What now, Amy?

If you have been missing Amy Perez on the small screen, well you might not have to wait much longer.

Before you know it, Amy Perez may be back on TV in a talk show that combines the formats popularized by Jerry Springer and Oprah, and focusing on the issues and concerns of ordinary people. She can’t share any of the details yet since negotiations are ongoing, and nothing has really been finalized yet. But that can’t take away the fact that Amy is excited at the prospect of having something new to do after MRS (Most Requested Show) was cancelled last June.

In television, just like a box of chocolates, you don’t know what you’re going to get next. Shows come and go. And in Amy’s case, real talents stay. Amy has learned to "live and let live." She is, after all, a certified kapamilya who began working for the station when she was only 17. Amy joined the network in 1986 for Palibhasa Lalake, followed by Sang Linggo Napo Sila, then MTB and MRS.

With MRS gone, she is hurting. Yes,that much she will admit. She had made a huge emotional investment in the show and the people she was working with on a daily basis, and when it was cancelled, it brought her back to square one. It felt like MTB all over again. "When MTB was reformatted and we had to leave the show, I had to go through a major depression. I had anxiety attacks, and it took me a long time to get over them," says Amy. "I was afraid of going through all that again."

But what’s done is done, and Amy isn’t the type to cry over spilled milk. What happened hurt, but right now she is just trying to pick up the pieces and move on.

"I have so many friends there (ABS-CBN). I practically grew up in that station, and I owe them a debt of gratitude. I wouldn’t be Amy Perez if it wasn’t for them. And I was very thankful to the network for bringing Kuya Dick (Roderick Paulate) and me back together again after a long time. But somehow, because of what happened, nanghihinayang ako. You get this feeling that you’re always starting from scratch all over again. But I think this is the challenge about our life. You move on to the next show. And you cannot not be hopeful. Dapat laging laban."

While negotiations for her new show are ongoing. Amy is enjoying the feeling of being what she calls on "vacation mode." She spends a lot of time with son Adi, now eight years old and a second grader at La Salle.

"I’m really enjoying this time," she laughs. She would have gone to the US to visit friends in New York and Los Angeles. Unfortunately, her US visa had also expired, so she had to set aside that plan for a while.

Speaking of plans, what does she intend to do now? "Ewan, baka nga iba na ang gusto ko," says Amy. She considered working in a hotel, an airline (as flight attendant), going into radio. She’s even open to the idea of going back to school to complete her degree. Amy had only one term left to go before tucking up her degree in AB Psychology at Siena College. But now, she’s thinking about shifting to Business Management and opening her own business. She used to have her own pastry shop called Kolache, but had to give it up after she realized it required more time than she was willing (or could) give it.

A survivor, Amy is honest enough to admit the future of her son is uppermost in her mind. Therefore, she needs to have a steady source of income.

"As a single mom, I have to look for a more stable job," she admits. "Ang iniisip ko ngayon, future ng anak ko. Showbiz is not forever, even if I want it to be."

She has received a number of offers to work behind the scenes. But Amy, who used to be a production assistant on Martin Nievera’s show, has been told that the industry still has room for people like her, and that her time is not yet up. There are still a lot more things that she can do, and right now, Amy has her eye trained firmly on the future, a future full of hope and possibilities. Infinite possibilities.