Both nursing a broken heart, Bea and Angelica help each other heal and move on

Angelica Panganiban (left) and Bea Alonzo in “Unbreakable”

“I’m allowing myself to heal,” said Bea Alonzo, who admitted that she’s still reeling from her highly publicized breakup with actor Gerald Anderson.

Bea is not ready for a new love just yet. “Although I’m done with hurting. I’m OK now,” she said, adding that she doesn’t need another boyfriend to prove that she has fully moved on.

“I realized that there are a lot of blessings coming my way, and that I should be thankful for them. There are things in my life that are far more important than having a jowa (slang for boyfriend),” Bea told reporters during the press conference organized by Star Cinema for her latest dramatic film project, “Unbreakable.”

Her costar in the film, Angelica Panganiban, has gone through a similar situation with actor Carlo Aquino, whom she allegedly dated for several months last year. “The secret to looking and feeling good is maintaining a happy disposition. Take care of yourself; eat right. What’s important is what’s inside you. Your goodness within will eventually show.”

Bea agreed: “We’re not shutting ourselves out. We’re just taking our time. We’re currently a work in progress.”

“Yes,” said Angelica. “We’re under renovation. We are currently upgrading [ourselves].”

The two girls said it was good that they got to work together on this project at a time when they were both hurting because they were able to help each other heal and move on.

“If you relate to what the other person is going through, you bond more. You pull each other up,” said Bea. “If one is feeling down, the other gives her words of encouragement. It felt like everything just fell into place when we started working on this project.”

Angelica said their level of maturity was also a big factor. “We are able to handle pain and rejection better now. Fate made us work together now because we needed to depend on and help each other. We would say to the other, ‘Huwag ka d’yan sa dilim!’ This strengthened our friendship. Also, we were going through something, so it gave our acting more depth,” Angelica observed.

They admitted to having had a falling out in the past and that working on “Unbreakable” made them rekindle their friendship.

“Friends grow apart sometimes. This is because they just want different things—that’s normal. I also believe that friendship is a commitment. You have to work on it, through thick and thin,” said Bea.

“Time heals everything,” added Angelica. “I believe it’s easier to patch up a rift if you’re really good friends. It will all depend on your capacity to love and forgive. Between the two of us, I’m the more impulsive one. Bea is more dependable. She can be your anchor if you’re already feeling too lost. She is the one you can consult before making an important decision, because she’s smart and always strives to do the right thing.”

Bea described Angelica as the kind of friend who is “so intense. She will protect and defend you. She is also very sweet and thoughtful. She will treat you as family. Even when we had our tampuhan, I still get affected whenever I hear that something had happened to her. I would still wish that she’s OK; that she would eventually feel better. I’m glad to be able to tell her that now,” said Bea.

According to “Unbreakable” director Mae Cruz-Alviar, the film is a story of the love between friends. “We haven’t seen something like this in a while. This is very refreshing,” she stressed.

Angelica described her character, Deena Yambao, as someone who is “emotionally dependent, always trying to look for someone to love. She’s a pleaser. She thinks doing things for people will make them love her and welcome her into their lives. That’s who Deena was when she met Mariel (Bea’s character) in college.”

For Bea, Mariel Salvador is “idealistic, a go-getter and a fixer. She likes fixing people and situations. In this movie, we will see her grow up after surpassing a lot of difficulties in life… Conflict in their story arises when they start comparing their respective marriages.”

“Unbreakable,” which started screening in cinemas nationwide last Wednesday, also stars Richard Gutierrez and Ian Veneracion.