Shaira Diaz is at her busiest

Shaira Diaz continues her leading lady role in Season 2 of GMA’s adventure, action, and drama series, “Lolong: Bayani ng Bayan.”

Her character, named Elsie, is the childhood friend, environmentalist, and love interest of Lolong, played by Ruru Madrid. In a previous virtual interview with The STAR, Shaira described her character as someone who is brave and speaks her mind.

As everybody — including the show’s following — knows, Elsie has entered a milestone in her life, which also plays a crucial part in how the “Lolong” narrative will unfold.

With the return of “Lolong,” Shaira has got her hands full. She is also seen in the morning talk show “Unang Hirit” as a host and in the weekend infotainment program “iBilib” as a presenter.

“Ito yata yung masasabi kong busiest dahil nga four times a week yung taping namin (this is probably my busiest schedule since we’re taping four times a week for ‘Lolong,’” said the Sparkle GMA actress in a recent group interview. “So, in the four-times-a-week (work schedule), we have a rest day. Sa isang buong week, isa ang pahinga namin.”

Shaira added that the cast and crew are also in a hybrid taping or a semi-lock-in taping setup. As being implied, they can work for a certain consecutive number of days without leaving the location where they shoot the scenes. But Shaira is used to that since Season 1 of “Lolong” was filmed during the pandemic times and in a “bubble,” following the lock-in taping work system.

“Ang nangyayari lang, kapag wala akong taping sa ‘Lolong,’ nag-u-‘Unang Hirit’ ako (what happens is that if I don’t have taping for ‘Lolong,’ I will do ‘Unang Hirit,’” shared Shaira on how she manages her schedule. “Sa ‘iBilib,’ once a month naman siya, tapos five episodes naman siya (with ‘iBilib,’ we tape it once a month and for five episodes). Manageable pa rin naman somehow (my schedule is still somehow manageable).”

Of course, one should strike while the iron is hot, meaning take every opportunity that comes one’s way. Shaira said she is grateful that she’s busy instead of not doing any projects.

What also keeps Shaira busy is overseeing the preparations for her upcoming wedding with actor EA Guzman. An article on the GMA News Online website says, “wedding preparations are already underway,” as she shared in the afternoon talk show, “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda.” Details such as the couple will have an intimate church wedding in Silang, Cavite, and the intention to purchase her wedding gown in South Korea were also generously revealed.

“So far, so good. There are no problems. When it comes to my personal life, OK naman. There’s no pressure, no rush, no stress,” said she in the group interview.

On top of her showbiz and personal commitments, Shaira shared that she is also opening a business. In juggling all this, her approach is: “(Take) one (thing) at a time, mas OK yung sigurado kesa yung nagagahol ka rin, nagpapadala ka sa stress (it’s OK that you do things surely than you do it with limited time, and you get overwhelmed with stress).”

As for “Lolong,” which has been airing episodes for its first week now, viewers can look forward to a more expanded and engaging new season since things are back to normal. The scenes of “Lolong” are shot in different places such as Caliraya, Bulacan, and Tanay, as shared by Ruru and Shaira. That makes the series a visual feast. From having 14 cast members in Season 1, it now has 50-plus talents who collaborate on the set.

With that, one can expect more action-packed and dramatic scenes.

“Dahil ang daming bagong characters ngayon, mas naging kumplikado siyempre yung buhay ni Lolong at yung (aming characters) din as a couple (since there are more new characters, the story becomes more complex and multi-layered, including the storylines of Lolong, and him and Elsie),” said Shaira.

“Lolong and Elsie will have to deal with many challenges. The characters Lolong, Elsie and Bokyo (portrayed by Mikoy Morales) have their own families… ‘Lolong’ has a wider coverage, story-wise, and a lot will be discussed and be told this time.”

Follow the stories of Lolong and Elsie weeknights at 8 after “24 Oras” on GMA Prime.