‘As a partner, may commitment siya to be always present in our lives ni Baby Felize. — Elisse Joso ’
ELISSE Joson joined Star Magic when she was only 16 years old and did supporting roles in soaps like “Be Careful with My Heart,” “Ang Probinsyano” and “Sana Bukas Pa ang Kahapon,” and in movies like “She’s Dating the Gangster” and “Everyday I Love You.” She was paired with McCoy de Leon and they won as the Most Promising Love Team of the Year in the 2017 Box Office Entertainment Awards. They became a couple in 2017, broke up in 2018, reconciled in 2019 and had a baby girl named Felize in April, 2021. Now, they get to star in their own movie, “Habangbuhay,” directed by Real Florido, to stream on Vivamax Plus on April 20, 2022 and on Vivamax on April 22.
“Mahaba ang process before we accepted this as we have to consider na we have a baby, tapos we’re in the midst of a pandemic,” says Elisse.
“This is our first film together na we already have a child and the characters we play, mga bata pa, so naisip namin baka hindi na bumagay sa amin. But the scriptwriter, John Versoza, said he wrote the script with us in mind, so we’re flattered na pinagkatiwalaan nila kami ng Viva. We decided to go for it, kasi it’s a new challenge for us.”
So how is McCoy as a dad and partner? “McCoy is a hands-on dad. I can see he is a very responsible family man. I tell our daughter that she’s very lucky to have McCoy as her dad as he is really working very hard for us. As a partner, may commitment siya to be always present in our lives ni Baby Felize.”
In “Habangbuhay,” Elisse plays Bea, who has an immunodeficiency ailment. Her body has low levels of protective antibodies and is easily susceptible to various infections. Because of this, Bea cannot just go out and her over protective mother Lily (Yayo Aguila) just wants to keep her safe at home to avoid any germs or bacteria. She finds a friend in McCoy de Leon as JR, their houseboy. They promise that they’ll be together “habambuhay” but other forces seem to oppose their relationship. To find out if their love would triumph in “Habangbuhay,” subscribe to Vivamax.
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Jela Cuenca played one of the lead roles in Brillante Mendoza’s “Palitan” but lately, she’s just playing supporting roles in “Silip sa Apoy,” “Boy Bastos” and now, in “Island of Desire.”
How does she feel about it?
“Okay lang naman, ang importante, sunod-sunod pa rin ang assignments ko at hindi ako naze-zero,” she says. “Grateful lang akong nakapasok ako sa Viva as they were a big help to our family sa panahon ng pandemic. And I’m also happy dito sa role ko in ‘Island of Desire’ as the best friend in the island of lead star Christine Bermas.”
In one dramatic scene, she is supposed to slap Christine and hurt her. “Hirap na hirap akong gawin ang scene na sasaktan ko si Christine kasi I don’t do that in real life. I don’t believe in violence.”
Still the talk of the town is the Kit Thompson-Ana Jalandoni assault. Has she ever been a battered girlfriend?
“Ay never po. Hindi ko pa naranasan ang ganung sitwasyon sa sarili ko, but when I was young, nakita ko ang tatay ko na sinasaktan physically ang nanay ko. Super sakit para sa isang anak na makita ‘yun sa nanay niya. Very violent kasi ang papa ko, nambubugbog talaga kaya naging super happy ako nang maghiwalay sila ng nanay ko.”
What can she say to actual victims of physical abuse? “When you have an abusive partner, aba, iwanan nyo na. Kailangang bigyan nyo ng halaga ang sarili nyo, love yourself, and don’t allow yourselves to be victims of domestic violence. It’s really important to know ‘yung ugali ng partner mo at alamin nyong mabuti ang pinapasukan nyo para maiwasan ang ganung sitwasyon ng pananakit.”
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Maja Salvador is thankful to all the faithful viewers of her hit inspirational drama on TV5, “Nina Nino,” which is currently celebrating its first anniversary.
“It’s been a successful year of miracles and inspiration,” she says. “When we started, we didn’t know how it would fare but it became TV5’s highly-rated and most viewed drama series. It has proven time and again how hope and love can indeed do wonders in people’s lives. We started airing in April 2021 and now, ‘Niña Niño’ celebrates its first anniversary by providing viewers with more heartwarming episodes, introducing new colorful guest characters, and unveiling surprises that will transform the lives of the characters whom everyone fell in love with since the show premiered.”
“Niña Niño” achieved its first milestone in its August 17 episode, where the show registered a 5.0% audience share, a notable achievement considering the steep primetime competition in this timeslot.
