The morning she arrived on Friday, “America Idol” sensation Jessica Sanchez had a full day ahead.
With a series of interviews and meetings, she barely had time to breath. A major local TV network had her meet the press and artists to prepare for the network’s Sunday noontime show guest appearance. She’ll be singing a duet with local pop singer Christian Bautista.
Then she was whisked away on the other side of the city amid the Friday rush-hour traffic to meet the local organizers for a show in a new club ironically named Chaos at the City of Dreams, also scheduled on Sunday night with Bautista as guest.
“Everytime I am here I just wanna explore the Philippines,” she told INQUIRER.net Friday night in a rushed interview. Her mother Editha Bugay Sanchez hails from Bataan province but she never had ample time to bond with her relatives
“I’ve been here a couple of times but when we went to Bataan, it was only for a couple of hours, for a night so we didn’t really had time to know my relatives,” she said.
“I just want to walk on the street, probably ride a jeepney. In Los Angeles, there’s no jeepney.”
The closest “thrill” she experienced was riding a tricycle in Boracay.
Another frustration for her is going to the malls but it’s a no-no because her security entourage is worried of her safety.
“In the US, no one minds who I am even if they saw me in ‘Idol’. If I’m not doing any shows, my friends and I can just drive around the neighborhood and go to bars at night and chill till four in the morning. Here I can’t do that.”
She told us she’s been to Boracay and would love to go back. And there are other places she wanted to explore.
“I wanna visit Palawan, Bataan and Cebu. I only see them in pictures.”
Sanchez had her first show in the Philippines on September 21, 2012, together with fellow “AI” finalists at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. She went back in February the following year and did a solo show on Valentine’s Day also at the Big Dome.
Entertainer Jessica Sanchez. AP
After guesting in “Glee” in 2013, she’s never been so busy promoting her solo album. She made us proud when she sang “Lupang Hinirang” during the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley boxing match in April, 2014.
We asked her if she’s open to recording a song with Pacquaio, who she considers her friend.
“You know what, every time Manny and I bump into each other we always ask when are we going to do that. It never happens,” she said with a giggle.
She told us she’s open to doing movies and some TV projects or a series of shows if she’s approached by local producers. We told her that would mean spending more than a month in the Philippines.
“Oh I love that. There are no offers yet but I’d do that. This is like my second home now but in the past couple of years, every time I am here, it’s always time to go.”