Mahigit apat na dekada na sa showbiz industry si Ian Veneracion.
Nag-umpisa siyang mag-artista noong 1982 sa weekly sitcom ng RPN 9 na Joey and Son, kung saan bida sila ni Joey de Leon.
Magiliw si Ian sa mga tagahangang nanonood ng kanyang concert, maging sa mga nakakasalamuha sa mga event kaugnay sa kanyang buhay-artista.
Bilang celebrity o public figure, may pagkakataon bang na-invade ang kanyang iniingatang privacy?
Meron bang fans na naging disrespectful sa kanyang boundaries, gaya ng naranasan ni Lea Salonga na sinugod ng fans kamakailan sa dressing room nito para magpalitrato?
Read: Lea Salonga addresses dressing-room incident with Pinoy fans in Broadway
“Ako naman, very straightforward din ako,” malumanay na tugon ni Ian sa mediacon ng Ian Veneracion Live concert nitong Hulyo 24, 2023, Lunes, sa Winford Resort & Casino Manila.
“I only do the things that I wanna do. If I don’t wanna do it, I don’t wanna do it. Nobody can force me.
“So… kung ako, siguro ganun din. Sasabihin ko lang na… yun, kung tama ang panahon, I’d say, ‘Sure.’
“There are many instances na it’s not the right time. Kunyari kung kumakain ako, tapos sasabihin mo sa akin, ‘Pa-picture’ — puwede kong sabihing, ‘Maybe later,’ ‘Later, I’ll go to you,’ or something.
“I don’t know. Something like that. Pero I’m very straightforward din with boundaries. And I’m not apologetic about it.
“Kasi, we all have boundaries naman, e. And I think, yun lang, basta nagkaintindihan lang naman pareho.”
DEALING WITH DISRESPECTFUL FANS
So far, wala pa siyang experience na naging disrespectful ang ibang tao sa kanya?
Napabuntong-hininga si Ian, “For example, ako sa taping, ahhmm… sa taping ayokong papasok sa dressing room ang kahit sino lang siyempre.
“Kasi minsan doon ka nagbibihis. Minsan nakahubad ka, nagpapalit ka ng pantalon. So siyempre may privacy kang mine-maintain, di ba?
“Or pag natutulog ka, di ba? Ayaw mong pipiktyuran ka habang tulog ka.
“Kasi ikaw, how would you feel kung iyong kapitbahay mo, nakapasok ang kamay sa bintana, pinipiktyuran ka, tulog ka? that’s so creepy, di ba?
“So, yun lang, certain things lang na ano naman… parang common practice among people. It’s something that we all understand.
“So, wala pa naman ako na-encounter na hindi ko kayang i-express or kausapin. Kasi lahat naman, nadadaan sa usapan.
“Yun nga, if I say, ‘OK, sure.’ Pero if I say, ‘No,’ then ‘No,’ and if you get mad or call me whatever, I don’t care.”
Ang Ian Veneracion Live concert ay gaganapin sa Agosto 12, Sabado ng 8:00 p.m. sa Winford Manila Ballroom. Ididirek ito ni Vergel Sto. Domingo, at opening act dito sina Marissa Sanchez at Zach Ponce.
Ang halaga ng tiket ay P5000 (SVIP, may photo op), P3500 (VIP) at P2000 (Gold). Para sa mga detalye, makipag-alam sa mobile numbers 0927-297-8027, 0961-360-0457.
BATTLE OF NOONTIME SHOWS
Apektado ba siya ng Battle of Noontime Shows?
Read: Ratings war explained: how are noontime shows faring amid new TV landscape?
Halimbawang ipo-promote niya itong forthcoming coming sa Winford Manila, o iyong Kilabotitos concert tour nila ni Ogie Alcasid… saan siya magge-guest — sa E.A.T. ng TV5, sa revamped Eat Bulaga! ng GMA 7, sa It’s Showtime ng GTV, o kung puwede sa lahat?
“E, kasi, kaibigan ko silang lahat, e!” bulalas ni Ian.
“Di ba tayo, we’ve been in the industry for four decades. So si Tito Joey [de Leon], I’m close to them. Ahh si Paolo Contis, I’m close to them. Si Yorme [Isko Moreno], matagal ko na siyang kilala, from That’s Entertainment pa.
“Ahhmm so wala akong nakikitang… Wala! Sa akin, it’s… I mean, the fans can make a rivalry out of it.
“It’s just like choosing your favorite team sa PBA, for example. Pero it’s nothing personal. Not at all. It shouldn’t be connected to your…
“Hindi personalan yun. It’s just that you’re rooting for one team, the other person is rooting for another team, we can still be friends.
“And at the end of the day, yun nga, umiikot lang naman. Nagpapalit lang naman. Minsan magkakasama sila sa show. Minsan magkakalaban sila.
“Parang basketball lang. So, to support all of them lang is the most important thing, especially now.
“Because the landscape of our industry is changing so fast. Ahhh because of streaming. Because of the pandemic that happened. So maraming nagbabago.
“And it’s so important now to support each other because our industry is at risk.
“Our advantage kasi as Filipinos, we speak English, di ba? Parang madali sa atin ang English, so nauso dito ang mga call centers, laking advantage sa atin over other Asian countries.
“Pero now we’re seeing a slight disadvantage in terms of the film industry. “Kasi in other countries, they speak their native tongue. Kailangan nilang gumawa nang gumawa ng movies na local.
“E, tayo, since lahat ng Filipino, nakakaintindi ng English… hindi ganun ka-necessary para sa iba yung Filipino movies.
“Kasi they enjoy Hollywood movies and stuff. Pero siyempre ayaw nating mawala yun, it’s part of our culture.
“And we have our own stories to tell. We have so many stories to tell. We have very talented people in the industry.
“From the writers, to directors, actors, and stuntmen. Kumbaga kaya nating lumaban.
“Kung ano man yung working budget natin, yun lang naman ang limitations natin, e. Pero I believe in the Filipino talent, hindi lang sa music kundi sa arts in general.
“Kaya nating makipagsabayan kahit saan. Yun lang, budget lang ang lagi nating problema. Pero kaya tayo magaling gumawa ng paraan, kasi kulang lagi ang resources natin.
“Pero sana, hindi mawala yung industry natin.”