Aside from Piolo Pascual’s enigmatic charm on screen, his versatility and dedication to work cannot be denied. Thus, he is bombarded with numerous acting opportunities from left to right. He can slay every single character including being an Overseas Filipino- a role that he also knows in real life because he used to be a security guard in Los Angeles, California before he achieved Philippine movie stardom.

Just this day, BDO Remit excitedly revealed its three latest commercials that every Overseas Filipinos can relate to. What makes it more interesting is that, these are all light-hearted spin-offs or even slight spoofs of the classic scenes in his movies “Milan” (with Claudine Barretto) and “Starting Over Again” (with Toni Gonzaga). As these videos coincides with OFs’ present situation, they take more significance and meaning in Piolo’s view.

“Mahilig ang mga Pinoy sa drama eh. Pero pati comedy rin. Etong mga videos, parang pinagsama yan tapos may twist. Yung pangkalahatan na mensahe ng video ay kailangan natin ngayon: yung kasiyahan at pag-asa.

“Ang drama natin ngayon, real life. Pandemic. Lost jobs. Quarantine. Sandaang araw na itong drama. Hindi kagaya ng drama sa pelikula, two hours lang. So we need relief, we need to feel lighter, to see that we can still smile. Ma-realize lang natin na, oo nga, okay pa rin tumawa, magsaya. Na meron pa ring pag-asa. May solusyon. We can always find ways,” said Piolo.

Reaching out and helping

For Piolo, the most important thing that every OFs need to remember is to reach out for help. “Marami kasi sa atin, may tendency to keep things to ourselves. Masyado tayong matiisin. Akala natin puntos para sa atin yung magdusa. No, it’s not. Kung malungkot ka, o masama ang loob, call a friend. Makipag-usap sa kapamilya. Wala namang award na ibibigay sa iyo kapag sinarili mo ang problema mo. Nagiging delikado lang lalo ang mental health mo,” he said.

He also reminded OFs not to hesitate getting professional help if needed. “There’s still a stigma over mental health. Sa panahon ngayon, hindi na dapat ikahiya ang mental illness. Tratuhin natin na tulad lang ng ibang sakit sa katawan.” He noted that there’s no shame in getting help in order to be better in our minds and emotions.’

Piolo added that people should be more empathetic and compassionate. “Pag may lumapit sa atin dahil nalulungkot, o may problema. Huwag balewalain. Sometimes, we say, ‘Kaya mo yan!’ pagkatapos iiwanan natin.. Hindi sapat yun. Huwag natin iwanan. Samahan natin tapos pakinggan natin.Hindi naman kailangan tayo ang mag-solve ng problema. Basta maiparamdam natin na hindi siya nag-iisa. Na nandon tayo to support him or her.”

Call for bayanihan

Piolo added that the new videos show precisely how to help. “In all the videos, mapapansin mo na kahit light and funny ang approach, malinaw ang mensahe: kapag ang kapwa Pinoy ay nasa alanganin, kapwa Pinoy ang tutulong. Hindi naman kailangan na solohin natin ang problema. Ang lakas ng Pilipino, nasa pagtutulungan, bayanihan. Especially during this pandemic, which is a huge, global problem, we need to call on the best in ourselves and help each other,” he said.

In one of the three videos, Piolo who plays as “Marco” was chasing after “Ginny” (the character played by Toni Gonzaga in the original film) who’s on a taxicab. It is implied that, similar to the film, Ginny is leaving Marco to work abroad.

We then realize that Marco is doubly desperate as he kneels in the rain, because Ginny seems to have left with his ATM card. He says that he needs it to access a remittance. Then a twist happens when an old woman, hair done in curlers, finds Marco as he fumbles in his pockets. Marco sees the ATM card was in his pocket all along.

The old woman chides him, pointing out that with his ATM card, Marco can access an ATM, a BDO branch, and even a BDO Cash Agad kiosk at a sari-sari store. All of which are just around the same block as they are.

Another video, “Starting Over Today,” shows the same character, Marco. This time, he was passionately delivering the classic lines from the original film inside a bank, somewhat mortified that he wasn’t able to get a BDO Kabayan Savings earlier–because he thought it would be a complicated, arduous process. The teller assures him otherwise.

The third video, based on “Milan,” shows him asking help from a lovely fellow OF in sending money from Italy to a BDO Kabayan Savings account. The lady – whose features are noticeably familiar – is supposed to be a stand-in for Claudine Barretto.

All the new videos showcase how Filipinos are ready to help their kababayan in need. During this public health and economic crisis, all essential services–including banking and remittances–have become crucial to our survival, sanity, and happiness. The pandemic and economic crunch may last longer than expected. But as Piolo’s commercials show, in their own witty and hilarious way, we still have each other. And that’s worth the effort to keep on fighting and hoping.

You can watch the full videos here:

 

BDO Remit – through BDO Kabayan Savings – its special savings & remittance account for the overseas Filipino market – has become a lifeline for overseas Filipinos during the pandemic. BDO Remit has kept its services running to help Filipinos overseas and their families cope with the challenges of the pandemic.