We’ve seen the film in its premiere night at Trinoma and the best performer for us in “Siargao” is Jasmine. It’s a short role, compared to that of Jericho and Erich who both have lengthier exposure. But Jasmine really leaves a memorable mark as the beautiful island girl who turns out to be Echo’s one true love. However, they have difficulty accepting their feelings for each other so everything is so tentative.
We won’t go into details so as not to spoil your viewing pleasure. But there’s this one scene where Jasmine was really so touching while explaining why she cannot leave her life in the island. Jasmine’s kind of acting is really effortless and she has shown this in the films for which she has previously won awards, like “Transit” and “Baka Bukas”.
What can Jasmine say about some folks being alarmed as they say she looks anorexic? “Actually, nasaktan ako sa panghuhusga sa akin ng bashers. I’m sobrang skinny raw, parang natutuyot, malnourished. Well, I appreciate their concern for me, but I felt more depressed because of the way they humiliated me, shaming me and making me feel na napakapangit ko palang tao dahil payat ako. Actually, there’s nothing to be alarmed about, kasi kumakain naman ako, even carbo like rice and pasta. It’s just that I’m so busy doing work at home kasi wala naman akong househelp, so I do the laundry, the cleaning, the cooking and I have two dogs pa to take care of. Also, marami rin akong trabaho and I go to the gym. I even tried racing in Pampanga with my boyfriend (Jeff Ortega), so my body is just responding to all these strenuous physical activities. I also did a lot of traveling this year so nanibago talaga ang katawan ko. Okay lang naman maging concerned sila, pero huwag naman sanang sobrang vicious sa pamba-bash sa akin.”
She wants to assure everyone that even if she lost weight, she’s still feeling very much okay. “Kahit sinasabing sobrang payat ko, I’m still healthy, full of energy, and happy, so don’t make me feel bad about how I look, please. One thing I realized in this busines, you gain weight, ang taba mo na. You lose weight, anorexic ka na agad. May kanya-kanyang opinion agad ang mga tao. Basta promise, I will take it easy so I can gain some weight soon, kung yun ang gusto nila.”
