Actor Bea Alonzo’s reluctance to get married or even just have a new boyfriend has not discouraged companies from signing her up as their brand ambassador.

She has just been commissioned to endorse the jewelry house My Diamond. She is after all an icon for beauty and elegance — ever alluring whether single or momentarily taken (i.e., with a boyfriend).

After equally iconic Anne Curtis and Heart Evangelista, Alonzo will be featured in various campaigns highlighting the brand which has , having been at the forefront of the Philippine jewelry industry for nearly three decades.

“Joining My Diamond is truly a dream come true for me. Diamonds represent something eternal, something that withstands the test of time. I feel so proud to be part of a brand that not only offers such beautiful pieces but also has a deep commitment to ethical sourcing and genuine craftsmanship,” Alonzo declared. “Jewelry really makes good investments and the classics never go out of style. That’s why I keep some jewelry and I add pieces to my investments every now and then.”

Will she collaborate with the brand for her own signature? “That’s something we have to see in the future!” she said, adding that for now she simply enjoys the classic collection which she can always wear or mix and match for all occasions. She confided that to this day, she still keeps the pieces of jewelry which her mom bought for her from her first earnings in the movies starting at age 13.

The intimate launch this December, turned out to be a perfect venue for Bea to give updates about herself. Taking a much-needed break from her hectic schedule – playing Sam Castillo-Palacaios in the GMA 7 series Widows’ War — she’s ecstatic about her family’s first ever Christmas celebration in Madrid, Spain this year. “It would be our first Christmas together overseas as a family,” she said.

Then she’ll be shooting a new movie right after the vacation. There are two films coming, she said: “One will be shot in Europe and one is intended for the MMFF 2025.”

The actor further revealed that aside from her “me” time nowadays, she’s also learning to appreciate herself and marvel on the things that she can do all by herself – minus a partner.

How about an update on her love life? “Ah that can wait. If it comes, then it comes. I don’t think age should be a reason for me to hurry up and find someone. But for sure, all my investments, including the jewelry and My Diamond, would be passed on to my future children,” she said.

The actress’ advocacy for women’s empowerment, sustainability and her commitment to personal growth is truly admirable. With her strong sense of self and her natural elegance, Alonzo represents a modern woman who values quality, craftsmanship and the enduring beauty of diamonds.

Oscar Award dream

The government’s main goal now for the film industry is not just to have a Pinoy movie get Oscar nominations and actual awards – but also to make Filipino films acceptable, if not in demand, for showing commercially in moviehouses in many parts of the world, including the US.

One person keenly aware of this goal is Liza Diño, who heads the Quezon City Film Commission (QCFC) as executive director and who was the chair of the Film Development Council of the Philippines for six years in the past.

She has been to many international film marketing events but has not heard of foreign buyers of Pinoy movies for showing in their home countries.

“We know now that our best films are welcomed in international film festivals where they also win awards but these triumphs have not led to our films’ being bought for wide releases in other countries the way films made in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and  China are being bought here — for years now. 

“Equipping Philippine filmmakers with the skills to trade their products in the world markets is among the reasons the Department of  Trade and Industry (DTI) has been tasked to get involved with the creative industries one of which is filmmaking,” remarked Dino in a media conference for the latest partnership between the DTI and the QCFC.

The DTI is funding curated long-range workshops to make Philippine filmmakers aware of how they can create movies that have strong potentials to be bought for wide releases to other countries. The workshops are billed as “YC2 Film Lab” since they are part of the program “Young Creatives,” which is now on its second year as a DTI undertaking.

The media conference was held at Limbaga 77 cafe restaurant in Quezon City, recently and was also attended by DTI Undersecretary Rafaelita Aldaba (head, Creative Industries Group), DTI Bureau of Competitive Development Director Lilian Salonga and QC acting chief Tourism Operations officer Giana Barata. 

The workshops will teach not only film writing and production techniques but also consciousness expansion and re-visioning “if that’s what the filmmaker needs to be able to do to make a film that will also be appealing to  people of other countries,” stressed Diño in answer to a columnist’s question about reducing a Pinoy filmmaker’s “extreme pessimism” in his latest film, which was rejected in two editions of Metro Manila Film Festival and was accepted  in only one international festival.

Film development stalwarts in the country say that even co-production of Pinoy movies with foreign companies should be encouraged for as long as their outputs can be shown in movie-houses independently for a week or two and not as part of festivals that run only for a few days in a few cinemas. The wide world should have reasons to watch our movies, not just by those who can afford to go to international festivals. 

Despite our having produced four Miss Universe titlists, we seem to be a hardly-known country and no foreign countries are interested in buying our films for their citizens to watch as part of their in-town diversion.