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“I would now insist that I can only work for a specific number of hours [in a day] and if you (producer) won’t say ‘yes’ to this, then I also won’t. I don’t want to return to the hospital just for that!”
‘Yan ang mariing pagtatapat ni Iza sa isang interbyu sa isang dyaryong Ingles kamakailan.
Pag-amin pa n’ya sa dyaryong Daily Inquirer: ”I have always hated the long working hours in this business, but what am I to do? I’m just an employee. If I say something, I might lose my job.”
Halos nakagugulantang ang pagtatapat n’yang ‘yon. Malamang na akala natin na ang isang aktres na gaya n’ya na tinitingala ang husay umarte at laging nagniningning sa kagandahan ay ‘di kinakailangang magsakripisyo sa trabaho. At ‘di rin takot na mawalan ng trabaho.
Mali pala tayong mga masugid na tagasubaybay ng showbiz. May mga takot din pala at maraming sakripisyo ang mga tinitingala natin.
Pag-amin pa n’ya tungkol sa trabaho n’ya bilang isang artista: ”I abused my body. Just being in this industry alone for 18 long years took a toll on my body. I diet; I work out a lot, but I always don’t have enough time for sleep, which is vital to having optimal health.”
Tiyak na alam n’yong nagka-Covid si Iza at halos isang buwan ding naospital. Muntik pa nga siyang umabot sa Intensive Care Unit at kung nangyari ‘yon, ibig sabihin niyon ay nabingit talaga siya sa kamatayan.
Gayunman, kahindik-hindik pa rin para sa kanya ang pagkaka-ospital na ‘yon. Paggunita n’ya: ”Experiencing COVID-19 wasn’t just terrifying. It felt like somebody doused you with cold water and told you, ‘You’re not immortal! You can disappear from this world just like that!’
“… I thought that once I get checked in to the hospital, things would be OK. I had my oxygen and was taking the right meds. But then, I almost got admitted to the ICU (intensive care unit). One day I was a little better, but the next day, I caught a bacterial infection and needed IV (intra-venal injections) and antibiotics. It’s what you call a but-wait-there’s-more moment. It’s when you realize that you’re no longer in control.”
Noong gumaling na siya, at saka n’ya naitanong sa sarili tungkol sa pagkaka-ospital n’ya: ”Did your expensive shoes help keep you alive? Was your luxury bag able to give you any comfort while you were sick?”
Kongklusyon n’ya tungkol sa karanasang ‘yon: ”We should really prioritize our health if we want to live longer and happier.”
‘Yon ang unang realization n’ya na dulot ng taong 2020. Ang pangalawa ay: ipursige na ang napagpasyahan n’yang “purpose in life” n’ya.
At ang purpose na ‘yon ay: ”Now, I find myself wanting to pass on whatever I’ve learned to others. I don’t want to just bring with me to the grave all the things that I’ve learned from my mentors over the years. These people encouraged me and believed in me, so whatever nugget of wisdom I have about life that I can pass on to younger artists, I would gladly pass on to them.”
Ayaw n’yang siya lang ang makinabang sa mga natutuhan n’ya.
“It took me so long to learn and discover the things I know now. If I could tell them to you now and they’d create an impact in your life, then good.
“If I can also provide, for example, this young kid an opportunity—by putting in a good word for him, or by encouraging him—I’d gladly do it. I know how words create impact and the three people who had mentored me were very helpful just by the words they had said.”
Ang tinitingala ni Iza na mentor n’ya ay ang mga yumaong sina Peque Galaga, AL Quinn, at Freddie Santos.
Si Peque ang nang-engganyo sa kanya na mag-attend ng mga workshop.
Madalas na makatrabaho ng yumao na ring ama n’yang si Lito Calzado si Direk Al at “Tatay” nga raw ang tawag n’ya rito. Si Freddie ang hosting mentor ni Iza noong nasa GMA Artist Center pa siya.
Lahad pa ng aktres: ”Sometimes, we think of grand ideas as our purpose… But we often forget that it’s the tiny moments that make a big difference in one person’s life. Imagine if every day we’d do something like that to just one person, then we’d surely be helping a lot.”
Mas makahulugan at makahulugan na ang buhay ngayon para kay Iza.
Ang isa sa mga pinagkakaabalahan niya ngayon ay ang pagganap sa ABS-CBN teleserye na Ang Sa Iyo ay Akin.
KITANG-KITA KO
ni Danny Vibas
