Piolo Pascual: His funny videos help OFs bear the pandemic’s mental burden
Experts in the
Philippines and other countries have been warning us: along with the wave of
COVID-19 infections would be a wave of mental illness. There’s no avoiding
that: people are anxious, afraid, and many have lost jobs and face an uncertain
future. Add to that our collective isolation, loneliness, and dread. Overseas
Filipinos (OFs) are particularly vulnerable.
Actor Piolo
Pascual is among those calling for more support for OFs during the pandemic. He
said that overseas Filipinos are already under a great amount of pressure as
they face tough emotional, physical, and financial challenges. It’s not
surprising then that some of them would have mental health issues.
“For decades,
our economy benefited from billions of dollars in remittances. At this time,
it’s our turn to give back and support OFs now that they are going through both
a pandemic and an economic downturn,” said Piolo.
OF roles in
movies, TVCs
Piolo has played
several OF characters in various dramatic films--it’s a role that he also knows
in real life because he used to be a security guard in Los Angeles, California
before he achieved Philippine movie stardom. Recently, it was revealed that he
again played versions of these characters in three new videos that will be
shown in BDO branches, on BDO’s YouTube channel and on BDO Kabayan Facebookpage.
The commercials
are light-hearted spin-offs or even slight spoofs of classic scenes in his
movies “Milan” (with Claudine Barretto) and “Starting Over Again” (with Toni
Gonzaga). As the videos’ release coincides with OFs’ present situation, they
take on more significance and meaning in Piolo’s view.
“Mahilig ang mga
Pinoy sa drama eh. Pero pati comedy rin. Etong mga videos, parang pinagsama yan
tapos may twist. Yung pangkalahatan na mensahe ng video ay kailangan natin
ngayon: yung kasiyahan at pag-asa.
“Ang drama natin
ngayon, real life. Pandemic. Lost jobs. Quarantine. Sandaang araw na itong
drama. Hindi kagaya ng drama sa pelikula, two hours lang. So we need relief, we
need to feel lighter, to see that we can still smile. Ma-realize lang natin na,
oo nga, okay pa rin tumawa, magsaya. Na meron pa ring pag-asa. May solusyon. We
can always find ways,” said Piolo.
Reaching out,
getting help
Piolo said that
the most important thing that OFs need to remember is to reach out for help.
“Marami kasi sa atin, may tendency to keep things to ourselves. Masyado tayong
matiisin. Akala natin puntos para sa atin yung magdusa. No, it’s not. Kung
malungkot ka, o masama ang loob, call a friend. Makipag-usap sa kapamilya. Wala
namang award na ibibigay sa iyo kapag sinarili mo ang problema mo. Nagiging
delikado lang lalo ang mental health mo,” he said.
He also reminded
OFs not to hesitate getting professional help if needed. “There’s still a
stigma over mental health. Sa panahon ngayon, hindi na dapat ikahiya ang mental
illness. Tratuhin natin na tulad lang ng ibang sakit sa katawan.” He noted that
there’s no shame in getting help in order to be better in our minds and
emotions.’
Piolo added that
people should be more empathetic and compassionate. “Pag may lumapit sa atin
dahil nalulungkot, o may problema. Huwag balewalain. Sometimes, we say, ‘Kaya
mo yan!’ pagkatapos iiwanan natin.. Hindi sapat yun. Huwag natin iwanan.
Samahan natin tapos pakinggan natin.Hindi naman kailangan tayo ang mag-solve ng
problema. Basta maiparamdam natin na hindi siya nag-iisa. Na nandon tayo to
support him or her.”
Call for
bayanihan
Piolo added that
the new videos show precisely how to help. “In all the videos, mapapansin mo na
kahit light and funny ang approach, malinaw ang mensahe: kapag ang kapwa Pinoy
ay nasa alanganin, kapwa Pinoy ang tutulong. Hindi naman kailangan na solohin
natin ang problema. Ang lakas ng Pilipino, nasa pagtutulungan, bayanihan.
Especially during this pandemic, which is a huge, global problem, we need to
call on the best in ourselves and help each other,” he said.
In one video,
“Starting Over There”, a desperate man (named Marco Villanueva, played by
Piolo) chases after a taxicab in the rain, calling after “Ginny” (the character
played by Toni Gonzaga in the original film). It is implied that, similar to
the film, Ginny is leaving Marco to work abroad.
We then realize
that Marco is doubly desperate as he kneels in the rain, because Ginny seems to
have left with his ATM card. He says that he needs it to access a remittance.
Then a twist happens when an old woman, hair done in curlers, finds Marco as he
fumbles in his pockets. Marco sees the ATM card was in his pocket all along.
The old woman
chides him, pointing out that with his ATM card, Marco can access an ATM, a BDO
branch, and even a BDO Cash Agad kiosk at a sari-sari store. All of which are
just around the same block as they are.
Another video,
“Starting Over Today,” shows the same character, Marco, passionately delivering
the classic lines from the original film. We realize that Marco is inside a
bank, somewhat mortified that he wasn’t able to get a BDO Kabayan Savings
earlier--because he thought it would be a complicated, arduous process. The
teller assures him otherwise.
The third video, based on “Milan,” shows Marco asking help from a lovely fellow OF in sending money from Italy to a BDO Kabayan Savings account. The lady – whose features are noticeably familiar – is supposed to be a stand-in for Claudine Barretto.
All the new
videos aren’t just fun and enjoyable to watch but also showcase how Filipinos,
deep down, are ready to help someone in need. During this public health and
economic crisis, all essential services--including banking and
remittances--have become crucial to our survival, sanity, and happiness. The
pandemic and economic crunch may last longer than expected. But as Piolo’s
commercials show, in their own witty and hilarious way, we still have each
other. And that’s worth the effort to keep on fighting and hoping.
###
BDO Remit – through BDO Kabayan Savings –
its special savings & remittance account for the overseas Filipino market –
has become a lifeline for overseas Filipinos during the pandemic. BDO Remit has
kept its services running to help Filipinos overseas and their families cope
with the challenges of the pandemic.
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