Shaina on ABS-CBN colleagues opting to find work elsewhere

Shaina Magdayao

What they did was understandable,” said actress Shaina Magdayao when asked for her thoughts on other ABS-CBN talents opting to find work in other stations after the Kapamilya network was shut down due to its failed franchise renewal bid.

“It’s hard to judge them, and I won’t, ever. We all have our reasons for agreeing to work elsewhere. To be honest, I have yet to speak with any of my colleagues who transferred [to rival networks or worked for other production outfits], that’s why I also can’t justify their decisions,” the actress told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent exclusive virtual chat.

“In a way, looking at the bigger picture, people need to work. If, at that point, accepting an offer from another station will give them a sense of security—since we are currently experiencing a season of uncertainty—then what they did was understandable. More than anything, 2020 is a year of survival,” the actress declared.

“I’m just lucky I didn’t have to make a similar decision myself because I have existing work. It’s such a blessing that the offer to do ‘Ang Probinsyano’ came on the last week of January. I was able to join the show before the lockdown,” she pointed out.

If there was one good thing about getting stuck at home, especially during the first few months of the COVID-19-related lockdown, Shaina, who is suffering from hypothyroidism, said it was that her thyroid hormone had leveled after she was able to rest from work.

Hypothyroidism is caused by an underactive thyroid gland. People who are hypothyroid have too little thyroid hormone in their blood.

“It was a season of recovery for me,” the actress said. “You all know that I’ve been working since I was 6. My hypothyroidism peaked between 2018 and 2019. I used the first three months of the quarantine period to recuperate,” she shared with Inquirer Entertainment. “I don’t discuss this freely because I want to be sensitive to others’ [feelings], being that not all of us were able to live comfortably during the lockdown.”

Magdayao in “Tagpuan”

Shaina said she was also able to “enjoy” her new home (“I now have my own bachelorette pad”) for the first time during the quarantine.

“Whenever I had a break from work prepandemic, I’d rather travel. ’Di talaga ako napipirmi. That time, I got to cherish the normalcy,” Shaina pointed out. “It’s a blessing in disguise for me to be given the chance to pause.”

Shaina didn’t get to rest that much, though, because she resumed taping for “Ang Probinsyano” three months later. The show was the first ABS-CBN production to return to taping under the “new normal” setup.

She was also grateful to be part of McArthur Alejandre’s “Tagpuan,” which is an official entry to the ongoing Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). The movie also features Iza Calzado and Alfred Vargas.

“It’s a blessing to have someone like Alfred (who is also the film’s producer). He produces films not just to make money, but also to be able to contribute worthwhile projects like this one to the industry. Hopefully, ‘Tagpuan’ won’t be our last,” Shaina said.

Shaina and Alfred shot their scenes in Hong Kong in August 2019, at the height of the statewide protests against the fugitive offenders amendment bill introduced by its government.

She recalled: “Yes, we were in the middle of all the riots and protests while shooting, and it was a really scary time; but I would sometimes hear Alfred and his team discussing backup plans in case our situation didn’t turn out OK. That made me feel safe and secure.”

It was also a big help that screenwriter Ricky Lee was with them in Hong Kong because he could tweak the script on the spot. “This also made working on the film more exciting. The lines we delivered reflected what was happening at the time,” the actress said. “You gotta do what you gotta do! Despite the difficult situation you’re in, you have to be able to pull it off.”

Tickets for “Tagpuan,” as well as the nine other MMFF films, are available worldwide and exclusively via upstream.ph for only P250.