A wake-up call for Iza

MANILA, Philippines - Iza Calzado has reached another turning point. Her stepmom passed away before she won Best Actress at the recent Enpress Golden Screen Awards for Dukot (Desaparecidos).

At first, Iza didn’t want to dwell on the tragedy since the wound was still raw. But now, she is willing to share the lessons the big blow has taught her.

“It shook me,” she admits. “Now, I will live my life and work hard so that the people I love will also be blessed.”

Not that she’s holding on to her overflowing blessings. Iza’s older brother lives in the townhouse she used to stay in before she moved to the sprawling residence she bought from Rufa Mae Quinto. As the most blessed among her siblings, Iza has shouldered the various expenses of her dad, Lito Calzado and her late stepmom.

The recent family tragedy has again reminded her that she has to invest some more and prepare for the proverbial rainy day.    

Iza has met with real estate brokers who can find her a buyer for the house she’s now living in. Out of the profits, she plans to buy a spacious condo unit for herself and her family. The proceeds will also boost her savings further.

“Because of what happened to my mom, I want to have more money in the bank,” Iza points out. “My dad’s not getting any younger and I want to always be prepared so I can take care of him.”

Besides, Iza realized she’s not practicing the rules of sound investment.

“I’ve been putting all my money in one thing, which is not good,” she says.

But Iza won’t let go of that newly-renovated house just like that. She wants to get the most out of it first. After all, she spent a small fortune reorganizing the bedrooms and closets. She also hosts intimate family gatherings in the place on Sundays.

“The place is beautiful. I had fun fixing it,” she says. And because she feels so good about seeing the fruits of her labor, Iza admits she feels half-hearted about letting go of the house.

“I’ll have it featured in a magazine first,” she reveals.

Iza feels the same reluctance where marriage is concerned. Boyfriend of one year Atticus King, who escorted her at the Enpress Awards, can always provide for her. After all, his family owns the Victoria Court motel chain. He also pushes her to do even better. But Iza still feels she’s not yet ready to take the plunge.

“One can never be ready for something like this,” she explains. “I have friends who got married at almost 30 (Iza is 27) and they tell me they should have waited some more.”

These friends, she adds, are already more stable than she is. So how can she tie the knot at this point?

“I still want to enjoy a lot of things,” she muses. “You have to heal yourself first before you get into a major commitment like this. I want my heart, mind and soul to be ready.”

While she’s at it, Iza has to settle a few things about her career. Talks have it that she’s eyeing talent manager Noel Ferrer (Ryan Agoncillo’s handler) to manage her career together with GMA Artist Center, where Iza is bound to a contract until November 2011.

“Noel is a friend. May malasakit siya sa akin. I first met him on the set of Sabel,” Iza says.

If she gets GMA Artist Center’s go signal to get Noel as co-manager, Iza will be his first female talent. Until then, Iza would rather “discuss things in the proper forum and in a business-like way,” and not in the pocket interview GMA called to celebrate her Best Actress win. Translation: She has to meet with GMA executives first.

“I have faith in the network I work for and I hope they will give me the same respect,” Iza reasons out.

Ida Henares, GMA Artist Center head says her office is preparing a soap for Iza, who also appears in Party Pilipinas.

Will the new soap make Iza the new drama princess and dislodge fellow Kapuso star Claudine Barretto from her throne?

“I can never replace Claudine,” is Iza’s self-effacing answer.

That’s not for her, but for the public to decide.