Actress Janine Gutierrez was a picture of quiet strength as she stood before the crowd at the St. Luke’s Medical Center hall in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig last Friday.
It has just been a couple of months since she lost her grandmothers — her Mamita, music icon Pilita Corrales, on April 12, and just four days later, on April 16, her maternal grandmother, National Artist and screen legend Nora Aunor. Then, on May 2, her uncle, veteran actor Ricky Davao, also passed away.
The three losses came in heartbreaking succession, leaving Janine and her family reeling.
“Syempre malungkot pa rin,” Janine said when asked how she was coping. “Nagsabay-sabay. We lost three family members in three weeks.
“There are good days and bad days but it is also testament to how important family is.”
Despite the pain, Janine showed up not only as a granddaughter and niece in mourning but also as a newly minted brand ambassador. She was launched as the face of health insurance brand iCare, in an event aptly held at a hospital she holds close to her heart.
“Medyo kinakabahan ako kanina coming here to St. Luke’s, kasi my uncle was here sa ICU,” she shared, referring to Ricky Davao’s final days. “So medyo fresh pa, pero I guess it’s also part of my message na you never really know what’s gonna happen.”
Her message was about the importance of health, preparedness and the value of family.
“No matter how prepared you think you are, it’s so important to have people to rely on na masasandalan mo,” she said. “Kung hindi ka okay today, sila muna ‘yung haharap. I’m so grateful to doctors, to healthcare kasi napakalaking bagay. It’s really life or death sometimes.”
For Janine, the message of iCare hits close to home — not just because of her recent grief, but because the desire to help her family is what first pushed her into showbiz.
“I don’t talk about this a lot, pero actually one of the reasons kung bakit ako nag-artista was so that I could earn,” she shared. “Kasi my second mom — ‘yung yaya ko since birth — she got cancer … Nakita ko ‘yung hirap, bukod sa physical struggles. ‘Yung babayaran mo, nakita ko kung paano siya naglakad sa kung anong agencies to ask for financial help and support.”
Ate to three younger siblings, Janine didn’t always see herself in front of the camera.
“At first, ayoko talagang mag-artista kasi nahihiya ako. Malayo talaga siya sa isip ko,” she continued. “Pero when it came to trying to help my family, ‘yun ‘yung nag-push talaga sa akin — I need to earn kasi mahal magkasakit. No matter kung gano kadami ang naipon mo or kung malaki ‘yung pamilya mo, pag nagkasakit ka, everything stops.
“So anything to do with health is very, very important to me, and I really appreciate that one of the advocacies ng iCare is affordable, reliable healthcare para sa lahat ng Pilipino — na talagang napaka-importante.”
In becoming iCare’s newest endorser, Janine emphasized that the campaign resonates deeply with her recent experiences. She hopes it encourages others to take health seriously — not just for themselves, but for their loved ones as well.
“‘Yun talaga ang message ko sa tao now. Really take care of your health and live life to the fullest and always find the best partner. At the end of the day, it’s really the people around you na talagang makakaangat sa’yo in times of difficulty,” she said.
