Ara Mina

Hazel Pascual Reyes-Almarinez, known professionally as Ara Mina, is a Filipino actress, singer, endorser, and entrepreneur. Recognized as the “Millennium Goddess”, Mina is a recipient of a FAMAS Award for Best Actress, 3 Golden Screen Awards including the ‘Dekada Award’ and an Asia’s Golden Icons Award.

Mina became part of the Philippine entertainment industry at 14 years of age via the youth-oriented program That’s Entertainment. Since then, Mina has starred in about 40 television shows and 60 movies and released 3 recording albums. She won her first acting award for Best Actress for the movie Mano Po at the Metro Manila Film Festival in 2002.

Ara Mina Details:

Ara Mina Early Life and Education:

Hazel Pascual Reyes (better known as Ara Mina) was born on May 9, 1979, in Marikina, Metro Manila, Philippines. Mina is the eldest of 9 children, she grew up in Marikina with her mother, Francis Marie Klenk, and stepfather, Romeo Reyes. 

At 18, she met and was acknowledged by her biological father, Chuck Mathay, a former politician from the Philippines. Actress Cristine Reyes is her half-sister.

Ara Mina Career:

Mina became part of the Philippine entertainment industry at 14 years of age via the youth-oriented program That’s Entertainment, hosted and spearheaded by the late master showman German Moreno (“Kuya Germs”). Since then, Mina has starred in about 40 television shows and 60 movies and released 3 recording albums. She won her first acting award for Best Actress for the film Mano Po at the Metro Manila Film Festival in 2002.

The following year (2003), she received 3 more Best Actress awards from the Manila Film Festival, FAMAS, and Golden Screen Awards for the movie Ang Huling Birhen sa Lupa. She also won the Golden Screen Awards and Star Awards in 2004 for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama in the Philippines for her role as Luna in Minsan Pa.

Mina also sings aside from acting. Her self-titled and first album from Star Music (formerly Star Records) which carried the hit song “Ay, Ay, Ay, Pag-Ibig” received a gold record award a few months after its release. Because of this, the record label decided to produce another album for her entitled Heavenly, which was also a big hit and included the track “Oops Teka Lang” which was also the theme song of the film of the same title starring Robin Padilla and Claudine Barretto from Star Cinema.

Her version of the Rey Valera hit “Kung Kailangan Mo Ako” was also used as the theme song of the ABS-CBN miniseries Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako. In 2008, she produced her 3rd album which was released under Sony BMG. It consisted of acoustic covers of hit songs like “What Do We Mean To Each Other” by Sergio Mendes, “Somebody” by Depeche Mode, and “Very Special Love” by Maureen McGovern.

She truly showcased versatility by starring in television shows of different genres, from sitcoms to heavy drama. In 1999, she starred in her first television sitcom Super Klenk, wherein she played a superheroine. She was then included in the cast of Bubble Gang, which was her longest stint on television. The character that she played in the TV series Mulawin, Vultra, is also remarkable. In 2007, she switched to freelance acting and transferred to ABS-CBN doing projects via Prinsesa ng Banyera and Ligaw na Bulaklak.

She returned to GMA Network and did multiple teleseryes for over two years. From 2011-2016, she did stints with TV5 Network but was able to do shows with the Kapuso network through Teen Gen and Yesterday’s Bride. Her most recent television stint was for GMA-7’s Pinulot Ka Lang sa Lupa and was also part of the movie My Ex and Whys starring Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano. She staged a teleserye comeback on ABS-CBN in Araw Gabi after doing anthology roles with the channel.

Ara Mina Personal Life:

On January 13, 2021, she got engaged to Businessman Dave Almarinez, CEO of the Philippine International Trading Corporation and former Laguna Provincial Board member. They got married in a wedding ceremony in Baguio on June 30 later that year.

Mina supports children with birth defects through the Ara Mina Foundation, which she founded in 2007. Her youngest sister, Princess Klenk was born with Down syndrome and was the inspiration behind this cause.

Ara Mina has one child with former Bulakan Mayor Patrick Meneses.

Ara Mina Filmography:

Ara Mina Movies:

Ara Mina TV Series / Web Series:

Ara Mina Awards & Nominations:

Ara Mina Discography:

• Ara Mina (1999, Star Music)
• Heavenly (2001, Star Music)