Lea Salonga on her first ‘The Voice Kids PH’ win

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time in all 3 seasons of The Voice Kids Philippines, Lea Salonga’s bet won.

It was an emotional win for both Lea and Joshua Oliveros, who has been praying to bring his family together and help them out by winning The Voice Kids.

Joshua’s mom left their family 4 years ago, while his two siblings are away – one is in San Jose, while the other is in Mindoro.

The 11-year-old from Antique, who gave emotional performances throughout the season, said that he spoke to his mother again after the semi-finals.

On Sunday, August 28, at Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts Theatre, both of Joshua’s parents joined him onstage as he claimed his prizes.

“Masaya po ako dahil po ako ‘yung nakatanggap po ng isang bahay po at trophy po. Malaking tulong po ito dahil matutulungan ko ‘yung pamilya ko,” Joshua told reporters after the show.

(I’m very happy because I received a house and a trophy. This is a big help for my family.)

Lea, meanwhile, has been gunning for a win since the show started – her last The Voice win was on season 1 of The Voice of the Philippines, with Mitoy Yonting on her team.

In an interview with reporters after the finals, Lea said she was relieved that her bet won, making him her first contestant to win in the Kids series.

“I’m in shock. Not shocked, because I know how good he is, but it’s just very difficult to see how things are gonna go, and doing this show for many seasons, you see the ups and downs on how things happen,” she said.

Lea said that for Joshua, it was not just about getting a house, but a home.

“I want this kid’s dreams to come true. For him, it’s not about a physical house, it’s about a home. It’s about being in one home with his entire family kasi (because) for the last year, he spent here and so it’s been a difficult time for him. He was the one na only had his father – his ever faithful father. And I was like, what you guys are going through, it’s amazing that you are so strong.”

Lea added Joshua and his family took a risk when they tried for The Voice. “Sumugal at nanalo (They gambled and won), I’m just super happy. I’m happy for this kid. Oh, I’m going to sleep for a week,” she said.

Lea said that Joshua is a diligent student and she, along with her staff, make sure that they attend to all his rehearsals and trainings.

“These people are whose opinions I respect and when they come to me, they say his mindset is good, his ear is good. You don’t have to worry about this young man – this boy. Because he listens, he delivers. He’s wonderful, his heart, he digests the music before it comes out of his mouth. Talagang nakikinig sa (He really listens to) rehearsal. [He’s] very focused even when he’s just standing on stage… the lyrics are just being constantly run on his lips and when it comes to crunch time, he can deliver,” she said. 

In the end, Lea thanked everyone for supporting not only Joshua, but also the show.

“Thank you to everybody who has watched the show, from our pilot of the season. Thanks to people who came on board during later in the season, to everybody who voted, to everyone who prayed for us. To everyone from Twitter who put up with me being nervous and expressing myself online, thanks so much. I love you all very much,” Lea said. – With a report from Alexa Villano/Rappler.com