Jao Mapa on his showbiz comeback: “I’m here to stay.”

Obvious sa mga excited na sagot ni Jao Mapa sa press during his comeback movie Paraluman’s virtual media conference kamakailan na masayang-masaya siya sa kanyang pagbabalik showbiz after a long hiatus.

Sa 2016 horror film na Pagpag: Larawang Kupas siya huling nakita sa mainstream. Pero according to him, during his hiatus naman daw ay tumanggap pa rin siya ng mga acting jobs sa mga indie and short films at maging sa theater kaya’t may paghahasa pa rin namang nangyari as far as acting is concerned.

Noong March 2021 siya pumirma ng kontrata sa Viva Artists Agency ang soon after, in-offer nga sa kanya itong Paraluman, isang Lolita-ish May-December erotic romance. 

Ani Jao, he consulted his wife Cecille naman about it at very supportive naman daw ito. Kaya agad-agad, nag-cardio exercises na raw siya to prep for his role na kakailanganing maghubad siya.

According kay Direk Yam Laranas, who also wrote the script, kay Boss Vic del Rosario daw nanggaling ang idea na si Jao ang i-cast as Peter, opposite Rhen Escaño’s Mia, sa Paraluman. At dahil proven naman si Boss Vic sa mga instincts nito pag dating sa mga artista kaya’t no qualms din si Direk Yam.

Jao, for his part, had no apprehension na gumawa ng sexy role. Nakagawa naman daw siya noon, sa Matrikula (1997) with Rosanna Roces. Siya naman ang bagets doon at si Osang may-edad niyang naka-relasyon. This time, babaligtarin lang ang sitwasyon sa Paraluman dahil siya ang may-edad habang si Rhen Escaño is pulling off a teen role.

Isang tatahi-tahimik na mama (Peter) ang role ni Jao sa Paraluman, who’s in a live-in setup sa kanyang longtime partner (played by Gwen Garci). Him meeting innocent but gregarious Mia (Rhen) will alter his life immensely. 

Hey would develop an inexplicable strong attraction sa isa’t isa. Pero bukod sa dilemma na mas bata si Mia sa kanya, he’s also about to be wed to Giselle.

Who will he choose in the end? Ang kilalang-kilalang ka-edad o ang kakikilala lang na mas bata? Will reason win over lust and love?

But more than the sexy role, mas kinabahan daw si Jao sa fact na magka-comeback siya sa mainstream. May self-doubt daw siya noong una kung kakayanin ba niya.

But having experienced shooting with Direk Yam and Rhen, mukang na-gain na ni Jao ang momentum kaya ang deklarasyon niya sa press con ay “I’m here to stay.”

Having said that, natanong si Jao kung may mga dreams at dream projects pa daw ba siyang gustong ma-accomplish sa showbiz now that he’s making a comeback.

“’Yong sa akin, this [project] is already a blessing. This is dream come true…getting back is no joke!” saad ni Jao.

“I know there are a lot of deserving artists but the offer was given to me and I accepted it. This is a blessing talaga.

Aniya, kung track record naman mga nagawa na noon ay impressive enough ang kanyang filmography ang TV show listings. Ang importante lang daw sa kanya ngayon na nagkapag-comeback siya ay ang pag-embrace back ng industriya sa kanya.

“I’ve always worked with… and was fortunate enough to have worked with top-caliber directors… mag-name drop na ako: Mario J. Delos Reyes, Chito Roño, Lupita Kashiwahara to name a few. And now I’m working with Direk Yam [Laranas] on a come-back film! This is no joke!” diin niya.

“And I’m working with Rhen Escaño who’s already probably award winner right now in my book. This is a dream come true already. 

“My dream na lang is to maintain this status right now and I’m here to stay. I’ve been in a long hiatus and I miss it. I have to say that I miss it. And I’m very happy that this is my comeback lalo na with Direk Yam and Rhen, the rest of the casts as well. 

“So being back, tapped by Viva and nanay Aster, this is too much of a blessing. And I thank God also for this blessing.”

Unang nakilala sa showbiz si Jao noong early 90s kung kailan naituring siyang “fourth member” ng teenage boy group na Gwapings—comprised of Jomari Yllana, Mark Anthony Fernandez, and Eric Fructoso—dahil sa pagkakabilang din niya sa sitcom na Palibhasa Lalake kung saan regular cast ang trio.

Mula noon ay nagsunod-sunod na ang naging projects n’ya sa showbiz. Pero after almost a decade ay pansamantalang iniwan ni Jao ang entertainment scene para tapusin ang kanyang degree sa Fine Arts sa University of Santo Tomas. 

K’wento n’ya sa pikapika.ph noong March, na-burn out daw s’ya dahil pinagsabay n’ya ang pag-aaral at ang pag-aartista kaya n’ya iniwan noon ang showbiz. 

“Workload,” sagot ni Jao sa dahilan ng kanyang pagka-burn out noon. “I mean, every day, 24/7, you got work. You know naman tapings back then hanggang alas tres ng hapon minsan. Wala pa ‘’yong law na [nagsasabing], ‘O, hanggang alas dose lang ang lahat ng tao dito.’ Hindi, wala pa. 

“Tapos lilipad ka pa for events in different parts of the country. Nakakapagod ’yon. So, for seven straight years, medyo nakakapagod din. And I would say it was good. I mean, it was so good na it really burned me out [kasi] nakalimutan ko na kung ano’ng realidad nu’n.” 

Tama naman daw ang kanyang naging desisyon na piliin muna ang kanyang Fine Arts course dahil ang pagpipinta at pagbebenta ng mga paintings online umano ang nagsalba sa kanilang finances nitong pandemic.

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