She had a funny story when asked to speak at the blessing last Monday of Mother Lily Monteverde’s Taal Imperial Hotel and Resort in Batangas. “I called her up to say may meeting ako with 70 AFP soldiers about insurgency on Feb. 6. Sabi ko, baka puede kong gawin sa resort kasi I also have a speaking engagement sa isang elementary school in Taal about dental health. She said yes then she called me again saying isasabay nang blessing ng resort, kasi gusto niya talaga, ako mag-cut ng ribbon. So I had the meeting na lang with the AFP postponed. Malaking utang na loob ko kay Mother kasi I just told her, baka gusto mo mag-invest sa Batangas as it’s booming, kaya lang kulang kami sa hotel accommodations, so heto, pinatayo niya ito. Ang request ko ngayon, another hotel pa sana, sa Batangas City. Sa event na ito, naranasan ko maging split personality. Just before this, I did my duties as a governor. Ngayon, mga kasama ko, taga-showbiz, so feeling ko, artista ako rito na hindi ko talaga malilimutan dahil malaki ang utang ko sa industriyang ito.”
She’s now shooting a new movie, “The Healing”, for Star Cinema, directed by Chito Rono who megged her before in award-winning films like “Bata, Bata, Paano Ka Ginawa” and “Dekada 70”. “I play the stepmom of Kim Chiu. Dinala ko siya sa isang faith healer. The movie is a thriller and it’s about doppelgangers (duplicates). They want to show this in July then I’ll start another movie for Direk Wenn Deramas with Angel Locsin to be entered sa next Metro filmfest. Bukod doon, since it’s my 50th anniversary in showbiz, they’re doing a TV special for me and there’s also a book to be released in November about yung mga pinagdaanan ko sa buhay na magiging inspirational daw. So I’m really going to be busy kung matutuloy lahat yan.”
It’ll be Valentine soon. Does she still celebrate it with Sen. Ralph Recto? “Oo naman. But now, he’s busy with the impeachment hearings and Valentine falls on a weekday, so I don’t think we can go anywhere dahil, usually, we travel somewhere where we do anything and everything.”
As in everything? “Yes, everything!” she laughs.
Will her son Luis soon wed Jennylyn Mercado in Batangas? “I don’t meddle with my son’s lovelife. Basta nakikita ko, happy sila and masaya ako for them. About kung pakakasal na sila at dito gagawin sa Batangas, I don’t know, decision naman nila yan.”
