Surprisingly, she still felt empty. So empty was she Tessie wanted to go to India to search for the meaning of life. And she didn’t care if it meant doing headstunts or actually putting a piece of cloth inside her body.
"I even felt like quitting showbiz," she admits.
Until she woke up one fine day and heard a little voice in her that said, "My daughter, you need not look far."
All Tessie need do was look around her. There, staring her in the eye, is Community and Family Services International (CFSI), which she has been connected with as volunteer worker for years. This NGO has allowed Tessie to help people in far-flung places, bringing cheer to others regardless of race or religion.
Since she has been helping CFSI for seven years, Tessie must have taken her efforts for granted, not to be fussed about or made a big deal of.
Then one day, GMA 7 offered her to host this public service show for its newly-launched sister station QTV-11. The show (Wednesdays at 8 p.m.), Pusong Wagi, higlights Juan de la Cruz’s heroic acts that would have otherwise gone unnoticed, unheralded.
It was the answer to her prayers.
"I prayed that my talent be used in helping others if given the chance to do a second (solo) show. Helping others is my second mission in life, after being an entertainer," she reveals.
During the pilot episode of her show,, for instance, Pusong Wagi showed the inspiring stories of a balut vendor who turns surrogate father to a visually-impaired girl, a wallet maker who rescued a kid from death in the middle of a raging typhoon and a woman who saved a widow’s only remembrance from her deceased husband from fire.
Now Tessie doesn’t feel empty any longer. Now, she wakes up in the morning looking forward to making stars out of these everyday heroes she talks to in her show.
"I’m just a facilitator. They’re the real stars of the show," she says in all humility.
Taking the spotlight off her and training it on others more humble than her is thrilling, adds Tessie. It not only brings a smile on her face, it enriches her life many times over.
It’s cliché but true. Happiness is one of the things money can’t buy. Tessie herself can attest to this after she asked Pusong Wagi televiewers to help raise funds for the hospitalization of a little girl who got an artificial eye from the Eye Bank. Tessie’s cup was overflowing after she helped a fan get a cataract operation free. The list is endless.
"I’ve lived a charmed life. Now it’s payback time. And you know what? The more I share my blessings, the more they come back to me," she declares.
Tessie’s GMA 7 sitcom, Bahay Mo Ba To?, recently won a trophy from Enpress’ Golden Screen Awards.
Even as she has achieved most anything, Tessie still has other things she wants to do.
"I want to produce and star in a low-budget film for international release before I retire. I also want to do a comedy special," Tessie declares.
This new surge in her career keeps Tessie on her toes. And, unlike other busy people who feel burned out and stressed out, she feels all revved up and ready to go. In enriching others, Tessie Tomas has enriched herself.