Ruffa Gutierrez sends love with Kabayan Remit

Kabayan Remit has forged a partnership with actress and beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez, a first for the online money transfer app that caters to overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.

The only daughter of show biz heavyweights Eddie Gutierrez and Annabelle Rama, Sharmaine Ruffa Rama Gutierrez began her entertainment career as a young actress in the 1980s. She soon gained popularity as a cast member of the teen variety show That’s Entertainment and as the country’s 1992 bet for the Look of the Year modelling competition, now called Elite Model Look.

Ruffa would further cement her spot in the limelight in 1993 after clinching the Binibining Pilipinas-World title at just 18 years old. She would go on to be crowned second runner-up at the Miss World beauty pageant in Sun City, South Africa that same year.

Following her beauty pageant victories, Ruffa enjoyed a prolific decade in the local film industry as a ’90s “Regal Baby,” acting in a series of movies created by the hit-making production company Regal Films. From 1993 to 1994, she appeared in more than a dozen films in various genres that included comedy, horror, action, and drama.

Among her projects were stories centred on women facing almost insurmountable odds, such as Maricris Sioson: Japayuki (1993), a social commentary on the working conditions of female OFWs working in Japan at that time; and Bakit Pa Kita Minahal (1994), a tale of two sisters torn by family conflict and reunited by their love for each other.

Ruffa would continue acting in the Philippines until 1999, when she moved to the U.S. to work as a host and reporter with Century Productions. On contract with the production company for two years, Ruffa travelled all over the world to cover high-profile events, like the Cannes International Film Festival.

Ruffa would eventually marry and move to Istanbul to start a family in 2003. Unfortunately, her marriage didn’t last and she returned to the Philippines with her two beautiful daughters four years later.

Ruffa Gutierrez’s return to the Philippines was met with controversy, with the media of 2007 covering every aspect of her marriage and subsequent separation in both print and television. Some had even doubted her story.

Despite these challenges, Ruffa persisted. She reignited her acting career, appearing in both television series and films. She returned to hosting, joining the entertainment talk show The Buzz from 2007 then a rival show called Paparazzi in 2010. And in 2014, she acted both on and off screen as an executive producer and talent for It Takes Gutz to be a Gutierrez, her family’s reality show with the international entertainment brand E!.

Almost two decades since her comeback, Ruffa continues to appear on screens and billboards around the country.

And outside of show biz, she has ventured into pursuing some dreams she had long set aside.

Busy with the demands of her show biz career and motherhood, Ruffa put her plans to go to college on hold. But she has always wanted to learn.

In 2013, she successfully applied to study International Political Economy at the prestigious King’s College London Summer School. And eight years later, she began her college education in earnest by entering the Communication Arts program at Philippine Women’s University.

“After 34 years of working in the entertainment industry, I have chosen to further my education,” she said in a 2021 post on the social media platform Instagram. “Not only do I want to fulfil a long-held dream and take control of the next chapter of my life, I want to set a good example for my children.”

She earned her bachelor’s degree in 2022 and is now pursuing a master’s degree in communication from the same institution.

Balancing education with business, Ruffa also ventured into business. She launched her lifestyle brand Gutz and Glow in 2022 with a line of beauty products for all ages and genders.

“As an adage says, hope springs eternal,” said Ruffa in a post announcing her educational milestones in 2023. “If I can do it, so can you. Aim high! Onwards and upwards!”

Like Ruffa Gutierrez, it’s never too late for you to invest in your future, one that you can share with the people you love.

For OFWs, working toward that future entails sacrifice and time away from home. That’s why when the funds come in, it’s important to make every penny count.

With Kabayan Remit’s competitive exchange rates and affordable transaction fees, the money you send to the Philippines goes a long way. 

All you need to do is download our secure money transfer app, and follow these three easy steps:

1. Open a free account using our mobile app.
2. Type in your loved one’s bank, e-wallet, or cash collection details.
3. Start remitting funds.

With our bank-level data encryption, you can rest assured knowing that the funds you’ve worked so hard for safely reach your loved one’s accounts in major banks, e-wallets, and cash collection sites in the Philippines, including:

• Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)
• Banco de Oro (BDO)
• Metrobank 
• M Lhuillier
• Palawan Pawnshop
• GCash
• Maya

What’s more: Your first remittance is free of charge.

As an added feature, we’ve made it possible for you to take small steps toward a more secure life for you and your family. From the comfort of your own phone, you can log in to our app and:

• Pay your SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG contributions
• Invest in real estate
• Pay for your children’s tuition
• Invest in insurance

To learn more about Kabayan Remit and how we can help you send more love to the Philippines, click here.