Actress Susan Africa has made good on her promise, handing over ₱5,000 to the fan who finally unearthed a teleserye clip of her coughing.
The challenge stemmed from a viral online joke that Africa always plays sickly characters who are constantly coughing, a reputation she recently insisted was more of a Mandela effect than reality.
Confident she wasn't the serial cougher the internet made her out to be, Africa jokingly offered a ₱5,000 reward to anyone who could produce a teleserye scene proving otherwise.
After days of fans combing through decades of her television work, Sheena Rose Traifalgar, a third-year college student from Iloilo, found the winning clip: a scene from the classic 1992 drama "Mara Clara" showing Africa's character coughing.
"Yes, we have a winner!" Africa announced on Facebook, confirming she had already sent the prize to Traifalgar.
The actress admitted she had forgotten the scene, saying that after more than 40 years in show business and countless roles, it's impossible to remember every moment from her career.
She also thanked everyone who joined what she called an "amusing game," while standing by her original point: she may have coughed in some roles, but certainly not in every teleserye.
The winning student said she plans to use the cash reward to help pay for her studies, giving the viral challenge an unexpectedly heartwarming ending.