Life & love in Agot’s eyes

The world might challenge her a million times, but Agot Isidro-Sandejas remains undaunted, drawing strength from her better half, Manu.

Celebrating their fifth anniversary this month, Agot talks about how their romance has never waned over the years: "I still look forward to sharing everything, meals, stories, among other things, with my husband." She also shared that they enjoyed the blessings and overcame the trials that married life has given them for the last five years.

Aside from her strong faith in the Lord, Agot says Manu’s constant assurance of his love makes her see things in a better perspective. "He (Manu) always reminds me of the reason why we are together," she says.

Earlier in their married life, the singer-actress-TV host found out that she had a retroverted uterus. In 2002, doctors also diagnosed her having a benign myoma in the uterus, making her undergo a Caesarian operation. 

Though she admits that this trying episode in their married life stressed both of them, Agot clarifies that, "it does not affect us anymore."

"Unlike some marriages that need children to make their union complete, we know that our love is more than enough to sustain our marriage," she adds.

Asked if they still dream of having their own bundle of joy, she replies, "I really do not think about it anymore. If it comes, bonus na lang ‘yun."

Agot believes that their marriage remains intact because of their enduring love and compatibility. "Aside from being sweet, Manu is like me in many ways. He likes the things I like. We also believe in the same values."

Their support for each other also strengthens the marriage. In fact, Agot was Manu’s No. 1 supporter when he, who is from the advertising world, decided to try his mettle as TV host in Studio 23’s Digital Tour.

"He is smart, funny, and very comfortable with his own skin, kaya I know he can make it," Agot notes.    

She adds that Manu, for his part, has also been very supportive of all her endeavors because, "he trusts me. He knows I won’t do anything to compromise our values."

Aside from being one of the resident searchers of ABS-CBN’s Search for a Star in a Million, Agot is also making a name for herself as a musical theater actress, working with luminaries like Lea Salonga, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Carlo Orosa, among others. After being featured in Trumpets’ Honk and Atlantis’ Baby, Agot earned rave reviews from critics for her part in recently-concluded run of Footloose.

"I love theater. The hours are long, but here, I get to sing and act at the same time." Performing on stage, she adds, gives her a natural high. "I love the rush. If I can do theater for the rest of my life, I would."

She just hopes that, "theater actors, who are the most talented, be compensated better."

She maintains that, after more than a decade in showbiz, she feels lucky that she still has the freedom to choose her projects and work with a lot of wonderful, talented people. She also remains grateful, thankful to those who still believe in what she has to offer the industry.

"More than money, I feel lucky because I get to travel a lot, meet lots of people, and experience lots of things that the biz has to offer. I have tried movies, TV, recording, concerts, and, now, musical theater," she enthuses.

Undeniably, Agot’s positive outlook in life makes her still every inch the ‘90s Crush ng Bayan, who continues to enchant fans, and, no matter what people say, knows that she is living a fruitful life with her husband.