GORGY RULA
Mas maraming nakakatakot kesa sa multo, ayon sa teaser at trailer ng psychological thriller movie na Mantsa.
“Noong bata pa ako, marami akong kinatatakutan,” sabi ng septuagenarian na si Pilar Pilapil sa mediacon noong Setyembre 3, 2026, Huwebes, sa Astoria Plaza, Estriva Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
“Pero ngayon, as I got older and since I’m already spiritual, kinatatakutan ko lang talaga ay if I end up in hell.
“So that I really strive very hard to do what is pleasing to God para hindi ako mapunta doon when the time comes.”
Paano niya na-overcome ang kanyang fears noon?
“Alam mo, sometimes or most of the time, pag tayo lang ang aasahan natin about our weaknesses, about our fears, mahirap talagang i-overcome iyon,” malumanay na tugon ng premyadong aktres.
“But since I gave my life to the Lord in 1995, and He made me whole again, that is when all those fears… I was able to overcome all of those weaknesses and all of those fears by the grace of God.”
PILAR PILAPIL ON AGING GRACEFULLY
Isa si Pilar sa mga artistang nag-age gracefully. Sinasabihang parang hindi tumatanda.
Nagsasawa ba siya pag sinasabihan ng ganoon?
Napangiti si Pilar: “Never akong nagsasawa! I feel good about it because it’s also ahhh some kind of encouragement.
“And of course, you know as you grow old, you somehow want to look young, hindi ba?
“But then if you don’t have to do too much to look young, then that’s great. It’s like a blessing, hindi ba? So I always thank the Lord for that.”
Ang unang pelikula ni Pilar ay El Niño (1968) bilang leading lady ni Andy Poe. Prinodyus iyon ng FPJ Productions.
Nagsama sila ni Dolphy sa mga pelikulang Buy One, Take One (1968), Dolpe de Gulat (1969), Facifica Falayfay (1969), El Pinoy Matador (1970), Boyoyoy (1970), at Cyrano at Roxanne (1973).
Nagwagi siyang best actress sa 1970 Manila Film Festival para sa pelikulang Imelda, Ang Uliran, ganundin sa Gawad Urian para sa Napakasakit, Kuya Eddie (1986) sa direksyon ni National Artist Lino Brocka.
Read: Brent Manalo addresses "unwarranted hate" after banter with Darren Espanto
PILAR PILAPIL'S STAYING POWER
Mahigit 100 pelikula ang nagawa niya, at sandamukal ding TV shows.
Ano ang staying power niya kaya halos anim na dekada na siya sa showbiz?
“There’s no formula to that,” sambit ni Pilar.
“Whatever happened in my life, or even my career, has always come naturally. Naturally.
“I don’t know if it’s blessing coming from the Lord, or maybe it has something to do also with my professionalism.
“I have been quite professional in dealing with my career, and dealing with the people in show business. That’s one.
“And maybe it has something to do with calling. Because there are actors who just come and go. They come and then they disappear. I don’t know the sudden they’re gone.
“But in my case, there would be times if you notice in the past, I would be in, and then out again. Because I would do a lot of travelling.
“And then in, and out again. Because I was also doing a lot of searching. Soul searching. So, but everytime I come back, it’s never a problem.
“So I believe, it’s my calling. And that’s also why I’m still here up to now.”
Marami siyang ginagawa sa kanyang personal life. Maraming beses o taon na hinanap niya kung ano ang gusto niya talagang gawin sa buhay, at kung sino siya.
“When you are young, you have to search and search. I was really like soul searching,” pagmamatwid ni Pilar.
“I would be travelling. I would be joining, you know, so many religious groups, spiritual groups like Hare Krishna and all of it.
“I was doing a lot of things actually those days. And that’s the reason why I was in and out.
“And of course, when you’re in love with the idea of falling in love, yun yon! Sometimes, we are lost, right?
“But everytime I come back, it’s always okay. It’s never a problem. The public always welcomes me.”
Ano ang tip o payo niya sa mga batang artista para tumagal din sila sa industriya?
“Ang tip ko sa kanila is you don’t really have to try so hard,” hinay-hinay na saad ni Pilar.
“If you know your value as an actor, then as long as you understand what your value is as an actor — because you also have to understand your value as a person, right?
“But you also have a value as an actor. As long as you understand that, and every now and then, you probably rate yourself, and check yourself and say, ‘OK, where I am now? Am I 50 percent good? Am I 70 percent? Am I 80 percent? Or 90?’
“I was always rating myself. As a matter of fact, I think I’m one of the very few, I think, I don’t know, but I very seldom watch television and I very seldom watch films.
“I am very choosy when it comes to watching films or television shows. And when I watch myself, I am my own critic. I critique my self.
“There are times I would say, ‘Oh, I did very well.’ There are times also, ‘Ohh I pass, 75 percent.’ There are times also, I say, ‘Well, I think I got it. Hundred percent.’
“There are times, it’s 85, it’s 90. So I rate my self, and that’s what every actor should do.
“Rate yourselves. So they would know how they can improve themselves.”
Read: Joheirry Mola Dominguez of Dominican Republic crowned Miss World 2026
JERRY OLEA
Andaming memorable films ni Pilar Pilapil.
Kiring-kiri ang karakter niyang Tricia sa pelikulang Tinik sa Dibdib (1985) kung saan co-stars niya sina Nora Aunor, Phillip Salvador, Eddie Garcia, at Dina Bonnevie.
“I have made more than a hundred films so I have very good memories about my films that I did in the past,” napangiting sambit ng premyadong aktres.
“Marami talaga, marami talaga. Kahit Ang Mundo’y Magunaw (1975) with Christopher de Leon. Marami pa.”
PILAR PILAPIL'S LEADING MEN
Marami sa mga co-stars niya, pumanaw na.
“I did a lot of films with Eddie Garcia. I did a lot of films also with Eddie Rodriguez. And then also with Ronaldo Valdez. Those were my leading men na palagi kong kasama,” paggunita ni Pilar.
“Fernando Poe Jr., wala na rin, di ba? Andiyan pa si Erap. Pero yung iba, like Dindo Fernando, wala na rin. Those were my leading men before. I had a nice time.”
Kaninong leading man siya may fondest memories? Meron ba siyang pinaka-favorite sa mga leading men niya?
“They were all good,” sagot ni Pilar.
“They were all good but I have very fond memories of Fernando Poe. Kasi ano yun, e, he was not just an actor.
“He was also a very kind persona. Director and producer din.”
Ibang-iba ang sistema sa showbiz noong 1970s at 1980s na hindi pa laganap ang internet, cellphone, at social media.
Tumango si Pilar: “Oo, ibang-iba. Ibang-iba. At saka siguro quality. Ha! Ha! Ha! Nawala yung quality, pero meron pa namang konti. Pero may naiwan naman, kaunti na lang.”
Normal dati ang 15 to 22 shooting days. Nowadays, binubuo ang pelikula nang four to eight shooting days normally. May mga acting workshop na rin noon.
“Pero acting is really inborn, e!” bulalas ni Pilar.
“It’s an inborn thing, e. Although may mga artista na na-develop lang talaga. Even if you’re inborn, kailangan mo pa ring i-develop ang sarili mo, di ba?
“Pero merong artista na wala talaga. It’s not an inborn talent. Parang intellect yan, e. Parang intellect.
“There’s such a thing as scholastic intellect, and there’s such a thing as natural intellect, di ba? So, parang ganun din ang acting.”
At parehong meron siya.
“I hope so. Ha! Ha! Ha! I hope so. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Niligawan ba siya ng mga naging leading man niya?
“All of them. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Alam mo naman, medyo sexy din ako noon,” pagtatapat ni Pilar.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! At saka siyempre, I don’t blame them.”
Kumusta ang panliligaw nila?
Napangiti muli si Pilar, “Ahh wala. Hindi naman talaga panliligaw na katulad ng mga old style na panliligaw. Siyempre understood na yon, di ba?
“Body language. The way they treat me. Di ba? Alam mo na yun. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
May pormal na panliligaw?
“Ahh wala namang ganun, pormal na panliligaw. Yung pormal na panliligaw, panahon pa ni Rogelio de la Rosa yun. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” halakhak pa ni Pilar.
“Yung mga ano lang, mga insinuations, you know. The way they treat you, you know. On the set and off cam. Malalaman mo naman, di ba?”
Meron siyang sinagot? Sino ang nagpatibok sa kanyang puso?
“Ahh basahin mo na lang yung libro ko. Bigyan na lang kita ng libro… napakakulay talaga ng buhay ko. Napakakulay!” bulalas ni Pilar.
“I don’t think there’s an actor right now, an actress right now, na more or less, ganun kakulay ang mundo. Sa tingin ko lang.”
PILAR'S GLORIOUS DAYS
Nami-miss ba niya ang glorious days na yon?
Mabilis na tugon ni Pilar: “Hindi ko naman nami-miss. Ahh alam mo siyempre, may different stages in your life, e. Di ba?
“May stage 1, stage 2, depende sa edad mo. Stage 3. Probably I’m in my stage 7 or 8 right now. Seven probably.”
May dapat pa ba siyang patunayan bilang artista?
“Well, you learn every day. Even if you’re of age, you still learn. Kasi iba-iba ang sitwasyon that you encounter each time,” sey ni Pilar.
“Hindi naman pare-pareho, e. So you still learn. As you grow older, you still learn. There is never an age to learning. You’re always learning every day.”
Noong 2006 ini-release ang autobiography ni Pilar na The Woman Without A Face.
Kabilang pa sa memorable films ni Pilar ang Inday sa Balitaw (1970), Ang Alamat (1972), Lalaki, Kasalanan Mo (1973), Isang Gabi… Tatlong Babae (1974), May Isang Tsuper ng Taksi (1975), Buhay Mo, Buhay Ko (1976), Kung Bakit May Ulap Ang Mukha ng Buwan (1976), at Bawat Himaymay ng Aking Laman.
Nasa cast din siya ng mga pelikulang Bukas, Luluhod Ang Mga Tala (1984), Kailan Tama Ang Mali? (1986), Ekstra (2013), at Etiquette for Mistresses (2015).
Read: Yeng Constantino regrets serenading Ryan Bang at her concert
NOEL FERRER
Co-stars ni Pilar Pilapil sa pelikulang Mantsa sina Gelli de Belen, Khai Flores, Shira Tweg, Snooky Serna, Janice de Belen, at Lloyd Samartino, sa direksyon ni Luisito Lagdameo Ignacio.
Prinodyus ito ng Dragons Entertainment Productions, at nakatakdang ipalabas sa mga sinehan sa Oktubre 7, 2026.
Pahayag ni Pilar: “I liked the role and I accepted it because it was something different. Normally kasi, kung minsan, nata-typecast ako sa pagka-kontrabida, di ba?
“Especially lately. Not when I was younger, no. But lately nata-typecast na ako. And I thought that this role was something different.
“As you can see, even the way I look in the film, di ba? And nagustuhan ko iyong role because hindi siya masyadong maraming salita.
“Not an offish role but mostly nuances. Mostly the expressions of the eyes, body language, and it really is a very interesting role. Kasi maraming facets ito.”
pilar pilapil on working with newbies
Aminado sina Khai at Shira na nahirapan sila sa ilang eksena sa Mantsa. Ano ang nararamdaman niya kapag nahihirapan ang mga baguhang kaeksena niya?
“I never really had a hard time with them, you know, to be very frank,” tugon ni Pilar.
“Kasi they were very focused. Medyo surprising, especially nowadays, no. Mga bagets ngayon, medyo hindi mo malaman kung alin doon ang totoo, ang hindi. Hindi ba?
“The values of young people nowadays is sometimes, you know, you don’t know anymore how to define.
“But as far as Khai is concerned, and Shira, they were both very focused on their work.”
OK lang sa kanya na umabot sa Take 7 ang eksena kasama ang baguhang artista?
“OK lang. Kasi ako mismo, there are scenes kasi na medyo mabigat. And at that particular scene, I was lying down,” paliwanag ni Pilar.
“I think mahirap umiyak kapag nakahiga. Kasi iba ang position mo, e, iba pag nakatindig, di ba?
“So you know, it’s very different. So ako mismo, I wanted to make sure na maging maganda yung labas ng scene namin.”
Read: Katherine Luna breaks down over bashing after sharing her story