Ice Seguerra

NAUBOS pala ang savings ng OPM icon at singer-songwriter na si Ice Seguerra nang dahil sa panggantso ng isang taong pinagkatiwalaan nila noon.

Nawala na lang parang bula ang perang kinita at pinaghirapan ni Ice noong kasagsagan ng kanyang career bilang child star.

Nangyari raw ito noong ipinapa-renovate ang kanilang bahay kung saan ipinagkatiwala nga niya sa taong itinuring na nilang kapamilya ang kanyang pera na nasa bangko.

“Walang savings. Naloko kami. Hindi kami naloko sa business. But there was a time noon na nagpa-renovate kami ng bahay. Nagantso kami ng isang tao na akala namin kamag-anak,” simulang pagbabahagi ng singer-actor sa isang panayam.

Aniya pa, “We trusted this person so much. So we let the person handled the finances. Only to find out na nalimas na pala yung pera sa bangko. So that happened,” lahad pa ni Ice sa naturang interview para sa promo ng kanyang upcoming concert na “Becoming Ice: The 35h Anniversary Concert” na magaganap sa Theater Solaire sa Oct. 15, 8 p.m..

Dagdag pa ni Ice hindi na nila nabawi ang kanyang pera, “That time it was hard to recover na. I was a teenager so yung mga napag-ipunan ko noong kabataan ko nadale. Nuong teenager ako wala naman akong career but I never stopped working. Hindi nga ako nag-loveteam.

“It was a family thing na hindi naman kailangan i-broadcast pa. It’s in the past. While it was happening, it was one of my down moments.

“My dad was working naman pero feeling ko ako pa rin yung nagbibigay ng mas malaki. So I felt the responsibility kung paano ko siya ma me-make both ends meet,” sey pa ni Ice.

Samantala, sa isang bahagi ng panayam, inamin din ng asawa ni Liza Diño na grabe rin ang naramdaman niyang depresyon nu’ng kasagsagan ng pandemic.

“Eversince I was three, I never stopped working. Then lahat tayo we have to stop during the pandemic. Three months walang bayaran ng bills, I was really enjoying it.

“But then when the bills started coming in, du’n ko na feel na wala akong kwenta kasi wala ako naipapasok na pera sa amin. As a breadwinner, it was a big part of my identity.

“Kapag hindi magagampanan yun, napaka worthless kong tao. I mean I never heard anything from anyone. Pero ako mismo ang nagki-criticize sa sarili ko. It was hard. Kasi pag down ako, hindi ako creative. It really pulled me down. Parang I was in a dark place,” paglalahad ng award-winning singer-composer.

Aniya pa, “Singing is not just a job for me, it’s a big part of my identity, like how I am as a provider. So during the pandemic, nawala yung identity ko na singer ako, provider ako. Lahat yun stripped off sa akin. Nahirapan ako nu’n at nawalan ako ng purpose.

“I was talking to my psychiatrist, sabi niya do you feel hopeless? Sabi ko not hopeless but I think I don’t have a purpose. Sabi ko anung point? Hindi naman ako nakakatulong sa pamilya ko? Hindi naman ako nakakakanta?

“That time my dad was getting worse na. So talagang nagpatung-patong na. But at least my wife was working. She did not stop noon sa Film Development Council of the Philippines,” kuwento pa ni Ice.

Sa ngayon, napaglalabanan na ni Ice ang kanyang mental health issues, sa katunayan gumawa pa siya ng documentary film about his journey ng naging laban niya against depression.