Three years after starring in her last flick under Star Cinema, Belle Mariano stars in another movie produced by the said prolific and renowned production outfit and helmed by top-caliber director Cathy Garcia-Sampana—“Meet, Greet, & Bye.”
In this film, she plays the role of Geri, the youngest child and the unica hija of the Facundo family, with her brothers being portrayed by Piolo Pascual, Joshua Garcia, and Juan Karlos Labajo, while their mom is none other than the Diamond Star Maricel Soriano.
Since “Meet, Greet & Bye” is a family drama, the Star Cinema team asked Belle to take on the “Flag Check Game,” wherein she was asked to weigh in on some of the common scenarios among Filipino families and tell which ones are “red flag” or “green flag” for her.
Watch this video to find out which among these situations she considers either displeasing or delightful—and see if you share the same sentiments as hers!
First off is the conventional notion about “eldest child being the family breadwinner,” which for her is a “red flag.” As a panganay herself, she remarked that there’s definitely nothing wrong about being the breadwinner because it’s something to be proud of and she’s actually proud of those people who do.
While it has been embedded in our culture that the eldest children are expected to bear the responsibility of helping the parents provide for the family, and of being the person who the younger siblings should look up to, she firmly believes that being the panganay doesn’t necessarily mean being the one to become the breadwinner.
She may be a panganay in real life, but Belle plays the bunso in “Meet, Greet & Bye.” Thus, when asked if she agrees that the bunso is always the spoiled and favorite one in the family, she raised the “red flag” and blurted out, “No!” then jested about being the favorite of her mom.
However, she took it back by claiming that everyone is her Mama Katrina’s favorite. It’s just that she has different ways of showing their love for her and her siblings. Furthermore, being considered the “baby” of the family since they are the youngest in the brood, it’s expected that bunso people—like her character Geri—require affection, care, and attention. However, that doesn’t mean that moms love their other children less or that the youngest child is the favorite.
‘Tis the season of reunions again, the time when we get to meet or speak with relatives who tend to be nosy with our personal lives. Although it’s good to know to realize that someone out there is concerned about us, Belle still finds those kinds of encounters a “red flag.” She may not have experienced it yet in her own family, but, for her, it depends on how we take their aggressive comments and questions towards us.
Speaking of reunions, being required to attend family occasions is a “green flag” for her as a family-oriented girlie. She said that it’s actually okay for her since family will always be a priority for her and “family is love.”
Belle then went on to remind everyone to make sure to still allot a portion of our time with our families inspite of how busy we can be with our daily lives. Besides, it also delights her to be told, “Hey, come here. Miss ka na naming,” which makes attending family gatherings really a good thing for her.
Belle may be one of the biggest and brightest stars of her generation, but she confessed that she is actually among those people who always expect pasalubong from relatives coming from abroad. Nonetheless, she still raised the “red flag.” While there's nothing wrong about expecting gifts from them, she reminded everyone that the presence of the person/s who arrived should be enough pasalubong already.
After imparting her points of view on eldest children becoming the breadwinner and youngest children being the most favorite, the young actress also tackled the common notion about middle children being often ignored. This prompted her to immediately raise the “red flag” and blurted out, “Grabe naman, red flag ’yan!” She then reiterated how her Mama Kat gives her and her siblings equal attention and affection, as well as how nobody’s getting overlooked among them, to which she’s absolutely grateful.
And lastly, while millennials and the older generations were brought up in the culture wherein explaining or defending oneself to a parent or an older relative is automatically rude or disrespectful, it’s totally not the case for the more straightforward Gen Zs like Belle. Thus, she considers that mindset a “red flag” for her.
She explained, “May pagkakaiba ang sumasagot sa nangangatwiran. If mayroon namang dahilan kung bakit gano’n, we have the right to explain our side. At the same time, we shouldn’t speak to them rudely. May respeto pa rin kung gusto nating i-point out ‘yong side natin. So, sa mga bata, galangin n’yo po ang mga magulang n’yo!”
Catch Belle and the rest of the Facundo family in “Meet, Greet & Bye,” now showing in cinemas nationwide.