Emmy-nominated series ‘How I Got Here’ is featuring a Filipino mother and daughter duo travelling back to the Philippines, connecting with the past and with one another.
Hailing from Brampton, Ont., Nelia Ibasco, 56, and her daughter Angeline Pink, 24, journeyed to the Philippines in April 2025 to star in Season 3, Episode 6 of the award-winning show.
The series follows second-generation children travelling with their parents to their country of origin to explore the sacrifices behind their families’ journeys to North America.
Their involvement in the show almost didn’t happen were it not for Pink’s insistence.
“I was like, Mom, we HAVE to do this, we have to go,” she said.
Pink has never set foot in the Philippines and had been talking about visiting for a long time.
“I literally just sat her down and finished the video and application on the last day of submission in June 2024,” Pink said.
After countless interviews, they were chosen for the series, and flew to the Philippines for filming in April 2025.
Immigrating to Canada
Ibasco was born in Bataan, Philippines, the youngest of nine children, growing up in a close-knit but financially struggling family.
After witnessing violence during the Marcos regime, Ibasco immigrated to Canada at 15 with her parents and sister.
“That was a really hard decision for us to make because we’re starting a new life in Canada,” Ibasco said.
Just six months later, her parents returned to the Philippines, leaving Ibasco and her sister to build a life in Canada on their own.
“(My father’s) body is used to the heat and hard work. When he came here, he didn’t do anything,” Ibasco said, explaining why they left.
“I didn’t know that that was the last time I was going to see him,” Ibasco said, explaining that her father passed away two years later.
Missing Pieces
Ibasco’s daughter was born and raised in Canada, and grew up feeling that “something was missing”.
“I always felt like there’s some things I can’t relate to: the jokes would be in Tagalog or the stories I couldn’t relate to because I’ve never been to the Philippines,” she said.
Pink knew that going to the Philippines was something she had to do.
Trip of a Lifetime
Along with the traffic and the lax laws of the land, Pink said that Manila surprised her.
“I don’t know why in my mind I thought it was a smaller city. One time I saw a lady carry her newborn baby and sitting sideways in the back of a motorbike,” Pink said.
As for Ibasco, the trip was an emotional one as she reconnected with childhood friends and family members after 41 years.
“I’ve never been back in (my childhood home) since I left. It looked smaller than I remember,” Ibasco said.
“It was emotional…every corner, every little chair. There’s the chair where my dad used to sit and where I sat on the floor and hugged his leg,” she said.
“All the memories that I had forgotten were just coming up and I was just so happy to share it with (my daughter). So, yeah, I cried the whole time.”
Pink said that the trip brought them closer together. “It really helped us bond and understand (each other) more.”
“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” Pink said.
The Philippines episode will air on March 23, 2026 on Super Channel Quest.
