Social analysts hypothesized the movies to be an art form imitating life but in most cases it seems that life’s mortal realities and its evanescent complexities make it the other way around. As such the movies depict the grandiosity of men’s limitless possibilities in confronting inevitable challenges for probable survival. Human existence when fused with art’s boundless magnanimity could eventually create a complexity of either unpredictably devastating or enormously gratifying situations.
Being directly involved in the movies, especially in the league of top billers, is tantamount to submitting one’s self to public scrutiny and tolerating self-proclaimed critics to uncontrollably censure one under their prying eyes. Uncertainty looms through the certitude of humanity that demands one’s total sufferance in order to survive demoralizing intrigues, pragmatic accusations, and harshly ideated opinions.
Since the movies are said to be the most ungrateful of all professions, one has to defensively be equipped with a wooden heart, pan-handled ears, a huge ton of hypocrisy, and a keen sense of frugality that he or she may sustain an enviable status in this rat-race world.
A prototypical exponent of a determined movie personality who successfully defies the traditional pattern of showbiz manipulation and media exploitation is former Viva Hot Babes Batch 2 alumna Anna Leah Javier. Born Anna Leah Javier Dilagan on February 21 to Ernesto Dilagan of Tanay and Amelia Javier of Taytay, both progressive towns of Rizal Province, this petite sweet-looking lass is the youngest among the three siblings of 2 girls and a boy.
Anna Leah was in high school at Sienna College (where she was hailed as a campus queen) when she was bitten by the proverbial showbiz bug. Her unforeseeable foray into showbiz mainstream was via ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Batch 4 search in the company of Kristine Hermosa, Julia Clarete, Dimples Romana, et al.
Although not really keen on wallowing in showbiz’s asserting enticement and aware of its impeding quagmire, Anna Leah began to love her new-found career while gradually learning the ropes of the trade. She immensely enjoyed the public attention and fanatic adoration while it lasted until projects became as rare as drizzles on summertime and her chances to hit the top became lean and nil.
That tedious situation triggered a change of plan and she opted to consider Boss Vic’s (Vic Del Rosario of Viva Films) standing offer to join Viva Hot Babes, an all-girl pop group of models and actresses assembled for promotions and entertainment. Well-known for their sex-oriented acts and novelty songs with double entendre while skimpily clad in their most minimal costumes, the sing-and-dance babes, that was initially marketed as a pool of upcoming sexy screen sirens, became the target of derision by the prevailing guardians of morality due to the group’s controversial and critically panned songs underlying sex themes.
As a member of Viva Hot Babes Batch 2, in the company of Asia Agcaoili, Jaycee Parker, Alyssa Alano, and Jennifer Lee, Anna Leah had given herself some limitations when it came to totally disrobing.
“I have been very vocal about it even from the start. I believe sexiness and its earthly composite could still be manifested effectively through attractive appearance and convincing projections,” the reluctant star declares with conviction. “The most that I could do was donning a revealing two-piecer or execute suggestive poses with my privates being blocked or covered.”
Truly, behind her innocent look and fragile feminine stature lies a fierce heart and determined soul ready to combat the iniquity of unrestrained mundane desires and closely guarded her diabolical fears with absolute firmness at any given situation.
But just because she joined the much talked about sexy bandwagon would mean Anna Leah to be a woman of the world… somewhat easy-to get or could be bartered with any material thing. Incredibly, she’d been true to herself in the preservation of her morality and committed to get along with the trend with well intact dignity and self-respect.
Unknown to the movie-going public, much more to her avid followers, Anna Leah has a college diploma to boot after having conscientiously pursued a Mass Communication degree major in Broadcast Journalism from St. Paul’s College of Quezon City in 2002.
Armed with such, she was able to penetrate topnotch Philippine publications beating regular columns in fashion periodicals, Cosmopolitan and FHM magazines, and weekly journals that served as a gratifying outlet for her creativity in writing while giving her an enviable edge over other personalities in her league.
But somewhere along the way came an inevitably irresistible romantic affair with an upcoming well-built actor, Enrique Rustia Apacible, cinematically christened John Apacible. Towering, handsome, and very down-to-earth despite his burgeoning career, John became an in-demand lead actor in almost every sex-oriented film during the mid-90s to the early 2000s and effortlessly earned a spot of his own in the genre where he catapulted to fame.
For nine years their relationship went strong and their feelings, secured. Although both of them revolved around the same circle of friends and undetermined foes, their romantic set-up was neither affected nor wrecked. Amid swirling rumors unfounded conjectures they smoothly went on with their own careers unmindful of the prevailing malicious write-ups and gossipmongers’ wagging tongues.
“John was a very caring person…so lovable!,” Anna Leah has to say of her lover. “He just loved to be around when free from commitments. If there’s but one thing that made him feel good, that would be my sinigang. That was his comfort food.”
Though both John and Anna Leah shared and enjoyed stellar status and public adoration, there was neither competition nor insecurity between them. Tabloid and gossip columnist openly feasted on their “conjugal” arrangement but the supposedly damaging tittle-tattle merely generated publicity mileage and failed to mar or affect the couple.
It’s true that the perils of movie-coupling are predominantly occurring during the later phase of the relationship but John and Anna Leah were keen in proving them wrong. Defying the odds and ends of such set-up they simply relied on mutual trust and the willingness to give up fame in lieu of privacy.
But amid their nearly imperturbably balanced celebrity-privy lives unexpectedly struck a spat… initially triggered by John’s jealousy over a photo where Anna Leah was sweetly entertaining a guest from one of her shows in Dubai and that portentously cautioned their harmonious togetherness.
“There’s really nothing sort of compromising or any malicious interpretation with the photo since it was taken during one of our performances. The guy happens to be an avid admirer and a souvenir shot with me was all that he wanted,” she said in clarification to what she was accused of.
To pacify his raging emotion, John left to cool down while Anna Leah thought it was just fine than stay together only to clash and make the situation worse.
On March 20, 2011, barely two weeks after John moved to his mom’s place, Anna Leah received a deafening report that John was shot dead by his uncle following a heated argument during a drinking spree.
“I felt like heaven and hell broke loose over me…that totally submerged me in harrowing agony. It was a nightmare!,” she vividly recalled with misty eyes. “I blamed myself for letting him go. If I begged him to stay it couldn’t have happened. I was emotionally devastated. I wanted to scream out loud to release my grief and free the burden of guilt that engulfed me that moment but my whole body was too feeble and I was exhaustedly grasping for breath.”
“What actually pinned me down severely was the fact that I was about to call him to come back home and break a big surprise… that he was to be a dad soon after learning that I was two months pregnant. But swallowing my foolish pride could mean my admission to his accusations,” Anna Leah added.
“We, actually, had plans of getting married to formally seal our relationship but that sudden tragedy nigrified the bright future we’re starting to build…and what pained me the most was his having gone without any knowledge of his soon-to-be child,” Anna Leah said as she drew a deep breath while trying to evade direct eye contact to hold back her tears. Excusing herself in a quivering voice that gradually turned inaudibly low, I could feel the pulsating pains she tried to combat.
Gaining back her momentum after sipping ice-cold water, she resumed revived: “There was nothing I could do but mourn in silence. True that I almost lost hope and the enthusiasm to live but I carried an innocent child that needed her own chance of survival. She has the right to see the world. She’s my only consolation…the single force that provided me with strength and resurrected my hopes.”
Incidentally, their love child, Anaya (from the Hebrew word “God answers” and also “Beautiful blossom” in African origin) is turning 3 years old on November 2 and Anna Leah is all agog preparing for her birthday bash on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014.
Now New York-based and trying to rebuild herself from the agony of her torturing past, Anna Leah keeps her daily grind tight so not to allow irrelevant matters to squeeze in and spoil her day. Currently employed as an Office Manager in New York Harlem Vascular Clinic and driven to pursue a Nursing degree next school year, the still effervescent looking single mom’s only reason for living is her unica hija, Anaya.
After a little over three years, Anna Leah thought of escaping the harsh reality of aloneness by moving to the US to ease her pain but the memories she left behind continuously haunt her…lingering incessantly even in her sleep. For how could she forget? There’s Anaya constantly by her side who’s an exact carbon copy of John, most distinctly her curly locks and innately cuddly ways.
Anna Leah Javier…the reluctant star…the forlorn bride…the single mom. If there’s but one thing that motivates her immensely, that would be showering Anaya with her own luster as a private luminary that John’s living legacy be spiritually guided, morally guarded, and intellectually provided to ensure her bright future. “I want her to grow up strong-willed and become a lawyer or a doctor,” she quipped.
After all, this is the same way that John would have had planned for their lovechild if only he’s around.
Such a tear-jerking dramatic episode but a true-to-life story…much heavier than any silver screen’s award-winning film…for nothing sets at par with reality.
Current photos courtesy of Velzon Hizon Velez Photography
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