“Ang dami na kasing Estrada sa industry,” she says. “Lagi akong natatanong kung relative ba ako ni Joseph Estrada. So para hindi na sila ma-confuse, I’m using de Belen kasi dalawa lang ang de Belen sa showbiz, my mom and Tita Gelli. So as Inah de Belen, alam nila agad na anak ako ni Janice.”
How did her dad feel about it? “May blessing naman niya yan kasi I explained it to him and he understands. He knows it’s my screen name but my real name will always be Inah Estrada.”
Did she get any advice from her parents? “From my mom. Sinabi niya may pressure kung anak ka ng artista kasi somehow, you’ll be compared with your parents. I’ll just use the pressure to motivate myself to always do my best. My mom also said, kahit ano mangyari sa career mo, always be humble. Yun ang importante.”
She’s happy to star in “Oh My Mama” on GMA’s Afternoon Prime to replace “Magkaibang Mundo” on September 19. The show is a remake of Maricel Soriano’s movie of the same title shown in 1981, with brothers Herbert and Hero, plus sister Harlene as some of the child stars in the cast. Now, Inah is paired with Jake Vargas (they look so bagay to each other as they’re both petite) and Jeric Gonzales, supported by Sheryl Cruz as her mom, Gladys Reyes, Epi Quizon, Francine Prieto, Arthur Solinap, Jenny Miller, Eunice Lagusad, Ash Ortega, Phytos Ramirez and Ryan Eigenmann, along with child stars Therese Malvar, Jhiz Deocareza, Bryce Eusebio, Sofia Pablo and David Remo, directed by Neal del Rosario.
“I’m thankful to GMA for giving me this show kasi kapapasok ko lang sa kanila, binigyan agad ako ng lead role,” Inah adds. “I’m excited pero sobrang kinakabahan din. I keep on praying that people will watch it kasi marami silang matututuhang insights about the different kinds of love.”
Ina is 22 and admits she has had two non-showbiz boyfriends before. She now wants to just focus on her career. She is also in the cast of Direk Jun Lana’s movie, “Die Beautiful”, topbilled by Paolo Ballesteros.
