Agot Isidro: Living in a ‘golden’ age

By Alvin I. Dacanay 

Last Wednesday, award-winning actress and singer Agot Isidro marked another personal milestone—her 50th birthday—not by throwing a grand and celebrity-studded party, but by having a quiet breakfast with her family at a low-key restaurant in Marikina City, where she grew up. 

Her decision to celebrate her day that way suggests a good deal about her personality and values. These are common values— love of family, respect for the community, and importance of hard work and one’s roots, among others—that her late parents, journalist-turned-top insurance executive Jose and homemaker Edwarda, had instilled in her and her siblings Olive, Tina, Jeff, Bimbo, and Oye.

She clearly maintained these values throughout her 25-plus years in the entertainment industry. These have also sustained her at each phase or role in her career: as a backup singer for Sharon Cuneta; as a co-host of the now-defunct ABS-CBN noontime show Sa Linggo nAPO Sila (They Are Now on Sunday; also, a partial play on the name of the main hosts, the Apo Hiking Society), which introduced her to a wider audience in 1992; as the singer of the radio hits “Sa Isip Ko” (In My Mind) and “Everyday”; as a film actress, from 1993’s Masahol Pa sa Hayop (Worse Than an Animal) and May Minamahal (Loving Someone) to 2012’s Mga Mumunting Lihim (Little Secrets) and 2013’s Mga Anino ng Kahapon (Shadows of the Past), both of which earned her acting prizes from Cinemalaya and the Metro Manila Film Festival, respectively; as a theater performer, in productions like 2003’s Honk!, 2006’s ZsaZsa Zaturnnah: Ze Muzikal, and 2014’s Rabbit Hole; and as a primetime-TV star, from the 1990s sitcom Oki Doki Dok (Okie Dokie Doc) to current ratings darling Ang Probinsyano (The Hillbilly).

And these values, plus the support of her family and friends, certainly helped her in overcoming trials, including the end of her marriage to advertising man-turned-TV personality Manu Sandejas and the robbery at her Quezon City home in December 2014.

Just before her birthday, The Market Monitor chatted with Agot about reaching her “golden” year, her career, and her causes.

The Market Monitor (TMM): You’re turning 50 on the 20th. Do you feel that, in reaching this personal milestone, you’re about to enjoy a “golden” age and all that it suggests? Or are you already enjoying it? 

Agot: When I was younger, I didn’t know what to expect when one turns 50. The number sounded old then, but as I approach my golden year, I don’t feel that way at all. I am in a very good place right now. Solid, stable, and self-assured.

TMM: What has surprised you about turning 50, if any? 

Agot: I was surprised about how quickly it came. I remember when I turned 40, I vowed to step up on physical activities (and) getting in shape. So now that 50 is just around the corner, I have not prepared any goals. But what easily comes to me now is the concept of letting go. In everything—material things, toxic friendships and relationships, missed opportunities, disappointments. I guess the idea of mortality becomes more pronounced, and to live with regret is not an option.

TMM: You grew up in an extended family whose older members are highly regarded in their community. What have you learned from them about reaching 50, or growing old(er) gracefully in general? 

Agot: We come from a family that values tradition. And (our) weekly family lunch gatherings, though it wasn’t clear to me before, enforced the importance of family tradition. It really strengthens close relations and the feeling of dependability. My siblings and I are really close and we know that we have each other’s backs.

TMM: In her 1988 New York Times op-ed piece “The Significance of Becoming 50”, Karen DeCrow said that, at this age, it’s important to look well and not to look young. You obviously knew this, but how crucial a role one’s attitude—specifically yours— played here? 

Agot: I prepared well. My 40s was about being physically active (and) fit. This is because I like to travel. And I want to be able to travel until my body gives up. As for appearances, I know that I will not undergo any type of surgery to alter the way I look. I am just too scared to go under the knife. So the laser treatments in Facial Care Centre work well with me. I also adhere to healthy eating.

TMM: You’re admired for your appearance and how you maintain it. Is there anything about it that you wish can be maintained more, or doesn’t get as much attention? 

Agot: If there’s a pill to stop gray hair, let me know. I will buy a lifetime supply. I am (about) 60-percent gray already.

TMM: On your career: Fans have noted your versatility, your ability to easily move from one medium to another—from music and television to movies and theater, and back again. Where does this adaptability come from? 

Agot: I observe a lot. I am a curious person. I think that this curiosity and the ability to keenly observe things help me modify according to the task at hand.

TMM: As a performer, how would you describe yourself? 

Agot: I am focused. I work hard. I am dependable.

TMM: Not much has been written about one of your passions—dogs—and your involvement in the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (Paws). How much do they figure in your life? 

Agot: I never had kids, and my (three) dogs are my kids. I guess that is the reason I have so much compassion for animals, especially abused and neglected ones. That is why I support and commend Paws for their tireless efforts. They do not get a lot of assistance, but it is (the) passion and love for animals that drive them to do what they do.

TMM: You recently appeared in a public-service ad that seeks the passage of a mental-health law in the country. Did you become involve in this partly because you once portrayed a character with a mental-health problem in Mga Anino ng Kahapon? Why do you feel this is so important? 

Agot: I played a schizophrenic in Mga Anino ng Kahapon. And I felt how difficult it was for the character to be understood. It is a disease that, with proper treatment, can be managed. There is a stigma attached to mental illnesses, and the public needs to be aware that it is more prevalent than one can imagine.

TMM: You recently posted on Facebook: “Nothing is permanent, everything changes. We just all have to look at the sky and wait for the clouds to clear out. Because it will.” Moving on to your 51st, what do you expect those “clouds” to show once they clear out? 

Agot: Lots of light and love!