How Criza Taa Feels About Being Called A Social Climber | Toni Talks

Toni Gonzaga Studio

This video has been trending in Philippines

Toni Gonzaga starts the conversation by asking Criza Taa to look back on her childhood in Quezon City. Criza recalls growing up in a cramped rental house, helping her mother sell tapsilog and balut at night after school, and accepting early on that she would need to work if she wanted to change her family’s situation. Her father left when she was young, so her mother became her role model for resilience. Those experiences, she says, taught her to dream big and ignore the teasing classmates who called her “palengkera” because she smelled of fried food after helping at the stall.

She then explains how a Facebook open-call for Pinoy Big Brother became her first big break. Borrowing jeepney fare from a neighbor, she lined up for hours without telling her mother and surprised everyone when she got in. Inside the house she learned to speak up, but outside she was stunned by the volume of criticism online. People immediately labeled her a “social climber,” assuming she befriended housemates only for fame. Criza admits the tag hurt, especially because her real intention was simply to form genuine connections in a place where she knew no one.

Toni asks how the label follows her today, especially after landing roles in Kadenang Ginto and other ABS-CBN projects. Criza says every new friendship she posts on social media still attracts comments like “Ayan na naman, nang-climb na naman.” At first she responded angrily, but her mother reminded her that strangers do not know her heart. Now she filters hurtful words by asking whether the critic helps pay her bills; if not, she refuses to let them rent space in her mind. She has also learned to avoid flaunting branded items or luxury trips online because she understands how quickly people equate material things with social climbing.

The interview shifts to faith and gratitude. Criza reveals she writes prayer letters on sticky notes and pastes them on her mirror. Almost every career milestone she has today—being able to move her family to a better apartment, buying her mother a scooter, enrolling her siblings in private school—began as a note on that mirror. When the notes come true, she keeps them in a jar as proof to herself that God listens. Toni points out that this practice may be why Criza stays grounded despite entering show business at 14.

Before wrapping up, Criza addresses fellow Gen Z viewers who feel judged for their ambitions. She advises them to embrace the “social climber” tag if it simply means wanting a better life, but reminds them that genuine relationships and consistent hard work should always come before image. Toni ends the episode by affirming that Criza’s journey shows climbing up does not have to mean stepping on others, and that people who judge often do so from the sidelines while the climber is busy holding the rope.

Share Video

¿Do you like How Criza Taa Feels About Being Called A Social Climber | Toni Talks? Share it with your people...

Playlist