Ashtine Olviga sticks around long enough to see the fruits of her work. Fans of the popular Wattpad series “Ang Mutya ng Section E’ on Viva One would know Ashtine as ‘Jay-jay,’ the high school transferee and only female student of underachieving Section E of a prestigious international school, ergo, the class where every misfit in school is bunched up. As these coming-of-age stories go, Ashtine’s Jay-jay inadvertently becomes the love interest of section class president Keifer, played by Andres Muhlach. Alongside other new-generation actors, the show has become a launchpad for Ashtine Olviga to enter the mainstream. 

However, those following Pinoy pop would know that Ashtine was once part of the all-girl group Ppop Generation. This sing-dance group was part of a wave of K-pop-inspired groups that eventually paved the way to BINI, SB19, ALAMAT, etc. Ppop Generation was Manila’s answer to multiple member groups such as AKB 48, Girls Generation, and Momoland. P-pop Gen’s success was modest at best. After all, Ppop was still finding its footing in the overall food chain of OPM, but the group did release a handful of singles and had success with songs such as “Ikaw at Ako,” “Hanap-Hanap,” and “Prinsesa.”

Like Nadine Lustre before her, Ashtine Olviga has now reinvented as an actress for this generation. It only took her about seven years or more and a hit TV series to be where she is now. The salient point is she stuck with it. Others might see Ashtine’s success as a gift to talented actors who are in the right place and time and have the proper connection. But Ashtine’s is anything but. If I remember correctly, she probably logged so many hours for dance and vocal training, acting workshops, playing bit parts, and being second fiddle to warrant consideration for a part, let alone a lead one. 

As the showbiz adage goes: “You have arrived,” Ashtine Olviga. And it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. The road ahead is still long, but you are on the right path. Lift others on your way.  

“Ang Mutya ng Section E” also stars the Korean idol-looking Rabin Angeles, Yuri Hanamichi, Kurt Delos Reyes, John Felix Collins, singers and now actors Ethan David, Heart Ryan, and Angela Muji. Plus, John Felix Collins, Calix Reiner Rivera, Yanyan De Jesus, Drew Mercado, Frost Sandoval, David Theodore Braselton, Elaine Dianne Hyun, Rakki San Diego, Charles Law, Cinco Neith, Gemma Fernandez, and original Bagets star and veteran character actress Yayo Aguila.

Ashtine is still an active recording act, releasing music as recent as this month with her cover of the Amiel Sol hit “Sa Bawat Sandali.” As proof of her newfound hot status, Ashtine also enjoys high listenership over the streaming platforms. Currently, her cover of “Sa Bawat Sandali” has garnered more than a quarter million streams in just over two weeks and counting. Subsequently, the official music video for the original (Amiel Sol), which features Ashtine and Andres, has ballooned to close to 10 million views on YouTube. Moreover, the official soundtrack for “Ang Mutya ng Section E” is doing well. Including some new hits has much to do with it, with “Sa Bawat Sandali” and Earl Agustin’s “Tibok” leading the current charts with several million listens each. New boy group GAT, with actor Ethan David as a member, is also in there with the TikTok hit “Daleng Dale.” The Cup of Joe and Janine hit “Tingin,” and Rob Deniel’s “Miss Miss” rounds off the selection.