By the time she was 17 and entering university, she had appeared in over sixty professional productions. She enrolled as a Theatre Major at the University of the Philippines, but fate soon intervened in 1988 when Cameron Mackintosh came to Manila to audition for the musical Miss Saigon.

At 18, Monique was chosen to play the lead role of Kim in the original London production of Miss Saigon (first as the alternate Kim, then taking over the part a year later). Performing in a lead role in a major musical in the West End was a dream-come- true for Monique. She played the part for three years to great critical acclaim.

After three years in the West End, she went home to a heroes welcome in the Philippines, where she ventured into films, recordings, television and concerts. Within a year, she had completed four major movies, won several film and theatre awards, recorded her first album, appeared in a critically successful TV solo series and did a national concert tour.

Not one to rest on her laurels, after just a year back in Manila, Monique took a year off from Philippine show business to pursue her dream of completing her drama training in London, and studied classical acting at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). Roles she essayed while at LAMDA include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Anne in Richard III, Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra, Marjorie in The Country Wife, and Vittoria in The White Devil.