Ara Mina

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Ara Mina
Ara Mina in 2019
Born	Hazel Pascual Reyes (1979-05-09) May 9, 1979 (age 45) Mandaluyong, Philippines[1]
Other names	Ara, Dara Mina
Occupation(s)	Actress, endorser, entrepreneur and singer
Years active	1993–present
Agent	Viva Artists Agency
Political party	Lakas–CMD (2024–present)
Other political affiliations	Independent (2009-2024)
Spouse	Dave Almarinez ​ (m. 2021)​
Partner	Patrick Meneses (until 2015)
Children	1
Relatives	Cristine Reyes (half-sister) Venus Imperial (Mother) Romeo Reyes (Stepfather) Chuck Mathay (biological father) Mel Mathay (biological paternal grandfather) Princess Klenk (biological younger sister) Manilyn Reynes (cousin) Marissa Sanchez (cousin)

Hazel Pascual Reyes-Almarinez (born May 9, 1979), professionally known as Ara Mina, is a Filipino actress, singer, endorser, and entrepreneur. Recognized as the "Millennium Goddess",^[2] Mina is a recipient of a FAMAS Award for Best Actress, 3 Golden Screen Awards including the 'Dekada Award'^[3] and an Asia's Golden Icons Award.^[4]

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, Viva Entertainment signed Mina after being noticed on That's and 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 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. 1999, she starred in her first television sitcom Super Klenk, wherein she played a super heroine. She was then included in the cast of Bubble Gang, which was her longest stint for 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. In 2011, she returned to Viva Entertainment after 1995, which also manages her sister Cristine Reyes.^[5]

On April 17, 2015, Ara was part of the "Lucky Stars" of Kapamilya, Deal or No Deal and won ₱1,000,000 (equivalent to ₱1,203,738 in 2021), making Ara as second millionaire of the season five.

Her most recent television stint was for GMA'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. In the late 2019 until the end of 2022, she is known for her role of Ellen Padua in FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.

On October 7, 2024, Ara Mina filed her certificate of candidacy to run for 2nd district councilor of Pasig in 2025, under Lakas–CMD. She was named part of the ticket of mayoral candidate Sarah Discaya, who is running under Unyon ng mga Gabay ng Bayan (UGB).^[6]

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 congressman from Quezon City. Actress Cristine Reyes is her half-sister through her mother, while San Juan councilors Cris and Macky Mathay are her half-brothers through her father.^[7][8]

Mina has one child with former Bulakan Mayor Patrick Meneses.^[9]

On January 13, 2021, she got engaged to Businessman Dave Almarinez, CEO of the Philippine International Trading Corporation and former Laguna Provincial Board member.^[10] They got married in a wedding ceremony in Baguio on June 30 later that year.^[11]

Mina supports children with birth defects through the Ara Mina Foundation, which she founded in 2007.^[12] Her youngest sister, Princess Klenk was born with Down syndrome, was the inspiration behind this cause.^[12]

This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. Find sources: "Ara Mina" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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

• Ara Mina at IMDb
• Ara Mina at iGMA.tv