President LT takes charge

LORNA Tolentino will prioritize education and raise the salary of public school teachers if she were the Chief Executive in real life.

Playing the country’s president in the GMA 7 primetime series “Genesis” is quite a stretch for award-winning actress Lorna Tolentino.

“When the role was offered to me, I told myself: Being president is something I would never get to experience in real life, so I might as well play one on TV,” she told the Inquirer.

If she were the president, she would prioritize the education of the nation’s youth, she said.

“I would repeal taxes on books and increase the salary of public school teachers,” she added. “I would also champion the rights of workers, particularly the marginalized sectors in the film industry.”

A campaign that is particularly close to her heart is the struggle of the families of desaparecidos, political activists who vanished without a trace.

She played Edita Burgos, the crusading mom of missing activist Jonas Burgos, in Joel Lamangan’s indie drama “Burgos.”

She related that “Burgos” would have a special screening at the SM North Edsa, The Block, Cinema 2, for the benefit of cause-oriented groups Karapatan and Free Jonas Burgos Movement on Oct. 25.

Advocacy

She fully supports the indie film’s human-rights advocacy.

“I am proud to add my voice to the cause of Mrs. Burgos and other relatives of the missing,” she remarked.

“If I were president, I will make sure that the families of desaparecidos get justice. They should be compensated for the crimes of past administrations. They should receive from the authorities an admission of guilt, a public apology and a fair trial. I will also fight for our comfort women (Filipino women who were turned into sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War 2).”

In “Genesis,” her character, President Sandra Sebastian-Trinidad, has to grapple with similarly daunting problems.

“She has to lead the country in a time when the world is about to end,” she quipped.

As far as Tolentino is concerned, the most challenging part of the role was memorizing kilometric lines of dialogue.

“I have to give long speeches as President, without the help of a Teleprompter,” she gasped.

She envisions President Sandra as a positive role model for women. “As a leader, she is tough and strong-willed, but she has a soft heart. She is caring, too. In the series, I play the mother of a child who has Down syndrome.”

She tries to embody both sides of the equation: No-nonsense leader and nurturing mother, onscreen and off.

She asserted that she was no stage mom to her sons Renz and Ralph Fernandez, who both signed  three-year contracts with GMA 7 recently.

Legacy

“I am just here to give advice to them. In any case, I have complete trust in their manager, Malou Choa-Fagar,” she said. “They really want to act and continue the legacy of their dad (the late action star Rudy Fernandez).”

Tolentino remained unruffled even when talk turned to the raging pork-barrel controversy that beset family friends Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.

“All I can give them are my prayers. I will always be here for  them. We’ve known each other since our children were small. They know that they can always count on me,” she said.

Largely because of the intrigues, she said, she would never run for public office: “Politics is not for me. At my age, all I want is a peaceful life.”

Curiously, that was the same response she gave when asked if she would ever consider remarrying.

She told the Inquirer that her heart fully belonged to her late husband. “Love transcends death.”

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