Jennica Garcia is truly unstoppable and she’s here to spread happiness and inspiration, especially to single parents like her. Don’t let her soft voice and gentle demeanor fool you because what lies beneath her delicate façade is a tough woman full of determination and resilience.

Get to know the real Jennica in this edition of Celebrity Slambook!

Born Jennica Alexis Garcia on December 26, 1989, this Capricorn lady likes being organized and is a strong believer that “hard work leads to victory.” Her favorite colors are black, white, and brown, and she has recently fallen in love with blue.

Her current LSS is “Unstoppable” by Imagine Dragons. In a recent Kapamilya Chat interview, she said, she listens to this song to help her inhabit Lala’s character in Dirty Linen. 

If you’re thinking of the perfect treat for Jennica, give her crab-lobster buns. But sometimes her cravings depend on her ‘sweldo.’

Her favorite vacation spot is Baguio City because she can go there via sleeper bus.  "Eh, kailangan ko ng bakasyon at tulog. Gusto ko ‘yung Baguio kasi sasakay lang ako sa bus tapos sleeper bus ‘yun, eh. Pwedeng nakahiga ka, so hindi siya masakit sa likod. Nakatulog na ako, paggising ko, andu’n na ako sa Baguio.”

Jennie, as family and friends call her, lists down streaming as her hobby. She recently ventured into gongbang or study broadcast where viewers can join her study using the Pomodoro technique, which is a time-management method wherein tasks are split into specific time intervals and there are breaks in between. Gongbang is a popular study method in Korea and Japan that improves productivity.

“Napansin ko kasi sa sarili ko na kapag nag-aaral ako tapos wala akong kasabay, ang dami kong naiisip in between, mag-K-KDrama ako or biglang magugutom ako,” shared Jennica. Her stream usually lasts for 2 and ½ hours with 5-minute breaks in between to talk to her viewers and star-senders.

She also has a talent in watercolor painting. At the moment, she’s studying digital art and plans to turn it into a business.

When asked about her ambition, Jennica admitted she used to look at acting as just a source of income, until last year when she realized that her profession allows her to inspire other people.

“Noong bumalik ako, andu’n ‘yung may kasama ng pagmamahal ‘yung ginagawa ko sa trabaho ko na pag-arte. Kasi it sustains us. It sustains my family of three. Kumabaga nagiging grateful ako do’n sa trabaho ko. And siguro it comes also with maturity since I am already 33 years old. Alam ko na kailangan makaisip ako ng dahilan kung bakit mahal ko ang trabaho ko maliban sa ito ang bumubuhay sa amin ng mga anak ko.”

When she travels solo and sees a joyful glow in the eyes of people who get to recognize her, that’s when she knows she can make a difference in the world by being an actress. “Feeling ko ako si Darna,” she quipped, bringing to mind an instance when she made a grieving mother smile. She was taking videos on the plane before take-off when she asked her female seatmate if it is okay to include her in the video. The woman begged off and said she is still grieving her son’s death. But when the other passengers approached Jennica for photo ops, the woman realized she was seated next to a celebrity and somehow her face lit up.

“Doon ko naisip na, grabe, hindi pa ako kilala ni Ate pero ‘yung idea lang na alam niya na artista ako tapos katabi niya ako, nakapagbigay na ako ng gano’ng klase ng energy. Doon ko nalaman na, wow, mahal ko na pala ‘yung trabaho ko. Alam ko sa sarili ko na pwede ko tong gawin nang matagal na matagal na panahon.”

“I’ve experienced being at my lowest, ‘yung having to wake up repeatedly every day feeling na parang nakakapagod mabuhay. I felt that in my life before. It was a very dark time. So, if I can be this person that can give momentary joy, momentary happiness to someone, it makes being an actor extremely worth it.”

The Jennica before had no guts to go after what she loves, that’s why she only had one audition in her entire career, and that was even a surprise audition when she was 18. Apart from she was content acting in the background, she didn’t like the idea of fighting for a role. “Parang pakiramdam ko po, ang isang role ay nagagawa ko nang mabuti dahil ipinagkatiwala ito sa akin. Iba kasi ‘yung feeling kapag nilalaban mo at pinapatunayan mo sa kanila na, ‘Akin ‘to.’”

But the Jennica now is a lot fiercer. “Jennica 2.0,” as she puts it. She’s now open to doing more auditions. Admittedly, becoming a single parent was a strong force that pushed her to be a lot bolder. 

“Naturally, I’m a person who doesn’t like confrontation. To be honest, hindi ko talaga alam paano ako nag-artista. It really scares me when people talk about me. Pero ‘yung pagiging single parent ko siguro is what caused me para, 'Okay, urong, wait lang hindi ko kaya ‘yan.' Pero ‘pag para sa anak, sulong, laban,” mused Jennica, who describes herself as “uurong pero susulong.”

Ready to take on a path full of dream-chasing, she wishes to star in a K-Drama someday because she loves watching Korean shows. Asked her motto in life, she spoke as Lala: “Time is gold.”

The 33-year-old mom describes love as vast, something beyond romantic feelings. “Hindi mo siya pwedeng ikahon. You can love someone without having to be in that person’s life. Iba-iba siya ng form.”

Her first friends in showbiz are Yna Asistio and Chariz Solomon. Besides her mom Jean Garcia, she also looks up to her Dirty Linen co-star Angel Aquino as a role model. “I just really admire her. When she told me about her life story, how she is as a single mom, grabe din ‘yung assurance na binigay niya sa akin. It’s what kept me going,” she said of Angel.

So, what’s the advice from Angel that changed her perspective about solo parenting? “She told me na she feels that God is kinder to single parents. And, totoo ‘yun, talagang mararamdaman mo na iba, eh. Kung meron man akong bagong discovery sa Panginoon, ‘yun ay ang Diyos ay hindi lang isang Ama, hindi lang siya tagapaglitas. The Lord Jesus can also be my husband. He can also be my lover. He can fill any role that I need in my life.”

Can’t get enough of Jennica? Catch her in Dirty Linen, weeknights, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.