The wake-up call that helped Yassi turn a triple whammy around

Yassi Pressman

Yassi Pressman was a bundle of positive energy when she participated in the recent launch of Nivea Blooming Pink Range’s #Come­IntoFullBloom campaign. The 25-year-old actress glowed even as she shared with those in attendance how she dealt with the recent death of her 90-year-old father, the shutdown of ABS-CBN and feelings of uncertainty when the lockdown was declared in March.

“The world has changed so much since the start of the pandemic,” Yassi mused when asked about how she had managed to stay positive amid a string of stressors. “I just deci­ded to eliminate everything that was causing negative thoughts, because when the pandemic was just starting, we were all so unsure about what was happening.

“But the time off helped make me realize that it was best to take away all the negativity. Sure, listen to the news, process that information, and help others if you can. Then, focus on your life and family. Napansin ko that if a person doesn’t take good care of himself, there’s no way he’ll be able to take care of the people around him.”

Asked for her advice to those having difficulty during the quarantine, she said, “Hold on to the people who are still there for you. Kasi, the pande­mic could strip away everything you own. At the end of the day, you realize those things don’t really matter. Sana, when this is over, we can all go back to how things were—to dine out with our loved ones or spend time with friends.

“For now, I’m trying to fix our house and start life without dad. It’s just me and my sister Issa now. When the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) was lif­ted, I had my father’s room renovated because it’s hard to keep seeing it without him.

“In a way, my dad is still there. I know he’s always going to be there when I’m having a hard time, whether in my dreams or when butterflies come to me. I’ve never really felt he had left us completely, so just changing the room helps me cope [with the loss] a little better.”

Of course, Yassi knew someone would eventually ask her about Coco Martin and their long-running action series, “Ang Probinsyano.”

“If you were surprised about the way Coco reacted to the shutdown of the network, please understand that many of the guys who lost their jobs were the same people we’ve worked with on the set daily—the makeup artists, the people who clean our set, the ones who build it, the guys who buy us coffee. We feel their pain. ‘What will happen to them and their families?’ That’s where the pain or anger was coming from.

“I distinctly remember the day the network was shut down—we went out of the room during taping, gathered by the pool, and we cried together. We sobbed in silence.”

On a lighter note, a quarantine-related “accomplishment” that Yassi said she was proud of was how the period of isolation helped her develop her culinary skills. “I was able to cook for the people at home,” she beamed. “My whole life, it was something I thought I’d never learn. Now I can feed them paella (laughs)!”

If you think it sounded like Yassi had kept to herself during the lockdown, you’ve got another think coming. In fact, she and Issa spent a considerable chunk of time embarking on a “mission” to raise money for the needy and feed front-liners.

“The pandemic was a wake-up call for everyone,” she explained. “No one could have predicted that this global health crisis was going to happen. So, let’s look at it as an opportunity to either help people or make a fresh start.

“My sister and I started making small sandwiches for front-liners almost every day. We would go to checkpoints [and distribute them]. Hindi kami tumatawid, basta pumupunta lang kami kung hanggang saan puwede. I realized that being isolated doesn’t mean we have to go through this [emotionally] apart.”

And to celebrate her 25th birthday last May 11, she deci­ded to spend it with sick children in hospitals. “I decided to give away toys,” Yassi related. “Just by seeing them happy made my day special. Masayang masaya ako on my birthday!” INQ