Young Taki Saito displays grace in first appearance as PBA muse

At just 17-years-old, Taki Saito doesn’t have problems being one of the faces of the longest-running noontime show in the Philippines.

And yet when she was chosen as the muse of Alaska for the opening ceremonies of the PBA’s 43rd season, she couldn’t help but draw back a little.

“It was a big pressure because it was really big news for me and this is my first time doing this,” said Saito Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “My first reaction was ‘oh my God what does a muse do? What will I do?’”

Saito’s initial jitters, though, seemed to have faded away once she led the Aces onto the historic floor of the Big Dome.

She displayed the grace and confidence in front of the thousands of the spectators, and she did it as the first muse to be introduced in the opening ceremonies.

“When I arrived, I actually came a little but late because I just came from Sunday Pinasaya [GMA’s Sunday variety show] and I was already stressed,” said Saito. “So when I came here I said to myself that I’d just go with the flow and follow whoever’s in front of me.”

“I just wanted to enjoy myself and I really did enjoy and I was so happy because my team, Alaska, was very nice to me and they really took care of me.”

What helped Saito ease herself was how Alaska skipper Simon Enciso treated her like a baby sister.

“I was very happy to meet him and he was always asking me if I was okay because he knows I’m underage,” said Saito. “They took care of me like a baby.”