On September 26, Kapuso artist Zephanie Dimaranan shared her views about the saying ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’
At the media conference for their Kapuso youth-oriented series, ‘Sparkle U,’ which LionhearTV covered, Zephanie (Dimaranan) said she hadn’t experienced being the topic of gossip among her friends when she was in high school.
“‘Yung tungkol naman po sa saying na keep you friends close and your enemies closer, I think never ko pa pong na-experience ‘yun. Kasi ako, mas prefer ko ‘yung magpakatotoo tayo sa isa’t isa na talagang hindi tayo okay.
“I think karma is real po na kapag nagba-back stab ka, or may sinasabi kang masama sa isang tao, pwede ring mangyari ‘yun sayo. And sabi nga nila, don’t do unto others what you don’t want others do to you.”
Instead of keeping her enemies closer, Zephanie remarked that she believes in keeping her best friends closer.
“So ako po, mas gusto ko ‘yung keep your friends close, and your best friends closer, kasi mas mahalag ‘yung mga taong bina-value ka, and ‘yung friendship ninyo.”
While she didn’t experience bullying in High School, Zephanie admitted that she encountered it when she entered showbiz.
“Ngayon po siguro, bilang isang public figure, and someone na nasa industry ko, doon ko po mas na-experience ‘yung kahit papaano, kaunting bullying and hate online. Lalo kapag kaunting galaw mo, siguro ‘yung mga tao, lagi silang may makikitang mali sayo.
“Pero, ako naman po, siguro na naapektuhan po ako sa mga ganong comments, pero at the end of the day, mas pinipili ko pong maging open and understanding sa mga tao. Na as long as I know who I am and alam ko kung ano ‘yung totoo, at kung sino ako, ‘yun po ‘yung mas importante.”
She noted that it intensified when she transferred to GMA Network.
“Siyempre may mga tao pong na-apektuhan, at may mga taong hindi matanggap agad po, but sa akin naman po, we have all our reasons kung bakit natin ginagawa ‘yung mga bagay.”
However, she remained thankful for the support she got amid the online bashing.
“I’m thankful na may mga tao sa buhay ko na nagre-remind sa akin na not to be affected and it’s okay if you receive bashing or mga hate, kasi nandiyan talaga ‘yan. And I think na it’s a good way to balance din po ‘yung mindset mo po na, you can’t please everyone. So at least it keeps you humble po.”
As for their series, ‘Sparkle U’ includes two stories with #Frenemies and #Ghosted.
‘Sparkle U: #Frenemies’ stars Shayne Sava, Abdul Raman, Michael Sager, Roxie Smith, Zephanie, Princess Aliyah, Anjay Anson, Lauren King, Vanessa Peña, Matt Lozano, Leandro Valdemor, Sue Prado, and Geleen Eugenio.
‘Sparkle U: #Ghosted’ features Sofia Pablo, Allen Ansay, Marco Masa, Liana Mae, Rufa Mae Quinto, and Archie Alemania.
Under the direction of Barry Gonzalez, ‘Sparkle U’ airs every Sunday on GMA Network.
