Saab Magalona

In this Philippine name for married women, the birth middle name or maternal family name is Arroyo, the birth surname or paternal family name is Magalona, and the marital name is Bacarro.

Saab Magalona-Bacarro
Magalona at the Rock For a Fully Abled Nation benefit concert in the Eastwood City, Manila, 2013
Born	Maria Isabella Simone Arroyo Magalona (1988-11-23) November 23, 1988 (age 36) Manila, Philippines
Occupations	Host singer actress blogger
Years active	2007–present
Spouse	Jim Bacarro ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	3
Family	Enrique Magalona (great grandfather) Pancho Magalona (grandfather) Tita Duran (grandmother) Francis Magalona (father) Maxene Magalona (sister) Frank Magalona (brother) Elmo Magalona (brother) Hiro Peralta (cousin)
Musical career
Genres	Indie rock Alternative rock

Maria Isabella Simone Arroyo Magalona-Bacarro (born November 23, 1988), better known as Saab Magalona, is a Filipino actress, singer, and blogger who started in the TV5 youth-oriented drama series Lipgloss. She is the daughter of Francis Magalona and sister of Maxene Magalona,[1][2] Frank Magalona & Elmo Magalona. In music, she is a member of the 8-piece indie rock band Cheats, where she acts as co-lead vocalist, alongside Candy Gamos and her husband, Jim Bacarro.

Career

In 2007, she made her first onscreen appearance as the friend of Eleanor (played by Alessandra de Rossi) in the GMA Network telefantasya Kamandag where her sister Maxene played the role of one of Richard Gutierrez' leading ladies. In 2008, she joined the cast of TV5's Lipgloss. In October 2010, she made her GMA comeback on the teleserye Koreana, playing Ivy.

Her music career began when she filled-in for several indie bands such as Us-2 Evil-0 (2009), Duster, and BBYGRL (2012). A few years later, she and Jim Bacarro formed the band called Cheats following the disbandment of Bacarro's band Ernville.[3]

In 2018, she returned to television and signed up with ABS-CBN as the new host of music program Coke Studio Homecoming.[4]

Personal life

Magalona was born to rapper and actor Francis Magalona and Pia Magalona.[5] Her grandparents are actors Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran, while her great grandfather was former senator Enrique Magalona.[6] She has five siblings, including actors Maxene, Frank, Elmo, and Arkin.[7] She took up creative writing at the Ateneo de Manila University and graduated in 2009.[8]

On January 24, 2015, she married her boyfriend and fellow Cheats band member, Jim Bacarro, in a private ceremony that was held in St. Ignatius Chapel inside the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio.[9]

In September 2017, Magalona announced that she and Bacarro were expecting twins.[10] Later on, she suffered a miscarriage and lost her daughter, while her son narrowly survived childbirth.[11]

In September 2019, Magalona gave birth to another son.[12]

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Network
2007–2008	Kamandag	Ria Ramos	GMA Network
2008–2009	Lipgloss	Meg Madrigal	TV5
2010–2011	Koreana	Ivy Jung	GMA Network
2011	Captain Barbell	Kristel
2012	My Beloved	Ginella Quijano
	Hindi Ka na Mag-iisa	Celine Montenegro
2013	Forever	Leila
2013–2014	Adarna	Robin Abrientos
2016	ASAP	Host/Performer	ABS-CBN
2018	Coke Studio Homecoming	Host

Music career

Albums with Cheats

• Cheats (2016)

References

1. Santiago, Erwin (2008-11-28). ""Lipgloss" star Saab Magalona admits rift with sister Maxene, denies living-in with boyfriend". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
2. Bautista, Mario E. (2008-12-04). "Patrick doesn't want to trick Jennylyn". Journal Online. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
3. "Who The Heck Are Cheats? | Spell Saab". spellsaab.com. Archived from the original on 2017-01-03.
4. "Coke Studio Homecoming lineup revealed: IV of Spades, QUEST, Ben&Ben, Juan Miguel Severo, and more". Coke Studio Homecoming lineup revealed: IV of Spades, QUEST, Ben&Ben, Juan Miguel Severo, and more | Editorial | Bandwagon - Live music, bands and concert guide for Singapore, Manila and Jakarta. 2018-09-03. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
5. "Pia Magalona greets daughters Maxene and Saab on their shared birthdays". GMA News. November 25, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
6. "Tita & Pancho: Most loved team on & off screen". The Philippine Star. January 7, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
7. "The Magalona Siblings: Where are they now?". GMA News. September 3, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
8. "Film, TV celebrity graduates of Ateneo at start of millennium". PEP.ph. June 24, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
9. "Saab Magalona ties the knot in Baguio". ABS-CBN. January 26, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
10. "Saab Magalona reveals she's pregnant with twins". ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
11. "Saab Magalona details Baby Pancho's harrowing birth story in new vlog". GMA News. January 31, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
12. "Saab Magalona gives birth to baby boy". GMA News. September 17, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2025.