Photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA

MANILA, Philippines — TV actress and "Survivor" castaway Isabel Granada had been in one too many commercial shoots. She had been an endorser of some of the popular brands in the market.

Since she started her career way back in 1986, when she first auditioned for the now defunct "That's Entertainmeent", Isabel had worked with different people, from different walks of life, different genders, different social and educational backgrounds. She had worked with the best actors in the Philippine entertainment industry.

Most of the time, when an offer was made to her, Isabel usually didn't bother to ask who she would be working with. She would just memorize her lines when the script arrived,  get to the shoot on time and work professionally. Even though she had the right, Isabel wouldn't ask questions about everything, except perhaps to ask directions from the director and have some pep talk with her co-actors.

Then came an offer to be the endorser of Tanduay, a liquor brand. At first, Isabel hesitated to accept it. The liquor brand was known for its sexy pictorials and commercials. That time, Isabel didn't want to have the "sexy image" that was usually associated with the brand's endorsers. But after much thought, she relented and accepted it with a condition that the storyboard would not be too uncomfortably sexy. But little did Isabel know that that commercial shoot would change her life forever.

Maybe there was a hint somewhere. She just didn't pay much attention to it. Unlike her previous shoots where she would just memorize lines and not ask questions, that particular shoot was different. Isabel began inquiring about the story lines. When she learned that she would be working with two male models, she began asking who she would be working with and what roles they would be portraying. She became interested in the smallest details of the commercial.

On the first day of the shoot, Isabel arrived on location with her entourage. She was then introduced to the two models; one of them was Jericho "Geryk Genasky" Aguas.

Their shoot, which would last for three days, began immediately. She already had a scene with Geryk. Being the sweet lady that she is, and thinking that she has been in the business longer than the models, Isabel tried making small talk with Geryk. During their conversation, she learned that Geryk is the grandson of the famous singer Rudy Genasky, and that he is from Pampanga. The two felt that they had an instant connection, and had already exchanged contact numbers.

That night of the first shooting day, while Isabel was resting, her phone rang. Her heart skipped a beat. She was not expecting a call, but she was hoping that Geryk would call her. When she answered the phone, Isabel felt a little disappointed. It wasn't Geryk. It was the other model.

Then, the second day came and it seemed to have ended so quickly than Isabel and Geryk had expected. It was the last shooting day of Geryk. After his last scene, Geryk would go back home to Pampanga. With a little sadness, Isabel said goodbye to Geryk and told him to just keep in touch. The third day was a drag for Isabel.

At the end of the third shooting day, Isabel started packing and prepared to return to Manila. As she was boarding the car, her phone rang. Without any expectations and thinking that the caller would probably be the other model, she half-heartedly answered the phone. And then, she heard that voice, the voice that she so wanted to hear -- Geryk's. And the two talked over the phone all throughout Isabel's ride home -- from Subic where the shoot was, all the way to Manila.

After that, the two became constant phone pals. They would call each other as often as they could. Sometimes, Geryk would come to Manila just to see Isabel or have dinner with her. Soon, things were getting serious between them. They became inseparable.

Everything seemed rosy and smooth until one day, while Geryk was visiting Isabel, they began talking about marriage.

For the couple, it was a simple conversation between two persons in love who are just contemplating the possibility of spending the rest of their lives together. But Isabel's mother, Mommy Guapa, overheard the conversation and took it seriously. And that's when Mom-zilla was born.

Mommy Guapa would forbid Isabel from seeing Geryk. She would accompany Isabel to her tapings just to make sure that her unica hija would not flee into the loving arms of her lover. But Isabel would always find a way to reach Geryk.

If you think that scenes where the leading lady would come fleeing down from the bedroom window or the balcony and running towards the gate only happen in the movies, then you better think again because Isabel did that and more. There was even a time when she rode a bus to Pampanga just to see Geryk. For someone who had been pampered all her life and always had a chauffeur wherever she went, that was a big deal.

Then, things went from good to bad, to worse. The tabloids picked up the story about Isabel's supposed rebellion. She became the buzz of the town and made her way to the headlines of the entertainment pages. Everything was sensationalized. She was haunted by intrigues and criticisms. It came to a point where she was portrayed as the bad daughter who left her loving mother and ran away with some younger guy.

Isabel was at the lowest point of her life. Her mother whom she loves dearly just simply misunderstood her. Her boyfriend Geryk was starting to have second thoughts about whether they could overcome the obstacles.

Fighting for their love, they eloped to Pampanga and decided to get married. "When we were talking about marriage, we were not serious about it. But because of what happened, things went ahead of schedule. I was already four months pregnant when we got married on December 10, 2002 in a church in Pampanga," shares Isabel who stars as Demi in GMA 7's "Daldalita."

While her wedding was the happiest day of her life, it was also the saddest because her Mommy Guapa didn't attend. No matter how much they pleaded for Mommy Guapa to forgive them and attend their wedding, she still refused to go. Even Geryk's parents went to Mommy Guapa, but still to no avail. But life went on for them. Isabel kept a low profile since her marriage to Geryk. They resided in Pampanga and started a small business, an internet cafe.

When Isabel gave birth to their son, Hubert Thomas Jericho Granada Aguas five months after, she knew it was time to reconcile with her mother. The couple visited Mommy Guapa who, through time, had forgiven them and welcomed them with open arms.

Things were beginning to look rosy for the couple. Geryk ran and won in the election as councilor in Angeles, and Isabel had a good comeback in showbiz. Then, in 2006, Isabel had to have her right ovary removed due to a cyst. A year later, Geryk ran for vice mayor, but lost. Then, rumors started circulating that Isabel died of depression when her husband lost in the election.

In 2008, Isabel discovered that her left ovary also had two cysts which were later removed through surgery. Again, rumors circulated that she died of cancer.

ON THEIR CAREERS 

HE SAID: Actually, babalik ako sa pagmomodel. Bilang isang model, alam ko ang kalakaran sa industriya. Kaya naiintindihan ko 'yung trabaho ni Isabel. Para sa amin din naman 'yung ginagawa namin, para sa ikakabuti ng anak namin. I trust her. Alam niya 'yung limitasyon niya. At kung ano man 'yung gusto niyang gawin, susuportahan ko siya.

SHE SAID: Iba ang mundo ng showbiz sa pulitika. Sa politics, kahit buhay ka pa, papatayin ka nila. Ibang mundo talaga ito. Kaya never ko naisip na pumasok sa politics. Pero syempre, nandiyan lagi 'yung suporta ko kay Geryk. Gusto talaga niya ang tumulong sa mga kababayan namin. Nasa puso niya talaga ang public service. Kaya lagi akong nakasuporta sa kanya.

ON BEING PARENTS

HE SAID: I don’t always see him around. Lagi kasing busy with business and work as councilor. Kaya pag may bakanteng oras, as much as possible I spend it with my son. Minsan, dinadala ko siya sa city hall para alam niya kung ano’ng trabaho ko, para magkaroon siya ng idea ng public service. Who knows baka maging next councilor or mayor din siya?

SHE SAID: We talk to him. We want him to be open to us so we can guide him. When he was in Grade 2, he was a victim of bullies. We always remind him to be open with us. Lagi namin siyang tinatanong kung may nambu-bully pa ba sa kanya para we know what to do. Hindi kasi siya lumalaban. Ayaw niya ng gulo. Mahilig siya kumanta saka sumayaw. Minsan, umaarte din siya sa harap ng salamin. We brought him to several screenings pero hindi pa siya napi-pick. Siguro hindi pa lang niya time. But it will come.

HE SAID: This is our lifetime journey. Sa journey natin, hawakan mo lang ang kamay ko at wag mong bibitawan. Along the way, maaring madadapa ka or ako. Pero pag nangyari ‘yun, itatayo kita, itatayo mo ako. May mga couples na kapag nadapa, bumibitiw na agad. Hindi dapat ganun. Pag nadapa ako o ikaw, ‘wag tayong bumitiw kasi baka mawala tayo. There will always be mountains to climb and walls to break. It will not be a perfect road, but we will make it because we will always be together no matter what.

SHE SAID: All the trials we have faced made our relationship stronger. What is life without the challenges? It is not about the problems; it is how we handle the problems. Mas sweeter ‘yung relationship dahil sa mga pagsubok na nalampasan namin. They made us much better persons. Hindi kami tatagal ng nine years kung hindi sa mga pagsubok na pinagdaanan namin. We will have more challenges, but we will always face them together.