They may not have spent Christmas Day with their entire families, but Big Brother gave the housemates a meaningful gift—a chance to reunite, even just for a moment, with a loved one.
This heart-tugging moment was part of their reward in their 9th weekly task, where they must reach a specific distance on the stationary bike to unlock surprises. On the December 25 episode of “Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0,” we witnessed the reunion of Heath Jornales and his dad, actor and martial artist Michael Roy Jornales. Cue the holiday tears!
Michael describes his son as his “best friend." They've been martial arts buddies since Heath was a kid. Heath was only five when he first started showing potential in martial arts, just by watching his dad train, so Michael decided to start teaching him early. Now that Heath’s a teenager, they’ve become sparring partners. Aside from martial arts, they also bond over music, as they both play the guitar and love jamming together.
Inside the confession room, Michael got emotional when Kuya asked what more he wanted for Heath. He said he doesn’t have any more wishes for his son. What he feels instead is gratitude. As long as Heath is happy with the path he’s chosen, that’s all that matters. "Success means nothing without happiness. Money means nothing without happiness. As long as he's happy, I am happy," said Michael.
Just like the other housemates before him, Heath also had to take on the challenge of identifying which of the five mystery hands was bringing in his gift. From the start, he had a feeling it would be his dad delivering the present, so his game plan was to figure out which hand belonged to his dad. The moment he touched and carefully examined the fifth hand, Heath was already fighting back tears, which he couldn’t hold in anymore when his dad stepped out from behind the curtain and hugged him.
Michael did his best to keep their reunion lighthearted instead of emotional, even going for a quick sparring move with Heath to ease the mood. This was the first Christmas Heath spent away from his family, so his dad promised they’d make it extra special next year. As they said goodbye, both tried to stay strong and gave each other one last burst of courage before parting. The gift Michael brought was a framed photo of Heath with his beloved fur baby.
Stay tuned for more heartwarming moments as the Christmas-themed task continues on "PBB Collab 2.0," available via livestream on the PBB YouTube Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and iWant.