Maine Mendoza, undoubtedly the country’s fastest-rising star of 2015, gave an emotional “thank you” message on Instagram for her fans and supporters.

The Instagram post (above) has the following caption:

I used to be a girl with a poor self esteem— I actually think I still am. I never believed in my capability of doing things; it could be just me being a pessimist about almost everything but the thing is, I never really believed in myself. Every time I am about to do something, the first thing that comes to my mind is “Hindi ko kaya yan.” (That’s the fighting spirit! *note sarcasm*) Though I am already used to it, it’s still sad to think that I grew up with a negative mindset. I grew up believing I am not good enough for anything. People may think “Wala pa namang nararating/napapatunayan yang Yaya nyo.” true enough, I guess. Pero para sa’kin, I’ve done so many things that I never thought I can do; things that I never imagined I am capable of doing. Everything that I am experiencing and doing right now is new to me. And I am proud to say that [finally] —because of Eat Bulaga— I am having the courage to step out of my comfort zone. I have waited so long for the moment where I’d be able to say “I am proud of myself”. Kung wala pa man akong napapatunayan sainyo, sa’kin marami-rami na.. at yun lang, sapat na. Sapat na din para masabi kong proud ako sa sarili ko. Way to go, Meng! 😁👍