What Cherry Pie Picache learned while in quarantine

The year 2020 was supposed to be an extremely busy year for actress Cherry Pie Picache, but the pandemic and the ongoing enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) have definitely changed that.

On May 27, Cherry Pie was supposed to celebrate her 50th birthday, which is a major milestone and an accomplishment, but if she had planned for either a weekend getaway abroad or a grand party, she had to postpone it because ECQ rules prohibit any form of travel and mass gathering.

Cherry Pie’s son, Nio, also turned 18 on April 28. He likewise graduated from high school at the Ateneo de Manila University on March 30, but the Department of Education ordered the cancelation of all ceremonies while the country is fighting the new coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) pandemic.

Cherry Pie with son Nio

It also looks like Nio, who snatched himself a scholarship from the Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, would be flying there a little later than expected. “Natataranta kami ngayon. We’ve been making plans and trying to make arrangements for him to live there,” said the proud mom. “This was the reason Nio had been working so hard for years; the reason he played tennis and joined tournaments.”

Cherry Pie pointed out: “As a parent, it’s already a huge achievement to have a child finish high school. It would have been a proud moment to see him march, but with all that’s happening now, I simply chose not to complain about it. Mag-iinarte pa ba? I’m now just thankful that we’re alive and that we still have each other.”

Before the lockdown, which began on March 15, Cherry Pie was busy with the PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association)-produced stage play “Under My Skin.”

“We were totally caught off-guard by the ECQ order,” Cherry Pie said of the advocacy project that marked her debut in theater. “We didn’t realize that our show on March 8 eventually became our last. We still had 16 more shows, but they were all canceled.”

She said she felt bad for her coactors and the production team. “Prior to our performance dates, we’ve been rehearsing for months. They’re already expecting to earn from those shows, but sadly, all were suddenly called off. PETA is still studying whether or not it’s still feasible to push through when the health crisis is finally controlled,” she told Inquirer Entertainment.

Aside from this, Cherry Pie said the shooting of her movie project with GMA Films was also discontinued.

Because she had been neck-deep in work since November 2019, Cherry Pie said she initially welcomed the opportunity to simply stay at home because of the ECQ. But when the lockdown kept getting extended, she started feeling worried and uneasy.

While she has been doing her part—along with her coactor-friends from “Call Me Tita” (or CMT, a comedy series in iWant)—in helping out people displaced by the pandemic, she admitted that she has not been earning anymore.

“Nothing is coming in. When Agot [Isidro] and I chatted recently, we both agreed that, yes, we save when there’s work, because when there’s none, we budget our money. Looks like we’re in this for the long haul,” Cherry Pie declared.

If there’s anything that Cherry Pie said she learned while in quarantine, it was that “the best things in life are indeed free. The Titas and I would often talk about how we are now at a stage in our lives when already we want to simplify things. We now determine what’s essential and do away with the excesses. We realized that we no longer want to be stressed by so many things.”

By titas, Cherry Pie meant her CMT costars, namely Agot, Mylene Dizon, Joanna Ampil and Angelica Panganiban.

The cast of “Call Me Tita”

“Mylene has transferred to a house in the province to avoid stress, while Agot tried out farming. Angge (Angelica’s nickname) moved out of her old house and tried condo living,” Cherry Pie pointed out. “For me, this lockdown became an affirmation that what I’ve been doing is the right thing all along.”

Cherry Pie said keeping in touch with people “who are of the same wavelength as you; who are also optimistic and grateful like you” would surely help you in your struggle for mental stability. It’s also good if you’re in touch with certain communities and organizations that are involved in helping those that are affected by the crisis.

“I would always say to myself, what else can I do to reach out to others? It doesn’t really matter if you could only give a small amount. Others will get inspired by what you do. This will give them hope,” the actress said.

Cherry Pie and the titas recently participated in an online fundraising event titled “ka-ecq-sena,” wherein they auctioned off to five bidders the chance to experience how it’s like to perform alongside the CMT cast. The event is part of the Open House initiative, which aims to provide financial assistance to those in the performing arts community that were hardest hit by the crisis.