Awra Briguela
Awra Briguela , is a Filipino actor and comedian who gained recognition after starring in FPJ's Ang Probinsyano, personally chosen for the role by the show's lead actor Coco Martin. Briguela's life was featured in a titular episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya in 2016. In 2017, Awra was declared champion in the first season of the Filipino version of Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids.
Early life and education
Awra Briguela was born on March 26, 2004. She is daughter of Marivic Briguela and Oneal Brian Briguela.She studied junior high school at Las Piñas National High School Almanza in 2016. She was moved to Manila at Uno High School. She finished junior high school in 2020. She studied senior high school under Humanities and Social Sciences strand at University of the East Manila from 2024 to her graduation in 2025. She studied psychology degree in the same school.
Career
Briguela started her career off as an internet celebrity. Briguela became known to her parents for impersonating actresses like Sarah Geronimo and Sarah Lahbati. She was discovered by actor Coco Martin, who saw her potential in the primetime television series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano, a remake of the 1997 film of the same title and name. Briguela gained widespread for her role as "MakMak" and the series was produced by Dreamscape Entertainment Television, who created many successful pictures such as Doble Kara, Ina, Kapatid, Anak, and Till I Met You. Briguela starred in the series opposite Coco Martin, Susan Roces, Maja Salvador, Bela Padilla, Albert Martinez, Arjo Atayde, Eddie Garcia, Agot Isidro, Jaime Fabregas, and Simon "Onyok" Pineda, who played the role of Onyok. Briguela won a 3rd Aral Parangal Awards for Best Child Performer, which she won twice, for the primetime series.Her life was featured in an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya, playing as herself alongside Aleck Bovick and Janus del Prado who played her mother and father respectively. She made her feature film debut in the Super Parental Guardians where she portrayed the role of Megan Gaspar alongside fellow Ang Probinsyano actors Coco Martin, Onyok Pineda and Vice Ganda. Briguela later participated as a contestant in Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids .
Personal life
Briguela is fond of impersonating Filipina actresses like Sarah Geronimo, Sarah Lahbati, and her idol Maja Salvador, who was one of her co-casts in FPJ's Ang Probinsyano. She popularized her screen name "Awra" upon achieving mainstream recognition as an actor and comedian.Raised as a boy, her parents said that she has already shown signs of "being gay" since she was three years old for expressing preference for Barbie, Hello Kitty and skirts. However, by 2023, she had come out as a trans woman. She chose not to hormone replace therapy or take pills remarking how she prefers the ability to "freely express both her masculine and feminine side"
Briguela financially supported her father Oneal Brian Briguela's graduate education after having completed college in 2019. Brian earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Philippine Christian University in 2024.
In 2025, Briguela was the subject of online misgendering when several people left comments on her Instagram posts referring to her as "sir" and comparing her to basketball player Bronny James. After her senior high school graduation in July 2025, content creator and disability advocate Jack Argota quipped that media coverage referred to Briguela with she/her pronouns, prompting Argota to call Briguela a "bro" in a Facebook post. In response, an admin of Briguela's Facebook page criticized Argota by referring to him as "the real trans" due to his cleft palate.