Jessy Mendiola (left) with boyfriend Luis Manzano
We didn’t expect our recent chat with the lovely and luminous Jessy Mendiola to be as easygoing as it turned out. But a big chunk of her maturity, the actress said, she owes to lessons taught to her by boyfriend Luis Manzano, with whom she celebrated their fourth anniversary as a couple in June.
“Yes, June 25 was our anniversary,” the 27-year-old actress said when we asked her how she has changed since their relationship began. “I’ve learned a lot from Luis, hindi lang sa personal life ko, but also where my career is concerned.
“Luis taught me to be on time. He was the one who taught me to be patient when it comes to work. Kasi syempre, when you start out as a bagets, hindi maiiwasan ‘yung init ng ulo.” “You went through that?” we asked. We then told the actress about a veteran actress, who was as lovely in her youth as Jessy is now, who told us about her “difficult years” when she began as a teenage actress. The older actress even used the word “monster” when describing how difficult she was.
“Oh, yes! Naging monster din ako (laughs),” Jessy said. “Sometimes, when you’re young, you’re impulsive and impatient. But people learn as they get older.”Teens and young adults can learn a thing or two from the actress’ recent realizations. Take Jessy’s Instagram post last June 6. The actress told her 6.3 million followers how her journey to self-acceptance has inspired meaningful change in her. “I’m finally free of doubts, anger and insecurity,” she said. “My whole life, I’ve been in a constant battle with myself. I’ve always doubted what I could do. I was afraid of change. I couldn’t see my worth and how important I was in this life. Every little comment or opinion of others about me affected me like I was defined by how people thought of me. I kept losing myself just because I wanted to please others.
Jessy Mendiola
“I was afraid to do so many things that made me happy because I was worried that others would judge me. I’ve let myself become someone else, all those years I kept hating myself for always giving so much to other people that I kept forgetting how to love myself. I’ve learned to let go of all the pain, the struggles, the failures. My entire life, I felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride that would never end. “But finally, it has ended. I finally feel at peace … and found myself again, only to learn that God has never left my side. For the longest time, I was blinded by things I didn’t need in my life. Everything I need is within me.
“God woke me up and made me realize my worth as a human being. He made me realize that He had been there all along in every step that I took in my life. He CHANGED me … and I’m just so grateful… I’ve never felt this feeling before. It’s a wonderful feeling. I am whole again. I am not afraid anymore. I’m taking the leap. I am free.”