Herlene Budol Thought It Was Just a Love Gift—Then She Learned How Much It Was Really Worth

Herlene “Hipon Girl” Budol has discovered that a sentimental gift from her earlier days in showbiz was worth far more than she initially realized.

The actress and beauty queen reportedly brought the long-kept piece to Maddox Jewelry for appraisal, where its value was placed at nearly ₱1 million.

The revelation adds an unexpected twist to what Budol apparently regarded as a simple keepsake from her Wowowin years.

A gift that became a fortune

According to Manila Standard, Budol had been holding on to the jewelry for years without apparently knowing its full monetary value. The piece was reportedly identified as 14-karat gold set with genuine amethysts, with the appraisal putting its value at around ₱900,000.

The story gained additional attention online after posts connected to the appraisal circulated on social media, describing Budol’s old gift as a nearly ₱1-million surprise.

That makes the discovery more than just another celebrity luxury story: Budol had apparently been sitting on a valuable piece without treating it like a major investment.

From Wowowin to showbiz success

Budol first became widely known as “Hipon Girl” after appearing on Willie Revillame’s Wowowin. Her career eventually expanded into acting, hosting and beauty pageants.

Her journey has also included significant financial struggles. In a 2021 interview with Toni Gonzaga, Budol recalled how the pandemic wiped out the savings she had accumulated while working on Wowowin. She said she had used her savings to help support her family, leaving her financially vulnerable when work dried up.

That history gives the newly discovered value of her old jewelry an added layer of significance.

What may once have been remembered simply as a sentimental gift has now turned out to be an asset worth hundreds of thousands of pesos.

Her story has come a long way

Budol has since built a much broader entertainment career. She has taken on acting roles, including her lead role in GMA’s Magandang Dilag, and has remained active in television and entertainment projects.

Her pageant journey also helped transform her public image. She competed in Binibining Pilipinas 2022, where she finished as first runner-up, and later won the Miss Philippines Tourism 2023 title.

The jewelry revelation therefore lands at an interesting point in Budol’s career: the former Wowowin personality who once openly discussed financial hardship is now discovering that something she had kept for years could itself represent a surprisingly substantial fortune.

Not just about the price

The biggest appeal of Budol’s story may ultimately be the contrast between sentimental value and financial value.

A gift can remain tucked away for years because of the memory attached to it, not because its owner knows what it is worth. In Budol’s case, that sentimental keepsake reportedly turned out to carry a price tag approaching seven figures.

And that is what makes the revelation so surprising: the real value of the gift was hiding in plain sight.