’Twas a good year

Last year was a very good year for me. I was blessed with many projects, including the movie I made with Cesar Montano, Panaghoy Sa Suba, that made it to the 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Although I was brought a couple of times to the hospital for overfatigue, I still had no right to complain.

I just love being busy and having a lot of things to think of. Even on days when I didn’t really have anything scheduled, I’d still find things to do around the house.

Being busy got my mind off a lot of things I didn’t really have to think of.

Playing Iset, the Visayan girl in Panaghoy Sa Suba, was one of the best things that happened to me last year.

I consider it one of the best, mainly because it gave me a chance to learn more about my roots, specially speaking the dialect.

It was also a challenge for me to play that role because of the 1940s character I had to portray. Gheez! I had absolutely no idea how to do that, especially since I was born in the ‘80s!

However, it was a great honor to have been given that chance. Despite all the ups and downs that project brought me, I still am proud of that Visayan film.

I feel that Bisaya is a very beautiful dialect which we should really preserve.

I don’t mean to say that we should do more Visayan films, but I do believe that we should give respect to those who are still able to speak the real thing.

A few weeks ago, Direk Gil Portes talked to my manager about doing a movie for this year’s film festival.

I was so surprised to find out that I would be playing a Visayan role again! I was so excited!

The movie is actually very different from Panaghoy sa Suba. This is drama-comedy film.

Mourning Girls is the title. Ricky Davao, Glydel Mercado, Chin Chin Gutierrez, and Assunta de Rossi are my castmates.

We just had our press conference last Friday. This was my first time ever doing a comedy film and it was really fun.

I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the cheesy Visayan lines I had to deliver.

The movie is about a wealthy man played by Ricky Davao. He has a wife, a son and three other women in his life. The wife is Glydel Mercado, while the other three women are Chin Chin, Assunta and me.

Each of them has her share of moments that would make you laugh your head off.

It will spoil the film if I tell you more about Mourning Girls. I suggest you find some time to watch this film when it comes out on Jan. 1, 2006.

I thank those who supported the Visayan film I was in last year’s film festival and and I hope you all do the same for this year as well.

By the way, would you believe that a couple of days ago, I received an e-mail from someone in Ireland congratulating me for being part of the collectors’ edition of the Girls of FHM UK?

I had absolutely no idea about this, so I didn’t really want to believe him.

I asked him to send me a copy to see if this is true. Just a few minutes before I started writing this article, I was surprised when I saw the pictures he was telling me about which he scanned from FHM UK.

Isn’t that awesome? I just thought I’d share that brief moment of happiness I felt when I saw those pictures.

So, don’t forget to catch Mourning Girls in the theaters this coming New Year’s day. We’ve got seven days till Christmas! Have a great Sunday! God bless!

(You can e-mail me at [email protected])