Piolo Pascual
It’s a strange time. Ironically, all of our staff are busy working,” said actor-film producer Piolo Pascual who, despite the inconveniences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, has remained one of the busiest celebrities in local Tinseltown.
“Our production team is in Paris, France, as we speak for the follow-up film of Alessandra (de Rossi) and Empoy (Marquez), lead stars of the 2017 hit movie ‘Kita Kita’). I will also go there soon to oversee the production,” reported Piolo, who is one of the three owners of the independent movie production firm, Spring Films.
“At the same time, the staff who are left here are working for Maja Salvador’s soap ‘Niña Niño’ (which airs on TV5),” he added. “Everyone is busy! What pleases me is that we have managed to effortlessly shift to streaming (from cinema screenings prior to the pandemic).”
Demand for content
Piolo noted that his company saw that “there’s so much demand for content nowadays with the emergence of the different streaming platforms. We considered it a good opportunity to provide content for different producers. That’s what we’ve been doing ever since,” he explained.
“Sometimes, we get investors to fund our films,” as in their latest romantic drama “My Amanda,” which is currently streaming on the American-based content platform Netflix. The film, to Piolo’s surprise, was given a “global launch” by Netflix, he said. “It was acquired before the pandemic but we had time to edit it for more than a year. We had ample time to know about our product and to know how to present it to a bigger market. The requirements imposed by Netflix on us were overwhelming. Demands like these force companies to raise their production standards because they know that their products will no longer be seen only in the Philippines but by a global market,” Piolo told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent virtual one-on-one interview.
Contrary to what most of his supporters have been thinking, Piolo did not put acting on the back burner. He let on that he has just finished taping for a guest appearance in a TV series, and is waiting for two finished films to be released soon. If plans push through, he will be seen on TV again for a longer engagement, probably for a TV series. “It’s going to be a busy six months or so for me,” he reported. “I was supposed to go on tour in the United States, but producers and I decided to wait it out because we want to be on the safe side. These days, I’ve been watching a lot. I want to be immersed in different film genres.”
Piolo observed that the pandemic has changed the outlook of most industry people in relation to work. “We all want to survive. We’re all eager to put something on the table. We all want to keep a positive frame of mind,” he pointed out. “We support each other, especially those who are going through tougher times. We want to be a beacon of hope and an inspiration to them.”
Coping with the isolation and the threat of getting infected by the virus has been tough for the “very outdoorsy” actor. “I love going outside. When I was in Quezon City for three days recently, I ran 12 kilometers around 10 street blocks,” said Piolo, who has made his farm in Mabini, Batangas, his permanent residence since the first pandemic lockdown in 2020.
Healthy, sound mind
Piolo said he also chose not to meet up with family and friends for fear of what he could be carrying since his work requires him to be out of the house most of the time. “My sister invited me recently but I couldn’t just see her. The pandemic is very limiting. We now have friends in hospitals or relatives who lost their lives. We’re living in sad times but we shouldn’t allow the sad stories we see or hear to affect us. Otherwise, our immunity will really go down. Having a healthy and sound mind is also important so I really take care of my mental health. I also make sure to pray for everyone,” pointed out Piolo, who recently signed an endorsement deal with Pascual Laboratories Inc. as the endorser of both Poten-Cee + Zinc (ascorbic acid and zinc) and Poten-Cee + ZN Advance (ascorbic acid, zinc and cholecalciferol).
Piolo grows his own food on his farm. He has all the kinds of veggies mentioned in the folk song “Bahay Kubo,” he quipped. “It has been raining often recently so we eat ‘pinakbet’ often, too. When I run on the treadmill, I observe our chickens roaming around. I have just become more health-conscious because, in a way, I want to make sure that I am able to detoxify my body with what I put in it. I also don’t forget to take my vitamins because they help enhance the body’s natural defenses by supporting various functions of the immune system.”
Farm life
Farm life is fun for those who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, Piolo pointed out. “I would personally plant calamansi trees. It gives you a sense of fulfillment when you see the plants bear fruits. Every time I come home from Manila, I would check on my vines to see if they have already set. I also make sure that fertilizers are evenly distributed. I only noticed recently that the nursery keeps getting bigger and bigger,” he beamed. “Right now, I’m cultivating bamboo so I can use them as fences at home.”
Farming teaches you to be humble, the 42-year-old actor said. “You appreciate what you harvest. You eat better knowing that you grow your own crops. The simplest things are the healthiest things. You feel humbled because you know you’re at the mercy of Mother Nature. You’re happy the moment it rains because you know it’s nature’s gift—you feel that everything around you is also enjoying that moment.”