THE ART OF EVOLUTION

G TÖNGI-WALTERS WAS MANILA’S PERENNIAL IT-GIRL BEFORE LEAVING FOR NEW YORK TO BECOME A SERIOUS ACTRESS. NOW SHE’S BACK BRINGING WITH HER A HUSBAND, TWO KIDS, AND A BRAND NEW POINT OF VIEW

- DANIEL MABANTA

FOR MANY WHO GREW UP IN THE 90’S, MTV WAS QUITE A BIG DEAL. Lethargically sprawling out in front of the TV every afternoon after school, discovering whether the artist of the month was Brandy or Puff Daddy, all the while ogling a lovely half-Asian VJ with a disarming smile, was something of a ritual for an entire generation. With her magnetism and free-spirited charisma, Giselle “G” Töngi was one of the reasons we all sat around the television watching insipid pop music videos. Aside from being one of MTV Asia’s most popular faces, G was also an established film star, racking up close to 40 movies and TV shows before the age of 21. She was a young woman living a seemingly charmed life, a national superstar, and Manila’s certified It-Girl. And then she left.

Today we meet somewhere in Rizal province, which though not a great distance outside of Metro Manila, certainly feels like it. The vast, now deforested plains possess a sort of desolate remoteness reminiscent of an air raid scene from Apocalypse Now. The modest altitude of this elevated area does not save us from Manila’s notorious heat wave unfortunately. The sun is out in force today. Yet the moderately rough conditions do not disrupt G’s mood, which remains upbeat. “We’re in the bukid,” she quips, feigning discomfort. “I haven’t been up this early in a while. I don’t have a normal schedule. Every day is different so I guess that keeps it exciting.”