“I turned 40 and I was going through mid-life crisis then, kaya sinusunod ko lang what Direk Joyce Bernal told me to do,” he says. “My heart wasn’t in it. But when we watched the rushes just before we resumed shooting, I realize ang ganda pala. I owe it all to Direk Joyce, how she shot it and edited my scenes.”
We asked Direk Joyce if she noticed that Aga was going through mid-life crisis then? “Yes, I know. Pero hindi ko na lang pinansin. He’s 43 now, I’m 44, and I also went through it. Basta pinabayaan ko lang siya dahil okay naman ang trabaho niya.”
We told Aga that after “Kung Ako Na Lang Sana” with Sharon Cuneta, “Of All the Things” is his next best movie for us. Will he be doing another film for this year? “Hindi na muna. ‘Pinoy Explorer’ muna ako sa TV5, then I’d be busy as congressional candidate sa 4th district ng Camarines Sur.”
Why did he choose to run there? “Tagaroon kasi talaga family namin. My lola sa dad’s side ko was born there. Doon lumaki at nagkapamilya. We still have our old house there and my Tita Amalia and Tito Alex, pabalik-balik talaga roon. The last few years, I stay there when I’m not working at doon na nga ako nagbe-birthday. I love life in the province. Yung maraming open spaces, close to nature. Our district is so beautiful with mountains, the sea, rivers, waterfalls. But the people remain poor so I want to help them. Kung wala akong maitutulong sa kanila, di ko papasukin ito.”
His detractors say he’s not a really a resident there. “Well, you can’t please everyone. But I have a house there, I pay my taxes and may bank account ako doon. I’m also a registered voter there. Even my wife and kids are at home there. The kids play in the street and the neighbors know us. I’m ready to serve the people there.”
