Loisa Andalio (left) and Ronnie Alonte, collectively known as LoiNie
It’s OK that the girls told them off. It was really a bad joke,” said actress Loisa Andalio, who publicly expressed her support for fellow ABS-CBN contract artists Sue Ramirez and Maris Racal for criticizing the spread of their “maliciously edited” photos on the Internet.
“Times are tough. The things people do for trip these days are so different. It’s really up to you if you will spend time and effort on these people or control yourself and not feel affected,” Loisa told reporters during a Zoom media conference for her latest digital series, “Unloving U.”
As to whether the issue has affected her in terms of posting sexy photos on social media, the 21-year-old actress said: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with uploading sexy photos, especially if you have no bad intentions. You just feel confident and proud of your body. It’s up to the people who look at the photos how they would take it. If they see them and appreciate them, then ‘thank you!’ If they use them to disrespect you publicly, then may God bless them.”
The issue did not escape the Kapamilya management’s attention. The network has issued a statement condemning “the act of illegally manipulating photos of celebrities or anyone … Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect, even on social media,” the statement pointed out.
ABS-CBN also labeled the act as “a form of gender-based online sexual harassment” under Republic Act No. 11313, or The Safe Spaces Act. “We would like to appeal to everyone to stop sharing these fake photos on social media. The welfare of our talents is our top priority, and we intend to pursue legal action against the perpetrators and anyone who posts, distributes or duplicates these images,” the network declared.
Meanwhile, when asked whether she would be ready to take on “more serious and mature” roles this year, Loisa replied: “It will depend on the story, if it’s good. Also, if the story requires it and it will not just be for the sake of baring skin.”
Ronnie Alonte, Loisa’s love-team partner and real-life beau added: “There’s a perfect time for that. We can’t say when. That will just be a surprise.”
In Easy Ferrer’s “Unloving U,” Loisa (as Fiona) and Ronnie (as Alfie) find themselves falling in love even when they are forced to play stepsiblings after Fiona’s father (played by Ariel Rivera) married Alfie’s mom (Gelli de Belen).
Knowing she can never be in a romantic relationship with Alfie, Fiona begins the process of unloving him. The movie lets the audience in on Fiona’s journey, and gets to see whether she would actually be able to do this.
Asked what Ronnie, her boyfriend of four years, could possibly do to force her to “unlove” him, the actress said: “I fell in love with Ronnie because he’s a true and honest person. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if he was serious about wanting to pursue me.
“I was convinced that I’d just be one of his girls. But later, I realized that he was really sincere; that he is also, in many aspects, my dream guy. I guess I would only ‘unlove’ Ronnie if I feel that he no longer loves me—I don’t see any other reason to do so.”
Ronnie, meanwhile, said their relationship, both onscreen and off, has remained strong and steady because, “we trust each other completely. We practice give-and-take. When one is angry, the other one plays it cool. We try not to complicate things. We discuss conflicts privately and never show the public that we’re having a disagreement,” he pointed out.
“We also respect one another’s decision and support each other no matter what. It’s not that hard. You do all these things and you’ll be happy. Your relationship will definitely last long,” Ronnie declared.
Gelli, whose marriage to Ariel is no doubt one of the steadiest in show biz, was also asked to give “relationship tips.” She said: “Find somebody who brings out the best in you. I knew that Ronnie and Loisa are on the right track when Ronnie started talking about respect. Of course, you love each other, but to maintain a relationship, you also need respect.”
“Unconditional love is not a cliche. Make it real. Don’t think that the amount of love you give your partner should only measure up to the love he gives. You have to be ready to give it your all. I think, as young as they are, Ronnie and Loisa already understand this. Sakto na sila!” Gelli declared.
Director Easy, who also wrote the script, explained that the producers purposely got real-life couples to work on the series, “so we won’t have any problems with the ‘sweet scenes’ that they had to shoot while we’re under the ‘new normal’ setup.”
The work had been a breeze for them, Easy reported, because “the four actors already knew their characters well. I just let Loisa be. She’s young, but she’s a thinking actress, very reliable.”
“I also saw that Ronnie, whom I first worked with in ‘Bloody Crayons’ (where Easy was the assistant director), has improved so much,” Easy recalled. “Sir Ariel and Gelli always aced their scenes on their first take. As a director, I learned a lot from how they executed complicated scenes.”
“Unloving U” also features Sam Cruz, KD Estrada, and Anji Salvacion. Its official soundtrack, which contains “Kaya Pala,” performed by Loisa, is now available on online music streaming platforms.
The six-episode series will begin streaming on Feb. 8 for standard and premium subscribers worldwide on the iWantTFC app (iOs and Android), with daily episodes dropping at 8 p.m. until Feb. 13.