world. How I choose not to be affected by bad things.”

She added: “And that’s what I’ll hold on to. Because that’s what Emman wants, to be stronger, to be true to myself. We know her. She’s very opinionated. If you ask who she really was, that’s exactly what you’ll see on social media and in real life.”

Faith admitted that Emman inspired her in unexpected ways. “Even though I’m a brave person, I still have things I hide from myself. Because as an artist, I have to act a certain way, use certain words. But because of her, I want to show up fully as who I am. Because even if not everyone will accept it, what matters is that I understand myself.”

Strong support system

She also touched on the importance of having a strong support system. “You can be strong for yourself, but when you have someone to lean on, someone to hug, someone who listens, that’s the biggest blessing in life. We shouldn’t carry everything on our own. We should learn how to speak up, how to share.”

Asked for her message to Kuya Kim, Faith grew teary-eyed before answering. “My message to Kuya Kim is to stay strong. I know it’s hard to say that everything happens for a reason, because it’s not easy to say that. But Kuya Kim, even if we don’t know all the answers, we can still choose to show love. You are loved by many. We’re here for you, no matter what happens.”