G Toengi, Unplugged
By Katherine Eustaquio
Photos courtesy of G. Tongi
I practically grew up watching Giselle Anne Toengi's (now better known simply as G Tongi) rise to stardom. From her first television stint in the 1996 Filipino teen drama series Gimik as Gina de Leon, to her transition from TV to the big screen and up to the time when she decided to make the big move to New York—putting her showbiz career in the Philippines on hold.
With the onset of the Internet and social media, it’s no longer difficult to keep up with the current activities and life's journey of your favorite childhood stars. Yet, despite the stories and the interviews I’ve read or heard, it seemed that I was still clueless about the “real” G.
The G, that I had the opportunity to do a recent interview with, is no longer the same teeny-bopper matinee idol I knew from way back. She has grown in leaps and bounds— as a wife, a mother, a producer and ultimately, a balikbayan.
Here are some excerpts from Balikbayan Magazine's chat with G Tongi.
Balikbayan Magazine (BM): Tell us about your life in the US.
G. Tongi (G): My life in the states is relaxed, quiet, and very routine. I wake up early everyday, take the children to school, and then go to school at the UCLA campus in Westwood. All my classes end by five o’clock, so I am able to pick the children up from school. Then [I head] home to do homework and start dinner. We like to take walks after dinner, as a family, and so we walk around the neighborhood, or go to the beach to watch the sunset. [On weekends], we are usually at the beach or [at] the park or [doing] grocery shopping.
BM: You recently graduated from UCLA with a Communications degree (minor in film and theater). What urged you to pursue this path?
G: I began my career in film and television at a very early age, which led to [me,] burning out soon after, in my early 20’s. I was quite unfulfilled and lacked creative inspiration...I first left [for] America in 2000, to pursue theatre arts at Lee Strasberg. After having my first child, I wanted to go back to [take] higher education, because I wanted to pursue my masters... in order to do so, I obviously had to have a bachelor’s degree, which I didn’t complete, since I entered Philippine showbiz in high school.
I majored in Communications instead of Theatre Arts, since I had already done that in New York and I wanted to start writing more efficiently. Writing, [unknown] to most, is one of my secret passions. But my love for film and theatre could not be ignored. I double minored in film and theatre because, as much as I deny [it] myself, I am a filmmaker and actor through and through.
BM: You went from being in front of the camera, to behind the camera, then back on-cam. How do you plan to apply the knowledge you gained in school to the local TV / movie industry?
G: [By taking] baby steps. It takes a movement to start a revolution and the movement needs to start with the audience demanding for better quality films, that are non-stereotypical. There is a lot of room for improvement in any industry, and I hope I will be given an opportunity to create niche films that cater to a specific audience.
BM: Tell us about your present and upcoming projects in the Philippines.
G: As an actor, I just finished a soap opera with David Archuleta for TV5. I just finished shooting a documentary with the Basco Brothers and will [begin] post-production editing soon. I have also started a new soap opera that will be airing on ABS-CBN in May.
BM: Tell us about your work with fellow Fil-Ams in Hollywood. Can you name some of the people you’ve worked with?
G: There is a tight community in Los Angeles of Fil-Am artists who are looking to collaborate. I was fortunate to have been able to meet many actors, through other friends in the industry. Winston Emano, a publicist and fellow Fil-Am, has really connected me to other filmmakers such as the Basco Family. I have also been able to collaborate with Leslie-Anne Huff, Clifford Bañagale, Michael Copon, Jenilee Reyes and many others.
BM: What made you decide to come back to the Philippines?
G: Coming home to the Philippines was an easy decision, because I had been gone for twelve years. After I graduated, Tim (my husband) really encouraged [me to come home], reassuring me of his full-fledged support, as I embark on a new career in production behind the camera.
Also, as parents, it is very important to us that the children speak Tagalog. Our eldest is turning seven and is almost at the threshold, where she will not be able to pick up the language, if not immersed. Also, my mother still lives here in Manila and it is important to me that my children grow up knowing their lola (grandmother).
BM: What did you miss most about our mother country?
G: The beaches, my friends and the complacent, relaxed way of life.
BM: Tell us about your joint project with the Basco Family.
G: Dante Basco [spoke with] me several times about doing a homecoming project with his siblings. When I told him that I was coming back for a job, it seemed serendipitous. He asked me to produce it and I got in touch with my local production partners (like Michael Carandang) who helped co-produce it and made it happen. We now have thirteen homecoming episodes of the Basco Family called the Basco Balikbayan Project.
BM: Why do you think it’s important for 2nd and 3rd generation Fil-Ams to experience life in the Philippines firsthand?
G: It’s very important for all of us to see our motherland, to be able to appreciate all the sacrifices and hardships our ancestors made, in order to provide their lineage with a better life. In order to understand and grasp a concept that contains what it means to be Filipino—[one has to] live it. Not just visit. It goes beyond the clothing with emblems of the Philippine flag or beyond dishes like adobo and lechon. One needs to immerse themselves in the culture and be among their countrymen.
The Philippines is so diverse and there are pockets of metropolis everywhere now. Yet there are still the sacred places that are untouched by commercialism and capitalism, albeit few, they are still within reach for the average balikbayan to experience.
I encourage people who are searching for their culture to come back and witness firsthand what the country has to offer—a more enlightened view and opinion about the sensibilities of the Filipino.
Coming Home
Having lived a totally different life so far from home, finding love, and creating her own family outside the Philippine borders, it seems that G has not only grown more beautiful on the outside, but also on the inside.
The G Tongi we know today is more empowered—fueled by her desire to revolutionize the industry that she grew up in. She returns to her homeland, armed with more confidence, certainty, knowledge and the passion to share her ideas.
