There wasn’t a dry eye in the room when Andi Eigenmann accepted the honorary distinction posthumously awarded to her mom, the late Cannes-winning actress Jaclyn Jose, by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) during its Parangal ng Sining.
Jaclyn, whose real name was Mary Jane Guck, passed away last March 2 at the age of 60.
Before an audience comprising of industry colleagues and luminaries, an emotional Andi said in the acceptance message, “Hindi ko inaasahan makakaakyat pa ako sa entablado para sa industriyang ito. Pero para sa aking Nanay na si Jaclyn Jose, masaya po akong tumatayo dito para tanggapin ang parangal na ito para sa kanya. Maraming salamat po sa Film Development Council of the Philippines sa pagbigay ng parangal na ito sa aking Nanay.”
She continued, “Ako po ay pinagpala na lumaki sa mga kamay ng isang napakagaling na actress na ibinigay ang buong buhay, ang buong puso, buong kaluluwa niya sa paglikha ng mga pelikula at sa pag-arte.
“It’s because of her passion for it… literally burning passion for it! Like I said, I’m always a big fan of my mom,” she further said.
Andi is undeniably happy living the island life with her family in Siargao. From her recent posts, she even brought her younger brother there. Her only regret is that her mom never got to visit the surfing paradise she now calls home.
Andi confirmed she’s been receiving queries and offers but “I always say, depende (it depends).”
What will make her come back if ever? She honestly told The STAR: “Actually, hindi ko rin masasagot yan. I guess, the perfect (reason) is… right timing and story (laughs).”
Meanwhile, Andi was accompanied by her fiancé, Philmar Alipayo, during the Parangal ng Sining on Friday night at SEDA Vertis North. After the interview, she sweetly called out to the champion surfer, “Asawa ko,” who was patiently waiting on the sidelines but had his share of people requesting pictures with him.
Inevitably, Andi was asked about their wedding plans, given the recent revelation of actor Gabby Eigenmann (her older brother with her late father Mark Gil) that he would be the one to walk Andi down the aisle.
“Supposedly, honestly, we wanted to get married this year,” said Andi. “But under these circumstances, we decided to wait it out a bit because para sana kay Nanay yun.”
