Pilar Pilapil makes big-screen comeback after nearly a decade

MANILA, Philippines — After nearly six decades in the showbiz industry, veteran actress Pilar Pilapil still undoubtedly carries her beauty queen looks from the time she was crowned Miss Philippines in 1967.

“If you have a pure heart, you can stay young for as long as you want,” Pilar smilingly told The Philippine STAR.

“I joined the business in 1968. The first TV project I had was ‘Tisoy’ on Channel 5, then I went into making movies.”

Pilar acknowledged there have been a lot of changes in making films. “High-tech na tayo ngayon,” she said. “Iba na talaga. As far as the people in the business are concerned, we have to go with the times. Before, our artists and producers were still a bit conservative. Like Sampaguita Pictures, they had a different approach.”

“After that, Mother Lily’s (Monteverde) time, that was also a different phase. We always had attitude problems. Some were obvious, some were not. But I think, just like any other business, showbiz or politics has become a little bit more shallow or much, much more shallow, I would say.”

She lamented how beauty queens don’t come out as natural as before. “Hindi mo na alam kung ano ang totoo o ano ang hindi,” she said. “I never had anything done to my face. Even up to now, I never had retoke. I believe that in this business, there’s already superficiality among beauty queens or politicians.”

“Standards have probably become lower. So, how can we go leveling up or making our standards higher. We’ll just hope that things will change and be better,” added she.

Many things have frustrated Pilar not just in showbiz, but in many aspects of life. “The system of government, palakasan system, I don’t want that,” she asserted. “We need to give people what they deserve, not necessarily malakas sila sa producer or other artists. We should give what is due to the people. That should be honored.”

Pilar tried going into politics and ran as an independent candidate for senator in 2004, but was unsuccessful. “I was not really expecting to win, but I was hoping to educate the voters,” she said. “I went around the Philippines to educate the voters. I think that’s the problem that we have. Our voters are not as wise as they should be.”

“Up to now. I wanted to talk to them (about) how to vote and whom to vote for or how to vote wisely. We don’t have wise voters actually, even up to now. That’s the reason we have been manipulated by the political system. If we are so impressionable with money, that’s really the big problem. It will be a good thing if we really know whom to vote for,” shared she.

Admittedly, Pilar is disappointed with today’s system. “I’m very disappointed,” she lamented. “That was probably the reason I wanted to join politics before because I was hoping I could be part of the change. I was spending my own money with a little help from family and some friends, somehow.”

“There were people who were helping me, not really financially, but accommodating us wherever we went. But then, as I said, the mechanism was being controlled. So I gave up.”

Pilar still carries that passion for change. “That passion that I want to change the system of government,” she said. “But how can you be alone in doing that? You cannot change the system just by yourself. You need the power of the people to be able to really change the system.”

“What I’m doing now, since I have been serving the Lord since 1995, I committed my life to the Lord. I go to different places here and abroad to be able to speak. Whenever I talk about spiritual matters, I combine it with social matters because the spirit of the people in government is the problem.”

The veteran actress attended Youth With a Mission, an international school for missionaries in different places. One of them was in Cebu, where Pilar has been based since 1998.

“That school has one in every city all over the world,” she informed. “There are over a hundred plus schools worldwide. That was when I decided to return to Cebu. I did outreach work in my hometown.”

“Little by little, I understood my calling. So, I started to build the Pilar Pilapil Foundation for abused women and children, as well as for the poor people. But I do things very quietly because I believe in the saying, ‘Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,’” continued she.

“Anything that I do, for the Lord or the people, is something He will not forget. He is watching over us. So, we continue to do whatever it is that we can do, whatever it is that we are doing now. I go to so many places.”

Two years ago, Pilar was in the teleserye cast of “Abot-Kamay na Pangarap” on GMA Network. Recently, she accepted a film project, the suspense thriller “Mantsa,” to be directed by Louie Ignacio. That took her out from her cocoon in Cebu to return to Manila and allot three weeks for filming in Angat, Bulacan.

The last film she did was director Cathy Garcia-Sampana’s “Unexpectedly Yours,” with Sharon Cuneta, Robin Padilla, Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia (2017).

It’s actually an advantage for Pilar that she is making a film again. “When I make films or teleseryes, I get to talk to actors and actresses who are also problematic,” shared Pilar. “Even if we have so much money or so much fame, you need the spiritual side, which is very important in your life because that’s the only way we can help you and change everything about you.”

“Movies (are) movies. Acting is acting. It  has nothing to do with my personal life. It’s not my life story. This is my job. My age should not be a limitation because I can still do a lot,” added she.

“We have a superficial system in showbiz. We value youth too much. Youth should not be the test of excellence. It should be experience and capability for perfection.”

Pilar is playing a lola role in “Mantsa.” That will mean she needs to color her hair white to look really old. To make her go to Manila for the shoot means the film is a good project for Pilar. She will be in Manila for three weeks.

“It’s a good role,” she said. “It’s a role that is not very long but markado siya, with a lot of nuances, body language, expressions of the eyes. When I get a role, I really read the whole script, not just my role. I want to be in touch with the other characters. My role is good. We are starting shooting Jan. 25. I need to be in a forest, with scenes with the bagets stars.”

“Frankly, I think the producers know which project or role to offer me,” continued she. “They can’t just offer me any project. I don’t really have to choose because they know what to offer me. The projects have to be worth their money. After 56 years in the business, I’ve already established a name. I can’t just be getting very minor roles. There’s a certain standard I have kept or maintained all these years. ”

She was accompanied by her grandson, Yohan, the youngest of daughter of Pia Pilapil’s four children, who is in third year college taking up Computer Science at the University of the Philippines.

Pilar insisted she still has a lot of roles she wants to do. “The question is, ‘Are there roles substantial enough or stories that I can do?’ A role is a part of a story.”

She has played memorable roles in films that were etched in the minds of viewers. She did films with ace comedian Dolphy (“Dolpe de Gulat,” “El Pinoy Matador,” “Facifica Falayfay,” among others), action king Fernando Poe Jr. (“Ang Alamat”), Christopher de Leon (“Kahit ang Mundo’y Magunaw”) and Rudy Fernandez (“Anak sa Una Kasal sa Ina”).

She breathes fresh air from the sea, which she needs for her asthma. She runs a beach and diving resort in Malapascua. She is hands-on when it comes to managing the resort, which is at its busiest at this time of the year until summer.

Also starring in “Mantsa” are Gellie de Belen, Snooky Serna, Lloyd Samartino, Dino Guevarra, LA Santos, Khai Flores, Shira Tweg, Bo Bautista, Ghia Garcia, Mill Marzo, RJ Ariar, Rhein Barreto and Miles Poblete.