Gina ALAJAR

CEBU, Philippines - GINA ALAJAR (real name: Regina Alatiit) has been in Philippine show business for over four decades. She started out as a child star, and she’s currently part of “Trudis Liit,” a GMA afternoon drama which is also the launch pad of one of the hottest child discoveries of today,

Jillian Ward.

She starred in the First Quarter Storm-inspired film “Sigwa,” which recently held a special screening in Cebu. But she’s also a master at reinvention, having been able to do other things besides acting.

She’s a sought-after acting coach, facilitating workshops and trainings for newly-minted talents, and as a TV director, the Sunday teen program, “Tween Hearts” is among her latest projects.

Being able to stay this relevant and to wear many hats in the business is what every artist hopes to achieve.

We talked about her beginnings, family, and staying power in this brief interview.

The FREEMAN: Your character in “Trudis Liit” is another kontrabida role. Don’t you grow tired of this kind of role?

It’s another kontrabida role, yes, but which I like. Kasi you don’t cry when you’re the kontrabida. When you’re the bida, they make you cry. Pag-kontrabida, ikaw ang nag-papaiyak (laughs). It’s not the reality kontrabida since this is a series for kids. It’s like Glenn Close in 101 Dalmatians—a Disneyland-type of kontrabida.

TF: You started out as a child star. Would you recommend this path to those who want their kids to enter showbiz?

I’m not against it, since we also need child stars. There are so many acting breaks that need child stars. What I’m against is the continuous non-recognition or implementation of the law on children who are working in the industry. I’m not talking about the Trudis Liit project, but in general since I’ve worked with so many other kids. You know they are made to work way beyond their sleeping hours. Although ang nakakatuwa dun, itong mga bata mismo, di sila nagrereklamo. They have this coping mechanism, wherein matutulog sila ng sandali, tapos pag ginising sila, okay na sila. And these are young kids!

But I do remember the feeling exactly, na di ka pwede matulog ng mga 8pm or after dinner kasi kukunun ka pa ng eksena. Pero inaantok ka na kasi maaga ka nagising. Tapos they let you sleep at 10pm, then gising naman at 2am. Sleeping time na ng bata yun. I remember throwing tantrums if they woke me up, and hanggang ngayon dala-dala ko yun. If may madaling araw ako na shoot, I don’t sleep, because if I do and they wake me up, mainit ang ulo ko. So that’s what I observed and I can trace it back to when I was younger. Kaya ngayon, I ask that they wake me up two sequences away so that I have time to prepare myself.

TF: How did you get discovered?

I auditioned. There was a movie na gagawin ng Lea Productions entitled Kaibigan ko’ng Sto. Niño, and they wanted four children, two girls, two boys. Nag-audition kami ng kapatid ko, pero ako ang natanggap, siya hindi. Out of 1,500 kids, I made it together with Roderick Paulate. Yung other two, they didn’t pursue acting. So I was eight when I started and I’ve been in the industry for 42 years now.

TF: Why do you think you’ve lasted this long in the industry? 

Staying long is a matter of choice. If you have no other things to do, if you don’t know anything other than acting, you will stay (laughs). If there are other options, siguro I am no longer in showbiz. Pero kaya din siguro ako tumagal dito, other than I don’t know any other thing to do, it’s also the love for the job, the acting, and the passion for it. That made me stay. Otherwise if I don’t love it, I could just pack my bags, and leave, but I didn’t.

TF: How do you stay glowing and looking young for your age?

Every now and then, I diet. Minsan tataba, papayat, but siguro meron na akong acceptance regarding that. Surgical enhancement? Di na. Nuon inisip ko magpapa-breast enhancement ako, pero bakit pa? Although I have occasional botox, but other than that, wala. Pero if worse comes to worst, na kailangan ko na magpa-face lift. Why not?

But I think it’s really because [I have] peace of mind. Gusto ko yung ginagawa ko. Gusto ko yung mga nangyayari sa akin. Wala naman akong iniisip na gaano. That’s it.

TF: Are you open to finding love again? (She is annulled from actor Michael de Mesa.)

My kids are not pushing me, although hindi naman sila nag-o-object. Steady lang sila, parang kung meron, meron, tingnan natin.

Am I open? Wala lang. Siguro naging jaded na ako. I am thinking about it, pero since jaded na nga, I look down to it. Parang mayroon akong attitude na ganun.

TF: Your kids—Ryan, Geoff, AJ—are grown men now. What advice do you usually give them in terms of love life? 

Yung lovelife, lagi kong sinasabi na as long as my sons are happy, I’ll support them. I told them that they know they are in a good relationship if when the person they are with brings out the best in them.”

(Asked on Carla Abellana, the constant love team partner and rumored girlfriend of Geoff Eigenmann, her second son, who’s also one of the top leading men in the Kapuso network, she has this to say:  “If there’s one woman that I want Geoff to marry, it’s Carla.”)

TF: What is it like to be the mom of someone as popular as Geoff?

Okay naman. Pwede ko pa namang mautusang kumuha ng tubig para sa akin [laughs]. Anyway, I’m happy with his achievement, that he can build up himself and that he can now plan his life. I want my three boys to have their own lives. If I go anytime soon, they are in a very good position.

TF: Do you still do Facebook? (Gina Alajar figured in a controversy last year when the talk show “The Buzz” used without her permission a blunt FB status message of hers to weigh in on the raging Krista Ranillo-Manny Pacquiao issue at that time.)

Yeah I still do facebook, but I have a different account. I’m still outspoken, but meron akong mga na de-friend. From 400 friends, I have only 100 friends, and 30 percent of them are family and relatives. (THE FREEMAN)