Two years since his last teleserye appearance, Kapamilya heartthrob Enchong Dee is making a comeback on TV acting via ABS-CBN Studios’ newest offering, “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay,” in which he plays the role of Vincent, the CEO of the publishing company that publishes the children’s books of Mia Hernandez, played by Anne Curtis.
In a recent episode of Kapamilya Chat, he talked about working on the Philippine adaptation of the hit Korean drama series of the same title, as well as shared his thoughts and beliefs on certain situations to which many of us can definitely relate to, especially in the “It’s Okay or Not Okay Challenge.”
In this game, Enchong was given practical situations to which he should respond by either raising the “It’s Okay” or the “Not Okay” cards then explaining his answer.
The host began with, “You pretend everything is fine so your family won’t worry about you,” to which the actor responded, “It’s okay.” According to him, he actually decided to move out of their house at the time when he was going through a difficult period in his life. And he’s thankful that he did because he doesn’t want his family, particularly his parents, to worry about him and to transfer that heavy feeling to other people.
“It’s okay na kunwari kailangan mong itago ‘yong [nararamdaman mo], pero you have to find a solution also. Katulad nga ng sinabi ko, huwag mo ring i-bottle up. Find a different outlet,” he advised.
For sure, many can certainly relate to the second situation given to him, which was “You work to survive, not because it’s your passion.” We may have varied opinions about this, but “It’s okay” for Enchong, especially for those who are just beginning their careers. He said that neophytes must learn to endure all the hardships and tough experiences since they’re all part of the work and the process towards success.
However, he also reminded everyone that as we reach a certain age, we must not forget to give worth to ourselves and have the courage to move forward by looking for better opportunities or trying a different profession.
“Nagawa mo naman na ‘yong trabaho, feeling mo nakapag-deliver ka naman. Siguro naman kapag lumipat ka doon sa ibang place, baka mas makita nila ‘yong worth mo,” Enchong expressed. “Minsan kasi nasa maling lugar lang tayo, pero kapag lumipat ka ng ibang lugar, mas nakikita nila ‘yong worth mo, mas naa-appreciate ka nila. Balanse.”
This made him look back on his earlier years in showbiz, when he was being looked down on or belittled by naysayers, who didn’t believe in his talent then. He sucked up all those nasty remarks and proved them all wrong that he has the skills and that he’s worthy of the spot given to him in this industry.
As a self-confessed “budgetarian,” Enchong imparted that the habit of “shopping after a job well done,” is “Not okay” for him. He said that he would rather invest his initial earnings first before splurging on stuff that he thinks he deserves.
“Kung nagsisimula ka pa lang, invest ka muna and then make your money work for you. And then ‘yong kikitain ng pera na ‘yon, doon ka mag-spend for yourself. Kasi kahit anong mangyari, at least may investment ka na na pwedeng sandalan, and then the extra money that you earn from it, bili ka na,” he related.
Then he added, “The first 10 to 15 years of your work life, allow yourself to have [those] sacrifices and then allow yourself to enjoy that after you did [those] sacrifices.”
And lastly, when it comes to “prioritizing yourself before others,” Enchong replied that “It’s okay.” He firmly believes that the reason why he’s able to work lightly and share the love and energy is because she’s full of it.
“Kasi kapag kulang ka sa pagmamahal, kulang kayo sa energy, you bring down people. And we don’t want that. Again, we want to lift each other up, we want to energize the environment that we get in, and that’s the way that I get to perform better,” he stated.
When asked how he’s able to put his smile on even though he is hurting on the inside, Enchong disclosed that he actually draws strength from his core or foundation as a person. That’s why, despite having down moments in life, he’s still able to have a sunny disposition since his core is joy and his foundation is his parents, which make him unbreakable. Yet, he reminded everyone that it’s okay to allow themselves to feel sad and be affected by everything that is happening around them.
“It’s good to have that core, and even if you feel sad, at least if you’re going through something, hindi mo pa rin idra-drag ‘yong ibang tao around you. You know how to deal with yourself, and you know how to find solutions for that problem of yours,” he said.
Catch Enchong as Boss V in “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay,” now streaming on iWant. It also air weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z and TV5.