Must Be Liza

My first pic with Liza in 2013

I don’t remember when and how I first met Liza Soberano. Basta part siya ng Star Magic Circle 2013, and I was already following closely her batchmates na friends ko na then, sina Khalil Ramos, Julia Barretto and Jerome Ponce. I would see her with them, and I thought she was really a beautiful girl. Napag-usapan pa namin siya ni Jerome once, who said na “maganda pero tahimik” si Liza. Napansin ko yung pagka-pointed ng nose niya. Kakaiba e.

She caught our attention in early 2013 when she was chosen to be the ka-triangle ng KathNiel sa kanilang first solo major film, ang “Must Be Love”. Who can forget the way she pronounced “Patch? Ivan?” in the film with a twang? At yung nakatuluyan niya si Enrique Gil, who made a cameo sa pelikula? She appeared in the afternoon serye “Kung ako’y Iiwan Mo” then. But I, we, didn’t know much about her. I just knew her by name, na Ingglisera siya, at lagi niyang kasama si Michelle Vito, another Star Magic Circle 2013 batchmate, and ng kanyang Tita Joni.

After their batch was launched na kami nakapag-usap officially, and it was her na unang chumika. Naalala ko pa, dance workshop nila yun. She teased, “alam ko bakit ka nandito, kasi nandito si ______”. Hindi ako nagulat sa panunukso niya. Mas nagulat ako kasi, she can actually speak fluent Tagalog. At kinausap niya ako. Natuwa ako ng bongga. So from then on, tuwing may workshop siya sa ABS-CBN, isa na siya sa mga dinadalaw ko at chini-chika. I was beginning to like her and her Tita Joni. 

She would start opening up about herself. At one point, I told her, “ang ganda mo talaga”. Pero di siya naniniwala. Hindi naman siya insecure, pero hindi yata talaga siya aware na ganun siya kaganda. Lapitin na nga si Liza that time sa mga boys. Marami akong naririnig at napapansing nagpapa-cute at nagpaparamdam sa kanya. But she is such a conservative and goal-oriented girl. Career ang priority niya, for her family and herself. 

I'm not sure if she remembers this, but after my birthday that year, when I saw her, she hugged me tight and said jokingly, "happy birthday! Ikaw, hindi mo ako in-invite". I realized then, I didn't have her contact number or any means of communication with her. 

I eventually learned that she was cast in a serye. Kontrabida. Ang una kong reaksyon was, “what?” I mean, a girl as angelic looking as her to play a mean girl? But then I thought, break din yun. And yun din ang nasa isip ni Liza. One thing I admire about her, hindi siya mapili, and willing siyang maghintay ng break na para sa kanya. Actually, ang sipag-sipag ni Liza umattend ng workshops, kahit ano pa yan. Ume-effort din siyang mag-salita ng Tagalog pa kausap kami, parang practice na rin. She was determined to make it big.

What I remember most though about Liza that time is her wish na maitambal uli kay Enrique after “Must Be Love”. Tinutuksu-tukso na namin sila nun, kasi feeling namin bagay sila. Cute-cute lang. Pero di pa namin sineseryoso because we knew Enrique was to be paired with someone else in a serye.

At "The Buzz" promo of "She's The One"

But to our surprise, not too long after “Must Be Love”, pagsasamahing muli sina Enrique at Liza sa pelikulang “She’s The One”, starring Dingdong Dantes and Bea Alonzo. More than dahil she was paired with Enrique, masaya ako for Liza because this was a major break for her. I was so proud of her. May gut feel na ako, kami na umpisa pa lang ito ng mas malalaking breaks for her, at sa tambalan nila ni Enrique. May nakakapansin na ng chemistry nilang dalawa.

Liza was eventually pulled out of the series na dapat kontrabida siya. But a follow up project with Enrique had to wait – he was to be teamed up with someone else again in a new series. Liza willingly waited for her own break. She even told me, “sana ikaw naman ang maka-work ko.”

Bumped into Liza at Star Magic office

And it happened early 2014 when she joined the last chapter of “Got To Believe”.