And it’s not simply because Liza Soberano, the ABS-CBN actress who starred in the hit soap Forevermore, is underage. She actually turned 18 recently, which for many parents is a terrifying age because she is no longer a teen. She’s maturing into a woman. For boys, maturing into men is a gradual process. They don’t turn into men overnight. In fact, I know a lot of boys who are still going through the process—in their 40s.
How women mature is really different. For years, you would see a girl just doing girly stuff, and then there’s this moment—maybe a part of her brain suddenly gets activated—that she blossoms into a full-fledged woman. She suddenly becomes a creature who exudes so much sexuality. The makeup she shunned just a week ago becomes a must-look when going out. The heels she swore off not too long ago becomes her go-to for slumming in the city.
Liza is no exception.
Liza is a beautiful young woman. I know I wouldn’t be indulging in hyperbole in saying that at least a hundred thousand men who would want to ask her out. They are smitten by her looks and she exudes a certain likeability.
Of course, these men know that before they can make a move, they have to overcome the fact that Liza is half of the popular LizQuen love team, the other half being Enrique Gil. The pair was first introduced in 2014’s Forevermore, which became a huge ratings smash. They also did a blockbuster movie, Just The Way Your Are.
Now, LizQuen is headlining Dolce Amore, an upcoming teleserye premiering on February 15 on ABS-CBN. According to the press release, the show is tells the “story of two young wandering souls, both in search of who they really are, and who will be brought together by destiny and feel an infallible connection with each other.” Sorry naman!
Liza plats Serena, a young girl raised in Italy by her adoptive parents. Though she lives a good life, she cannot shake off the feeling that an important part of her identity seems to be missing—the truth of where she came from. “It’s a ‘peasant meets princess’ kind of feel. It’s a very light teleserye, just like Forevermore,” Enrique said during the news conference launching the show.
Anyway, back to Liza. At the same event, after being consistently prodded by the press, she denied that she and Enrique are in a relationship. Don’t get her wrong though. It’s not because her father told her that she can’t hurry love; it’s her choice to be single, she said. While in the past she admitted to already having some romantic feelings for her onscreen partner that could develop into a real relationship anytime soon, Liza has since backtracked saying: “Hindi pa kasi ako handa ngayon. Nag-usap naman sila ng dad ko at ng manager ko [Ogie Diaz] at willing naman daw maghintay si Enrique.”
Despite this, Liza said that she is happy where things are right now between her and Enrique. “Masaya ako kasi I’m always with him because of work. And it’s really good spending time with him kasi it just builds our friendship even more. Kaya napaka-solid ng foundation namin.”
Ahhh…young love, sweet love. I too wish I had waited for that someone to teach me about true love. How I discovered true love, though, is not something for this column—because it’s neither for the young nor the sweet.