# Karina Bautista
**Karina Bautista** (Karina Bautista Nakagawa) is a Filipino actress who first gained public attention as a finalist on the reality competition *Pinoy Big Brother: Otso* in 2018 and has since worked in ABS-CBN television series and streaming films, including *Sandugo*, *Viral Scandal*, and *The Last Resort*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Karina Bautista Nakagawa[1](https://philippines123.com/wiki/Karina_Bautista) |
| Breakthrough | Second runner-up, first Teen Batch of *Pinoy Big Brother: Otso* (2018), hailed as "Miss Independent of Isabela"[2](https://www.starmagicph.com/karina-bautista/) |
| Management | Star Magic; launched as part of the second batch of ABS-CBN's talent subsidiary Rise Artists Studio in 2021[2](https://www.starmagicph.com/karina-bautista/) |
| Signature TV role | Andrea "Andeng" Kalaw in *Sandugo* (2019–2020, 123 episodes)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10251529) |
| Loveteam | "KarJon," with former PBB housemate Aljon Mendoza[2](https://www.starmagicph.com/karina-bautista/) |
| Recent work | *The Last Resort* (2025) and *The Loyalty Game* (2026)[4](https://corporate.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/news-releases/2025/11/4/karina-and-aljon-reunite-in-romance-thriller-the-last-resort-on-iwant?lang=fil) • [5](https://vicvicbautista.com/2026/06/) |
| Height | 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10251529/bio/) |
## Entry into show business
Bautista's professional path began with the Star Hunt competition, a talent search that ABS-CBN uses as a gateway for new performers, and continued onto *Pinoy Big Brother: Otso*, where she competed in the first Teen Batch of the 2018 season and finished as second runner-up[2](https://www.starmagicph.com/karina-bautista/). The program, a long-running Philippine reality show, has historically served as a launchpad for television and film careers[1](https://philippines123.com/wiki/Karina_Bautista). In 2021 she was launched as part of the second batch of Rise Artists Studio, ABS-CBN's training and management subsidiary[2](https://www.starmagicph.com/karina-bautista/).
## Television career
Her first major television role came in *Sandugo*, a historical drama in which she played Andrea "Andeng" Kalaw across 123 episodes from 2019 to 2020[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10251529). In 2020 she appeared in the romantic comedy series *Listen to Love: The Four Bad Boys and Me* as Tiffany Chua and in *Ampalaya Chronicles* as Peng[7](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/karina-bautista). In 2021 she took on two further roles, Beatriz Sicat (Bea) in the drama *Viral Scandal* and Kara in the romcom *Hoy Love You*[7](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/karina-bautista).
In a 2022 interview with the *Philippine Daily Inquirer*, Bautista described the contrast between these parts, calling her *Viral Scandal* role very dramatic and her *Hoy, Love You!* role "pa-cute," and noted that in episodes of the drama anthology *Maalaala Mo Kaya* she had played a wife or a mother[8](https://entertainment.inquirer.net/463208/a-more-experimental-karina-bautista-tries-hand-at-hosting-in-bida-star-versus). That same year she tried hosting, co-hosting the online talent search *Bida Star Versus*, whose winner received an ABS-CBN management contract, a Star Magic Workshop scholarship, and a cash prize of P50,000[8](https://entertainment.inquirer.net/463208/a-more-experimental-karina-bautista-tries-hand-at-hosting-in-bida-star-versus).
Later television credits include Young Cassandra in *The Iron Heart* (2022), a one-episode appearance as Bougie Dimaranan in *Can't Buy Me Love* (2023), and Stacy in the 2024 film *Fruitcake*[7](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/karina-bautista).
## Film and recent projects
In the iWant original romance-thriller *The Last Resort*, released on December 8, 2025, Bautista reunited with Aljon Mendoza, playing Katrina, a housekeeper with a hidden secret, in a story about suspicious deaths at the La Mera Resort, directed by Christian Paolo Lat[4](https://corporate.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/news-releases/2025/11/4/karina-and-aljon-reunite-in-romance-thriller-the-last-resort-on-iwant?lang=fil). Also in 2025 she appeared as Callie in *Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins*, the seventeenth installment of the horror anthology franchise, as Elsa in *The Last Goodbye*, and as Lyka in *[My Love Will Make You Disappear](https://www.edgepedia.org/my-love-will-make-you-disappear)*[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10251529).
She plays Megan Valdez in twelve episodes of *[The Loyalty Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-loyalty-game)* (2026), a Filipino psychological drama inspired by the "loyalty test" social media trend, led by [Jericho Rosales](https://www.edgepedia.org/jericho-rosales) and Janine Gutierrez, directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar, and premiering on Prime Video on July 3 in the Philippines and across more than 240 countries and territories[5](https://vicvicbautista.com/2026/06/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10251529). Her 2026 slate also includes *Will You Fake Marry Me?* as Sheryn Cruz, *The Silent Noise* as Jem, and *The Lotto Winner*[7](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/karina-bautista).
## The KarJon tandem
With Aljon Mendoza, her co-housemate from *Pinoy Big Brother: Otso*, Bautista forms the loveteam known as **KarJon**, a portmanteau of their first names. According to her [Star Magic](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-magic) profile, the tandem landed title projects such as the online shows *Ghost of the Past* and *Ampalaya Chronicles: Labyu Hehe* despite being new to the industry[2](https://www.starmagicph.com/karina-bautista/). The pairing spans several Kapamilya shows on television and online, including *Sandugo*, *Hoy Love You!*, and *The Four Bad Boys and Me*[2](https://www.starmagicph.com/karina-bautista/), and continued with *The Last Resort*, in which ABS-CBN noted that the pair appear in a register quite different from their usual romantic, lighthearted image[4](https://corporate.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/news-releases/2025/11/4/karina-and-aljon-reunite-in-romance-thriller-the-last-resort-on-iwant?lang=fil).
## Personal details
IMDb's biography page lists her nickname as Karina, her height as 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m), and her grandparent as Celeste Bautista[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10251529/bio/). Her Star Magic credits also include the film *Four Sisters Before the Wedding* (2020), the series *He's Into Her* (2021–2022) and *Love Bites* (2022), the PIE short *Cool Off* (2023), and the song "Di Bale Na Lang" (2020)[2](https://www.starmagicph.com/karina-bautista/).
## References
1. [Karina Bautista: Acting Career and Public Life, Atlas Pilipinas](https://philippines123.com/wiki/Karina_Bautista)
2. [Karina Bautista, StarMagic artist profile](https://www.starmagicph.com/karina-bautista/)
3. [Karina Bautista, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10251529)
4. [Karina at Aljon bibida bagong iWant original na "The Last Resort", ABS-CBN Corporate Newsroom](https://corporate.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/news-releases/2025/11/4/karina-and-aljon-reunite-in-romance-thriller-the-last-resort-on-iwant?lang=fil)
5. [Prime Video and ABS-CBN Studios debut The Loyalty Game at a star-studded advance screening, vicvicbautista.com](https://vicvicbautista.com/2026/06/)
6. [Karina Bautista Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10251529/bio/)
7. [Karina Bautista Movies and TV Shows, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/karina-bautista)
8. [A more experimental Karina Bautista tries hand at hosting in 'Bida Star Versus', Philippine Daily Inquirer (September 6, 2022)](https://entertainment.inquirer.net/463208/a-more-experimental-karina-bautista-tries-hand-at-hosting-in-bida-star-versus)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › Filipino actors, 2000s onward › Surnames A to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license