ABBY TRINIDAD. MNL48 aspirant with a heart of a true Idol

(Article, Photos and Video by: Manny De Guzman, Jr.)

"A loyal idol is someone who thinks of her teammates other than herself."
This was my first impression of MNL48 aspirant Abby Trinidad when I came face-to-face with her for an ambush interview during an event where she was invited to judge a local baby and kiddie pageant at Marikina Sports Center - The 100 Top Model Babies and Kids by Innovision Entertainment Production.
Don’t get me wrong, but a girl group, just like any group needs support from each participants. No group will succeed without the love and care coming from each member, something that will nurture the sense of belonging.
While the rest of the contenders were busy campaigning themselves, this 20 year old aspirant from Cavite City is calling out to the public to support MNL48 as a group. Not just to support though but to vote for other candidates as well other than herself! I was really amazed by this girl's down-to-earth nature. I caught her saying "Libreng-libre po ang pagdownload ng MNL48 Plus sa Play Store at sa Apps Store. Yun po magre-register then search nyo po "Abby" then kung may iba pa po kayong ‘Oshi’ pwede din po kayo mag-vote."

"Expectation ko po is makapasok sa Top 7 kase po gusto ko po talaga makapunta sa Japan para makita ko po ang AKB48," Abby said when asked about her goals and aspiration. "Kung hindi man ako makapasok masaya pa rin po ako susuportahan ko pa din ang MNL48 sa second generation."

Her ultimate goal is to qualify the Top 7 to meet her idols, Japan's AKB48 who initiated the formation of MNL48 as their sister group. When asked if she plans to join local showbiz, "Siguro po, pero... Ipu-push ko po talaga ang MNL48, MNL48 talaga!"
Abby's main talent is dancing, but she can sing as well according to her. And she loves acting.
Her advice to anyone aspiring to be an idol is to be familiar with and embrace the Japanese Pop Culture, specifically the idol group that they want to belong to. She noted that joining MNL48 is not that easy because the aspirants were required to take an examination of some sort.

"Sa mga kabataan dyan na gustong maging idol, gustong maging isang modelo sa mga kapwa nila kabataan, sumali kayo sa MNL48 kung sakaling magkaroon ulit ng second generation." Abby said in her final remarks. "Kasi ako dati aminin ko wala akong alam sa idol. Pero nung pinasok ko yung mundo ng MNL48 alam ko na ang ibig sabihin ng salitang "idol", yun ay ang makapagpasaya ng tao."

"MNL48" stands for Manila 48, an idol girl group based in the Philippines with 48 members. It is a sister group to AKB48, a Japanese idol girl group based in Akihabara area in Tokyo, Japan. The MNL48 search took place in 2018 at ABS-CBN's noontime variety show "It's Showtime" where Abby Trinidad ranked 2nd in the 1st General Election.

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(Manny De Guzman, Jr. is a freelance photographer, artist and blogger from the Philippines. The author is not connected in anyway to Hallohallo or ABS-CBN. This article is the author's personal view and insight based on the conducted video interview.)