Liza Soberano recalls encounter with “kapre”
Liza Soberano's beauty is so captivating it even captured the attention of a "kapre" when she was still in high school.
During last week's virtual presscon for "TRESE" (Thirteen), her upcoming Netflix series, the 23-year old actress deemed by TC Candler as 2017's Most Beautiful Face shared her own brush with supernatural beings.
Liza recalled how a “kapre” (supernatural tree-dwelling giant) was once smitten with her. While she was still studying in her dad’s home province of Pangasinan, she was mysteriously sick “every so often.” And one day, she woke up with a massive scratch on her thigh.
The actress laughingly shared her encounter with the albularyo (folk healer) brought her to. “I think one day dinala ako sa manggagamot (I was brought to a healer). And for some reason, they said that merong kapre daw na nakabantay sa akin sa bintana ng kwarto ko na may crush sa akin (there was a kapre looking through my room window who had a crush on me).”
The healer also warned them about hanging Liza’s underwear outside. “Stop making sampay (hanging) her panty outside because baka anong gawin ng kapre to her panty. (The kapre might do something to her panty.)"
Liza, however, clarified that she neither saw nor had any actual experience with the kapre. Liza said that she’s aware about these supernatural creatures but is unsure on whether she believes them or not. "To this day, I feel like there are some mythological creatures that are maybe true or real but there are some, I don't know, to see is to believe, I guess," the actress said.
Having grown up in the States, Liza said it was her relatives who introduced her to Filipino folklore and supernatural creatures. “When I first came to the Philippines when I was 10, my family here in the Philippines kind of introduced me to these mythological creatures like the “tiyanak” (vampiric creatures taking the form of human babies), “aswang” (shape-shifting creatures known to feed on humans), “kapres” and the like.”
Liza encouraged her supporters to watch “TRESE” that spotlights Philippine mythology. “I think people should watch “TRESE” because it’s so rich in Filipino culture and Philippine mythology. I feel like it’s a very good representation. Even though it’s based on fiction, it still has a lot of truth to it. There are so many scenes we can all relate to. I’m just excited for more people to be able to dive into our culture and get to know more about us. The Filipino culture is so rich and colorful. I feel like it isn’t shown a lot on the global stage,” she said.
Liza lends her voice to Alexandra Trese in the Filipino version of "TRESE," Netflix's adaptation of the Filipino graphic novel written by Budjette Tan and illustrated by KaJO Baldisimo. It is created for screen by Jay Oliva ("Wonder Woman," "The Legend of Korra"). Shay Mitchell ("YOU," "Pretty Little Liars") voices Trese in the English version.
"TRESE" premieres on June 11 with six episodes. The anime is set in Manila where supernatural creatures live among unsuspecting humans. In the story, detectives call on Liza's character Trese whenever they encounter mysterious supernatural cases.
Ana Catalina Paje is a development journalist passionate about grassroots communication geared towards genuine social change. She also writes about showbiz, lifestyle, and all things Pinoy pride. The views expressed are her own.
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