Ever since winning the Search for the Little Ms. Philippines Contest in the top-rating noontime show “Eat Bulaga,” Ryza Mae Dizon has become a popular mainstay of the show. She is loved by many viewers because of her natural charm and cute smile. But hidden beneath the girl’s jolly personality is an interesting story that is not as comic as it is dramatic.
When Ryza Mae was born, no midwife was available to aid in the delivery, and so the girl’s father, Victor, had to do the job of assisting his wife Rizza in the ordeal. When the baby came out, the couple feared that the baby was dead because she didn’t cry at all and the umbilical cord was convoluted around her body.
Ryza Mae’s family is poor. Her father works as a delivery man while her mother tends their small sari-sari store. She grew up very well aware of her family’s condition and so even at a young age, she already thought of how she could help her parents make ends meet.
One day, an agent encouraged Ryza to join a fundraiser beauty contest in their barangay. Rizza won’t approve of the idea because she doesn’t have enough money to spare for her daughter’s costume. But Ryza Mae was so interested in joining the competition that she herself went to the barangay hall to register without her parents knowing it. In the end, Ryza won the competition although the cash prize was not enough to pay for their debts.
Ryza Mae auditioned for similar contests in other networks but she failed. Her fate turned around when she joined the Little Ms. Philippines Contest of ‘Eat Bulaga’. At one point in the competition, Ryza Mae thought that it was all over for her — she was eliminated during the Semi-Finals. Fortunately, prior to the Grand Finals, the show decided to call back some of those who were eliminated as wild card contestants. Ryza Mae was one of the lucky ones. Ultimately, she won in the Grand Finals and the rest is history, so to speak.
Find out more about Ryza Mae Dizon’s life this Saturday on “Magpakailanman,” airs after ‘Kaps Amazing Stories’ on GMA-7.
