Iza Calzado admitted it was liberating to finally disclose the true reason as to how her mother died.
In her interview with Sarah Meiers for She Talks Asia, an organization that aims to sustain community conversations to better appreciate the role of women and female-identifying individuals, the actress disclosed her mother took her own life 18 years ago.
According to Iza, she has been wanting to admit it to the public for a long time now, but she was looking for the right time and place.
“Liberating siya na parang… yung freedom na now I can be a true and authentic advocate for mental health because I cannot be that without talking about it, di ba?” she said in a report from Pang-Masa.
“Kailangan pag-usapan ko muna. Perfect timing din siguro in some ways. It comes from a place of triumph from my end. Not because I am in this industry, not because of that. I think triumphant in a sense of healing,” she added.
Iza happily said she is more complete now that she was able to get it out of her chest.
“Ang dami nung takot, may shame, may guilt ka pa nun na pinu-proseso mo eh,” she said referring to how she felt in the past.
Even though she has never lied about her mother’s death, Iza admitted to avoiding questions about her mother in the past.
“Meron pa akong one time na sinasabi ko, ‘she forgot to breathe,’ tapos tumawa lang ako. Laging ganun kasi syempre bagung-bago ako and of course… Actually, ang laking respeto ko nun kasi alam ko may media na nakakaalam,” she said.
When Maalaala Mo Kaya worked on Iza’s life story, she did not take the opportunity to disclose the matter because it was not the “proper avenue.”
“Hindi ko pa rin binigay… Ayoko na pam-pataas ng ratings,” she said.
“I think what’s more important is that I get to use my Mom’s story and our story to help others. Iyun naman talaga ang pinaka-importante dun,” she said.
