Matatandaang naging instant hit ang phrase ni Venus “major-major” na bahagi ng sagot niya.

Sabi ni Iza, “Mahihirapan din, pero may sagot ako… I would say, the biggest mistake in my life is that I never gave my mom more time and more love when she was still alive.

“Sadly, I cannot do anything to bring back that time and correct it. So, I can only make amends by trying to love her and, you know, always have her in my mind and love my family no matter what.”

Nineteen years old si Iza nang pumanaw ang kanyang Irish-Spanish-Filipino mother na si Mary Ann Ussher. Ang ama naman niya ay ang choreographer na si Lito Calzado.

Bakit nasabi ni Iza na hindi niya nabigyan ng “more love and time” ang kanyang ina noong nabubuhay pa ito?

“E, basta, hindi ko lang nabigay yung… Sa amin na lang yun, bakit kailangang i-explain lahat?

“Basta ‘yon, hindi ko lang nabigyan ng oras, alam mo yun? Siyempre, hindi naman perfect ang mga families, mga buhay natin. Kanya-kanya po tayo ng soap opera sa buhay natin, di ba?

“Hindi ko lang naibigay yung sa tingin kong… Kasi, ano ba yung tama, ano ba yung dapat? Hindi ko rin alam, pero I just wish I have given her more,” saad ni Iza.

PASAWAY. Rebelasyon para sa amin ang mga sumunod na ipinahayag ng aktres, lalo na nang aminin niya na “pasaway” siya noon.

“Oo…talaga! Pasaway din sila, e. Pasaway kaming lahat, buong pamilya namin,” sabi niya.

“Hindi, I mean, you now, this is real life. There are no perfect parents, there are no perfect children. You can only improve and work on what you learn from your experiences.

“Nung college nga, I was barely going to school. Alam mo yung talagang I really had no focus.”

Gala siya nang gala?

“Hindi naman masyadong gumagala, tumatambay lang,” sabi ni Iza.

“Dun sa UST, lagi lang ako nandun. Kasi nag-drop ako ng major subjects ko, tapos I was waiting… I wanted to enter the College of Mass Communication or Communication Arts ba yun? But they were saying that because I dropped my major subjects, so I wasn’t going to be allowed to transfer.

“So, I was naka…floating ba. I was only taking minor subjects, three subjects per sem. So, parang wala talaga. I had no, parang no direction.

“But you know what? God is good, life is good! And maybe when my mom died and I started getting these breaks from showbiz…

“Slowly, it was not an overnight thing, I learned to focus and know that I should be focused and at least have goals—good goals, at least.

“Tapos, I was given opportunities. Tapos ngayon, gumaganda ang buhay mo. Ngayon may nakikita ka ring hindi masyadong magandang choices ng ibang tao na, ‘Ay, hindi ko dapat tularan ito!’

“At, di ba, you learn, e. You learn not [just] by observing people, you also learn through your own experiences.

“So, hindi ako perfect. Hindi pa rin ako perfect… Wala naman talagang perfect, e. Gagawin mo lang kung ano yung pinaka-nakakaya mo. Kanya-kanya tayo ng values, ng opinions, at gagawin lang natin kung ano yung sa tingin natin ay tama.

“At magkamali man tayo at madapa, tulad nga ni Miriam Quiambao sa Miss Universe pageant, tatayo ka lang at babangon ka, taas-noo. Ganun lang yun,” pahayag ni Iza.