Maria Carmela "Candy" Espiritu Pangilinan (born May 8, 1972) is a Filipino film and television actress and comedian.
She won best actress for CineFilipino 2016 and Los Angeles International Film Festival for the movie Star na si Van Damme.
In television, she is known for her role in the series Mula Sa Puso until its finale in 1999 she then played side kick to Claudine Barretto's character Rosario in Saan Ka Man Naroroon in 1999 to 2001.
I Love Betty La Fea from 2008 to 2009 with a follow-up on the Philippine remake of Only You with Angel Locsin, Sam Milby and Diether Ocampo on ABS-CBN and the Critically Acclaimed Series Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin in 2011, in 2012 she did supporting roles for GMA Network such as Forever with Heart Evangelista, Geoff Eigenmann and Gloria Romero, and Hiram na Puso with Gina Alajar and Kris Bernal, she then did notable guest appearances on the hit Saturday trivia-game show Celebrity Bluff alongside Eugene Domingo in 2013.
A Philippine television drama anthology series based on Pangilinan's life, "My Very Special Son: The Candy Pangilinan Story" episode was live streamed on November 30, 2024, featuring herself as the mother of Quentin, who was portrayed Euwenn Mikaell and Will Ashley De Leon, her mother Teodorica Espiritu (Sandy Andolong) and Shyr Valdez directed by Mark A.