The Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Celebrity Collab Big Winner opens up about letting go of meaningful ink to commit to her acting career and future roles.
Mika Salamanca is embracing a painful but purposeful transformation, one that goes beyond skin deep as she undergoes tattoo removal to prepare for future acting projects.
A sacrifice for the craft but why now?
For the young actress, the decision did not come from regret, but from growth. Having rose to mainstream fame as the Big Winner of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition, her trajectory shifted from music and vlogging to high-stakes acting. Looking back, Mika shared that getting tattoos was never a mistake, especially at a time when her path in the entertainment industry was still uncertain.
“Wala po akong regrets na nagpa-tattoo ako before kasi, in the first place–I love acting, I love the craft–pero hindi ko po talaga alam na mag-aartista ako. Akala ko music lang po talaga, pero nag-grow po siya sa heart ko talaga,” Mika explained in an interview with radar Entertainment.
Each tattoo etched on her arm carries personal meaning–chapters of her life she holds close. Letting them go, she said, is not easy.
“Never po ako nagsisi na nagpa-tattoo ako kasi part po talaga siya ng buhay ko. Lahat po ito may meaning,” Mika shared, adding that the process is far from quick. “Kasi po lahat ng banda dito sa arm, kailangan pa po matanggal kasi seven sessions pa.”
Despite the long road ahead, she is committed to seeing it through. “Opo, matatanggal siya lahat,” she confirmed.
The removal process, however, comes with both physical and emotional pain. For Mika, it feels like slowly parting with pieces of herself.
“Bukod sa masakit sa pakiramdam, masakit rin po sa puso kasi lahat po ng tattoo ko may meaning po, mahal ko po talaga and proud ako diyan. So kapag inaalis ko sila parang part of me para ko naman silang tinatapon. Pero for a greater purpose naman po ito,” she pointed out.
Still, Mika manages to find humor amid the heartbreak. “Heartbreak pa rin siyempre,” she shared and quipped: “Pero pwede rin naman ang tattoo kasi heartbreaking rin mag-tattoo.”
Beyond personal reasons, practicality also played a major role in her decision. Tattoo coverage during tapings often requires extra time and earlier call hours, making work more demanding than it needs to be.
Reducing call time burden
“Pinapaalis ko po siya kasi taping po sobrang tagal ng tinatake na time, nag re-require po ako ng maagang call time sa lahat para sa tattoo ko. Kailangan po kasi siya ma-cover up,” she explained.
In choosing to remove her tattoos, Mika isn’t erasing her past, she’s making space for the future she’s building. One painful session at a time, she continues to prove her dedication to the craft she has grown to love.
Mika made her acting debut as one of the stars of the recent Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Call Me Mother,” headlined by Vice Ganda.
Currently, she is among the stars making waves in the upcoming “Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition” reunion project, where former housemates take center stage once again in a landmark GMA and ABS-CBN collaboration, the mystery-family drama “The Secrets of Hotel 88.”
Bukod sa masakit sa pakiramdam, masakit rin po sa puso kasi lahat po ng tattoo ko may meaning po. Mahal ko po talaga and proud ako diyan. So, kapag inaalis ko sila, parang part of me ay para ko nang tinatapon.
Mika Salamanca
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