Iza Calzado, at your service the whole year-round

While everybody is busy celebrating this time of the year, other sectors of our society have no choice but to watch in isolation the hustle and bustle of the season. Luckily, for some, this season means more than the surge of material things they receive - but an opportunity as well to share blessings with the less fortunate ones. But sharing should not only be seasonal, it has to be whole-year round.

When Kapuso star, Iza Calzado, was invited to host At Your Service Star Power, a service-oriented program on QTV, she never hesitated to take on the job. She regarded this as a fulfillment of a long-time dream to become part of the network's News and Public Affairs department, and be of service to her less fortunate countrymen, just like her idols Jessica Soho and Vicky Morales. Long before, she already yearned to have her own show that serves people and be able to give them hope and a bright future. She confesses that whenever the staff members of other service-oriented programs visit their taping, she would always wonder if she could also possibly have a similar show to call her own. Thus, when At Your Service was to be aired on QTV when the channel was launched more than a year ago, Iza became the prime choice to host it.

Being a constant figure in fantasy-themed series in GMA, as Amihan in Encantadia, and currently as Cielo in Atlantika, Iza is no doubt a household name and her roles have portrayed her as a woman of power and as the defender of the weak.

In reality, though, she is not the superwoman who can solve our country's major social problems. In fact, she seeks the help of her colleagues in showbiz to help her accomplish the show's mission. Iza, together with her guest celebrities, goes to poor communities around the country to give the people the help they urgently need - like building a new day-care center or playground for the children, or providing medical services. She is even glad that some of her guests found the experience so overwhelming that they even volunteered to be in the show once again. But their powers are not enough, thus, she also calls upon some companies to help her advance the show's causes.

Having been exposed to the poorest parts of the country in her year-long stint with At Your Service, Iza believes that the government should prioritize its housing program immediately. For her, every Filipino family should have a decent home to protect them from humiliation, illnesses, and nature's unforgiving elements. People's frame of minds are somehow changed when they are properly sheltered as it makes them feel more dignified and more humane to have a place to go home to at the end of the day, Iza further relates.

Iza always has a soft spot for children. She believes that these young ones are the most vulnerable victims of societal greed and indifference. With proper care, attention and education, we can somehow change their future and let them become worthy citizens of this country.

Iza is a genuine altruist. She humbly confides that she normally prefers to spend her birthdays at Philippine Children's Medical Center in lieu of lavish showbiz parties, just to be with the unfortunate children whom she cares so much about. Being there, for her, and sharing those precious moments with these little angels gives her a humbling experience worth remembering.

Indeed, for this young actress, this season of giving is definitely whole-year round. She undeniably embodies the true spirit of sharing even when the carols, the lanterns or the blinking lights are gone.