Tumimo sa puso nina Shamaine Centenera at Iza Calzado ang episode ng Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) ngayong Hulyo 24, Sabado ng 8:30 p.m.
Tungkol ito sa isang anak na may dalawang ina.
Ang biological mother ng letter sender na si Julie (Heaven Peralejo) na si Caridad (Iza Calzado) ay schizophrenic. Nasumpungan ni Julie ang paggabay ng ina kay Esther (Shamaine Centenera Buencamino).
“Itong episode na ginawa namin, bitbit ko… bitbit ko hanggang ngayon,” sabi ni Shamaine sa virtual mediacon ng MMK noong Hulyo 6.
“Kasi, the issue is very close to my heart. It’s about mental illness, mental conditions.
“And hindi man ako iyong karakter na may mental condition, pero… naalala ko na noong sinasabi ko iyong mga linya tungkol sa hinihingi ko sa role ni Heaven, na intindihin niya iyong nanay niya…
“Kahit na dapat wala akong emotion, hindi ako dapat masyadong involved, iyong pinipigilan ko ang sarili kong maiyak…
“Kasi, noong sinasabi ko ang mga linya na, ‘Hindi niya ginusto na magkasakit siya’— napakasakit sabihin. At napakatotoo para sa akin.
“Kaya hanggang ngayon, affected pa rin ako,” pag-amin ng beteranang character actress, na may bahid ng pait ang ngiti.
MOST SPECIAL MMK EPISODE
Para kay Iza, ito ang pinaka-special sa mga MMK episode na tinampukan niya.
Paliwanag ni Iza, “Minsan, may dumarating, alam mong para sa iyo siya. Kasi, hindi ko dapat magagawa ito, e. Conflict of schedule, and then, nag-free iyong schedule ko.
“They already offered it to somebody else. And then that person said suddenly hindi siya pwede.
“So… kung para sa akin ito, I won’t even have to force it. Magagawa ko siya, and that’s what happened.
“And like Ate Shamaine, this advocacy is very close to my heart because of my mother.
“And so… it was almost like I was the letter sender, and I could understand what the letter sender went through in some ways.
“And… parang… the condition is not the same as my mom’s condition, but it became just a choice of also making sure that… maipinta natin ang kundisyon na iyon, and make it human.
“To humanize what they are going through, ahhm, and what the family has to go through.
“So, nagkaroon siya ng purpose, nagkaroon ng meaning, kaya siguro bitbit pa rin talaga hanggang ngayon, kagaya ng sinabi ni Ate Shamaine.
“Hindi ko bitbit iyong bigat. Hindi siya mabigat, e. It’s really… I think, for Ate Shamaine, I think we would agree, it’s really being called to create this conversation.
“So, parang… this project really has a very deep meaning and for us to serve our purpose, not only as actors but as mental health advocates,” seryosong sambit ni Iza.
MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES
Ano ang naramdaman nina Shamaine at Iza nang mabasa nila ang script, lalo pa’t meron silang adhikain kaugnay sa mental health?
Nag-agam-agam ba sila? O na-excite, na-challenge?
“Ako, na-excite. Kasi, iyong napunta sa akin ang project… Kasi, ang daming mga artista, di ba?” pakli ni Shamaine.
“Tapos, ang sarap isipin na… lalo na pag may advocacy ka, tapos, parang ibinigay talaga. Sabi nga ni Iza, it’s really meant for us. Ibinigay talaga sa amin.
“Tapos, sa akin kasi, napaka-special dahil July kasi ang death anniversary ng anak ko.
“So, parang itinaon pa talaga na July, di ba, iyong episode na ito. So, parang… sometimes, really it’s like a nod from the universe.
“Na parang you’re on the right path, tama iyong ginagawa mo. Parang ganoon, parang ganoon ang dating sa akin. So, very, very special ang project na ito.
“Mahirap pero masarap gawin!” bulalas ni Shamaine habang tumatangu-tango.
Hulyo 7, 2015 nang matagpuang patay sa kanilang tahanan si Julia Buencamino, ang anak nina Shamaine at Nonie Buencamino.
Napangiti si Iza at nagmuwestra, “Ganoon din ako, Ate Shamaine, sobrang aligned talaga tayo! I love you!”
Nagseryoso si Iza, “Ahh, I remember… Julia was July… ahhm, ako naman, this was June when I got the call… And my mother’s birthday is June 12.
“So, parang it was a week before June 12, or leading towards June 12, noong nabasa ko iyong script.
“And sabi ko talaga, like what Ate Shamaine said, it feels like it’s for us. The universe is telling us, ‘You should do this.’
“And there we signs pa. There was a time of death pa, na hindi ko alam kung nagkamali or hindi.
“Basta, it was like a number that’s special to me. And so, sabi ko, ‘OK, I’m being asked to do this,’ and I messaged Direk Mae [Cruz-Alviar].
“Iyon talagang… like I said earlier, kung para sa iyo, you just do it.
“And then when I found out that it was Ate Shamaine playing the other mother, sabi ko, ‘WOW! This is really made for the two of us to do this!’
“And Heaven, I worked with her also in Loving Emily and I know that there is a reason why, also you were handpicked for this.
“And then you know, it’s really special. Parang wala akong hesitation pagdating sa paggawa ng materyal sapagka’t ito nga ay malapit sa aking puso.
“Ahhm, actually challenge. Challenge siya. Ahhh… and then, of course, we welcome the challenge. Kasi rin, matututo tayo.”
Napapanood ang MMK tuwing Sabado ng 8:30 pm sa Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, iWantTFC, TFC, forat A2Z Channel 11.