Barbie Imperial reflects on the pain of saying goodbye

Prior to her confirmation of parting ways with beau of one year, Diego Loyzaga, Barbie Imperial mused over the pain of saying goodbye to someone during the digital media conference for iWantTFC’s original series, The Goodbye Girl, based on the book of the same title by best-selling author Noreen Capili.

“One of the hardest goodbyes is the one you don’t see coming,” she opined. “Hindi mo na-anticipate na yun na yung last time na makikita mo yung taong yun. Yun yung pinakamahirap na goodbye na bigla na lang, ‘Huh, paano nangyari yun?’ Yung hindi mo alam na mangyayari kasi hindi ka ready. But ganun talaga, life.”

She also agreed with what her co-star Turs Daza said about forgetting someone during the healing process after the break-up. “That’s what always happens, like, you enter a relationship, tapos ang saya-saya tapos malungkot, tapos masaya, tapos heartbreak maghihiwalay kayo tapos masakit ulit kasi mag-mo-move on ka. As you go on with life, makakalimutan mo yung feeling, eh. Nawawala,” expressed Barbie.

She added, “I agree with Turs, hindi naman siguro nakakalimutan yung (person) pero nawawala (yung feeling). Life experience din talaga siya. Kailangan mo lang talaga matuto.”

Barbie knows when it is time to say goodbye. Citing her past relationships, she shared, “I’m the type of girlfriend that doesn’t easily give up. But (if) I feel like the other person is not growing with me, that’s the time that I say na goodbye na talaga. Kasi para saan pa ako mag-stay? Parang wala na akong naambag sa growth mo. If wala na akong naitutulong sayo (why would I stay?)”

“Based on experience, ako yung nag-go-goodbye. Nung nag-grow na talaga ako, maganda pala talaga yung nag-go-goodbye ka ng maayos kahit gaano pa kasakit. Kasi pumasok ka sa relasyon, pinaalam mo, eh, so, alis ka, paalam mo rin,” she furthered.

The Kapamilya star’s personal advice to “The Goodbye Girl” is to take all the time you need to heal, “You don’t have to rush it. (It should be) at your own pace and if you feel that you are ready na bumangon, ituloy-tuloy mo lang.”

“Yung healing naman kasi hindi naman siya tuloy-tuloy, eh. May mga days na paakyat ka na tapos pababa, tapos pataas. For me, you just have to remember that this is life, eh, we got hurt but we learn from it. It’s OK to feel hurt, you are only human,” reminded Barbie.

Self-love is the love lesson she learned recently. “Before, ‘pag naririnig natin na mahalin mo muna sarili mo bago ka magmahal ng iba, parang gasgas. But the thing that I learned from my past relationships is you really need to love yourself. It’s really true.”

Barbie admitted she is the kind of person that even if she is drowning, she still gives love to other people. However, she realized now that the reason why the same thing happened to her in previous relationships was due to lack of self-love.

“Self-love is very important, you have to love yourself para alam mo kung kailan ka aalis, alam mo kung kailan mo ipaglalaban ang sarili mo and you know your worth as a person,” she stressed. “If you don’t love yourself, parang ang mangyayari, go with the flow ka lang even if hindi na para sa inyong dalawa. So love yourself para buo ka. Yung tapang mo nandiyan. Yung paninindigan mo nandiyan.”

On the other hand, it’s the first time that Barbie will take on the role of a mistress. In the episode The Other Girl, Kiera (portrayed by Barbie) becomes dissatisfied with being the lover to Franco (Turs), a married man. When she realizes that he may never fully commit to her, Kiera befriends his wife to get to know the “competition,” only to discover that she is just one of the many women being strung along by Franco.

“If may ibang tao kang nasasaktan and alam mo talaga na nasasaktan sila, tapos ginagawa mo pa rin, for me mali talaga yun,” she told The STAR about her stand on infidelity.

Will she ever empathize with “The Other Women?” It depends on the situation, she explained. “There are ‘Other Women’ na hindi alam na ganun sila. I feel sorry for them. But if they know na ‘Other Woman’ sila, and they still continue to enter that kind of relationship, knowing that the guy has a legal girlfriend or wife, it’s a big no.”

“I believe in karma. Kung ano yung ipinaparamdam mo sa isang tao, babalik at babalik yan. Ipaparamdam yan sayo balang araw,” asserted Barbie.

Meanwhile, Turs commended the “well-written and seamless” script of the series. “I feel (that) because of the pandemic, because of what’s happening with millennials now pati rin yung mga Gen Z, makaka-relate talaga sila rito, especially this Feb-ibig,” he told The STAR.

Turs is currently in a relationship. He underscored the importance of “communication and being your real self” as keys in maintaining a healthy bond with your partner.

Directed by Derick Cabrido, the six-episode series of iWantTFC’s Valentine’s Day offering also stars Angelica Panganiban, Loisa Andalio, Maris Racal and Elisse Joson.

(The Goodbye Girl starts streaming worldwide exclusively on the iWantTFC app and website tomorrow, Feb. 14, with new episodes dropping daily.)