With the story of his film ‘Meet, Greet and Bye’ in mind, Joshua Garcia said he has long accepted that there will come a time when he has to bid farewell to his loved ones.
In the film, Garcia stars as Tupe, second son of the Facundo family matriarch Baby (Maricel Soriano), struggling to cope with the looming death of his mother. He and his siblings Brad (Piolo Pascual), Leo (JK Labajo), and Geri (Belle Mariano) go on a desperate search to find a cure for Baby’s relapsed cancer diagnosis. However, the Facundo siblings’ search goes against Baby’s wishes.
‘It’s a bitter pill to swallow. Pero wala eh. Kailangan mong tanggapin. May nakita ako na isang [tanong] sa questionnaire kung tatanggapin mo ba kung anong mas okay sa’yo, mahirapan ang magulang mo or hayaan mo sila kaysa maghirap sila?’ he said when asked by Inquirer Entertainment how would he react if ever he went through the same thing.
(It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we can’t do anything about it. You have to accept it. I saw something in the questionnaire if you’re willing to accept it. Are you willing to see your parents have a hard time or you’re going to let things be so you wouldn’t see them have a hard time?)
The actor said that while it’s hard, he accepted that he doesn’t want to see his loved ones suffer.
‘D’un pa rin ako sa tanggapin mo na lang kaysa naman mag-suffer pa sila. Lahat naman tayo papunta d’un. Mahirap pero kakayanin (I would rather accept it instead of seeing them suffer. We’ll all get to that stage. It’s hard but I have to deal with it),’ he said.
Garcia was also asked if ‘Meet, Greet and Bye’ can be enjoyed by those who don’t have good relationships with their families.
‘Masaya ‘to. Hindi ka lang iiyak. Bigyan mo ng chance ang pelikula namin kasi masaya siyang experience kasama ang pamilya mo. It’s a shared memory,’ he said. ‘Masaya rin siya kasama ang friends mo. Ang dami mong mare-realize and malay mo, kahit hindi ka malambing na tao, magiging malambing ka bigla sa magulang.’
(This film will make you happy. You’re not only going to cry while watching it. I hope you’ll give the film a chance because it is a beautiful experience with your family. It’s a shared memory. You will realize a lot of things and what if you’ll learn how to be affectionate with your parents?)
The family film, directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana, also stars Kaila Estrada, Kaori Oinuma, and Matet de Leon.