First It’s Showtime Miss Q & A titleholder Juliana Parizcova Segovia recently opened up about her anxieties as the ABS-CBN shutdown endangered the job that helps her bring food on the table and the career he’s just starting to build. 

Yet, with enough resilience, Juliana started to think of solutions and move forward. She ventured into an online business. She sells skincare products, facemasks, face shields, and anything in demand. Juliana delivers the items herself to grant fans’ requests for photo ops. She recently got a slight finger injury from doing all the work, though. 

Juliana talked about how the pandemic changed her perspective. The scary times made her appreciate the little things. Whatever ‘raket’ there is, she will grab every earning opportunity. “Kasi ‘yung kikitain mo, example, 100 pesos, ngayon malaking bagay, na eh. Malaking tulong, pwede nang pang-ulam talaga,” he said. On more special days, she would receive showbiz invites like her previous guesting for It’s Showtime.

Juliana would admit that she was hesitant and shy at first, considering that people recognize her as a showbiz personality. She was scared to attract bashing. However, she realized that the ego will never feed her family nor pay the bills. Besides, even bigger stars have looked for extra jobs outside showbiz. So, she thought there’s no room for pride for a newcomer like her. The comedianne decided to believe that her truths are more powerful than outside noise.  

Despite her own struggles, Juliana doesn’t forget to help her friends as well. She recruited them as resellers. The best thing about online selling is she’s able to earn without too much social contact. And with the good reputation she’s built in the past two years, Juliana easily wins her customer’s trust. Her popularity is likewise a big help in the sales.

The pandemic has indeed taught him to treasure everything she has at the moment. Everything is temporary and we only have the present to leave a mark. “Kailangan ibigay mo ‘yung best mo. Kasi hindi mo alam kung kailan hihinto. Kailangan maging katatak-tatak lagi ‘yung gagawin mo,” shared Juliana, as though talking about her showbiz career. 
“At the same time, kailangan mo lagi maging responsible sa pera,” she added, hinting at financial lessons learned the hard way. 

One thing is for certain, Juliana will walk out of this quarantine more careful and disciplined. “Huwag tayong magpakasasa ulit. Huwag tayong magpakalunod ulit sa kung anong darating after this pandemic. I-manage nating mabuti kung ano ‘yung makukuha natin kasi hindi natin alam. Mas mabuti na kung handa.”

MMK: Rainbow Crown

Juliana finds another reason to smile as Maalaala Mo Kaya replays her life story in the episode titled “Rainbow Crown” on Saturday, October 3.

Juliana expressed gratitude to her Kapamilya network for the trust. She turned her dreams into a reality because of them. And even just a simple replay of her past TV appearances means so much to him. Juliana considers the replay as a sign of love from her Kapamilyas. 

“Unti-unti, nasabi ko sa sarili ko na mahal din ako ng ABS-CBN. Inaalgaan din nila ako kahit hindi ako ganoong kalaking artista. Parang, nararamdaman ko, lalo na ‘tong MMK na ‘to, sobrang laki ng pasasalamat ko. Nararamdaman ko na tine-treasure nila ako bilang isang Kapamilya,” expressed the Miss Q & A 2018. 

She can’t tell what makes the story one of the best but she knows it’ll inspire the viewers. Headlined by Juliana himself, it tells her journey as the bullied, loving child who reached her dreams through pageantry. She dedicates the episode most especially to fellow members of the gay community. 

Juliana had mixed emotions upon learning about MMK’s offer in 2018. She was nervous, scared, and of course happy. The experience led her to a bittersweet reunion with her old self and childhood memories, even the painful ones she’s trying hard to forget. But the unexpected travel down the past also made her realize how blessed she is for having been bestowed with a success she considers as God’s miracle.  

“Noong pinapa-kwento na nila sa akin simula noong pagkabata, parang bumalik sa akin lahat. Parang bumigat. Naramdaman ko na naman ‘yung hirap, ‘yung struggle noon. Pero nung nag-shoot na kami nung day one at buo na ‘yung script, binasa ko na, sabi ko sulit lahat ng hirap ko sa maraming taon,” expressed Juliana.

This episode is extra memorable because it was Juliana’s first acting gig. As a rookie then, she was of course challenged. More than the test of acting potential, Juliana also went through an emotional turmoil reliving her painful experiences. She wanted to bury these haunting memories behind as much as possible. Yet, as Direk Dado Lumibao instructed her, Juliana embraced all the ugly scars that made her who she is today. And as she did, she was able to deliver oversized emotions to the point that she kept on crying after a take.

Asked about the most difficult part in the episode, Juliana revealed that he felt uncomfortable doing the brawl scene. She said that the Juliana who used to engage in fights against the bullies is no longer in her. 

Sharing a scene with seasoned actress Elizabeth Oropesa, who played as her mother, is definitely one for the books as well. There was a scene wherein they were kicked out of the rented house and Juliana had to break the drama with her comic chops. She thought it was a crazy emotional requirement. Thankfully, the veteran star gave her pointers. “Si Tita Elizabeth nagturo sa’kin, ‘Juliana, hindi kailangan ng luha ‘pag drama ang usapan. Hindi kailangan ng luha. Kailangan lang may emosyon ka at puso.’ Parang ang laking bagay,” she shared. 

After the shoot, Juliana brought important acting pointers home. She learned that emotion is an actor’s biggest tool. As she took on more roles thereafter, Juliana would always apply her takeaways from the MMK experience. 

Through her life story, Juliana hopes the viewers will be encouraged to keep on fighting for their dreams. “Dito ninyo makikita na walang dahilan para sumuko sa pangarap. Kasi ang pangarap, hindi ‘yan ipinagdasal mo ngayon at ibibigay agad bukas. Kailangan mo munang magtiis. Kailangan mong may pagdaanang mahirap para ‘pag nakuha mo ‘yun, alam mo kung bakit worth it ‘yung paghihintay mo,” she said. 

Juliana underscored that dreams have no exact timeframe or deadlines. Rather, it begins to manifest once you start believing in yourself. More importantly, life must never have any room for negativity and hate. 

Acting Challenge

After showcasing her acting potential in Maalaala Mo Kaya: Rainbow Crown, Juliana landed several television roles for Kapamilya shows including FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. In this episode of Kapamilya Chat, the Miss Q & A 2018 titleholder once again proved her talent as she re-enacted dramatic scenes from different Kapamilya series.

The first clip in the acting challenge was Marissa (Jodi Sta. Maria)’s heated argument with Ellice (Iza Calzado) from the teleserye Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin. It was the scene wherein Marissa displayed her manipulative tendencies by pinning the blame to Ellice once confronted about her obvious desire for Gabriel (Sam Milby).
The next video was Celine (Angelica Panganiban)’s dramatic confrontation with Emman (Paulo Avelino) from the newest Kapamilya series Walang Hanggang Paalam. Celine got emotional as she opened up on her frustrations and pain over her past relationship with Emman, anguished that he left her and their kid due to a bad decision. 

Lastly, Juliana copied Elizabeth (Whitney Tyson) talking to Diana (Angel Aquino) over the phone reporting about Lily (Lorna Tolentino)’s abusive treatment in a scene from FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.

Juliana ditched the sidesplitting comedy for some serious drama. Of course, “ginalingan!” Juliana mentioned that she dreams of taking acting workshops in the future. She never had acting lessons before, thus she is overwhelmed with all the positive comments about her performance in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.

Witness more of Juliana’s acting potential in the replay of MMK Rainbow Crown this Saturday, October 2, on Kapamilya Channel.