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Janine Gutierrez
Actress/Model, Showbiz Royalty
Security Bank client since 2015
The Spanish-Filipina actress may be known for her star-studded family tree and iconic teleserye roles, but Janine Gutierrez is the epitome of a low maintenance star.
Like most twenty-somethings, Janine wants simple things: a Starbucks frappe, a fix of isaw, and the next episode of Game of Thrones. But when the camera starts rolling, she transforms into a woman on a mission—a showbiz scion trying to carve out her own niche of stardom.
“Hi, I’m Janine! Nice to meet you!” she exclaims, greeting and shaking everyone’s hand. “Ang ganda mo pala in person,” a (blushing) crew member tells her. Her smile is enough of a reply—everyone is already starstruck. A graduate of European studies from Ateneo, Janine dreamt of working in international relations. She recalls an interview with a local newspaper: “I wanted to be an ambassador or a diplomat. It just seemed kind of romantic…”
For someone wired for fame at such a young age, Janine seems to be unaware of her family’s legendary status. “Legit?!” she blurts out when a creative director notes that Nora Aunor, her grandmother, was Security Bank’s endorser in the 70’s. Despite her growing prominence in the primetime scene, Janine remains grounded and unassuming. “I hope you [Security Bank] make me an endorser!” she recalls saying in jest when she got her home loan. “I was just joking about it when I visited one of the branches. Now that it’s real, I’m just really grateful.”
When we finally got Janine on our interview chair, we saw an independent, confident woman who is ready to make her family proud, in her own way.
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Browse our loansSo you recently bought a new house, what made you decide to live alone?
J: I really wanted a space for myself ‘cause I share a room with 2 other sisters—so it’s me, my younger sister, and my youngest sister. It’s a really small room so my youngest sister sleeps on the floor. So she’s so kawawa—she’s never had her own bed, and then syempre since we’re kinda growing up na, we like start to accumulate more stuff. I really wanted a place for us and for my siblings also because the place I got is closer to our school, so at least we have like a halfway home.
We were surprised that you financed your new house with a home loan. How did that go?
J:I applied for it myself. Of course, I was looking for an affordable interest rate because that’s one of the most important things when it comes to loans… how much you can afford to pay.
Applying for home loans are known to be a hassle especially here in the Philippines. How was your experience with Security Bank?
J: It was really smooth! I was thinking, “oh my gosh, they might ask so much from me or they might be so particular about my job or my salary, baka they won’t approve me.” But then Ms. Aileen [in the branch] explained everything to me—the home loan, the insurance, even some investments; and then a few days later they got back to me and said that I got approved! I was super surprised that it was that easy.
“I was really satisfied with the way Security Bank handled my home loan—it was quick and hassle-free. Now every time I wake up in my new bed and then see my new sala, I always feel grateful to Security Bank for helping me get my dream home.”
As a celebrity, how important is having a bank that manages your finances for you?
J: It’s really important especially with my line of work. I think, similar to freelancers and a lot of the people who have different rackets and different jobs, your income depends on the work that you do each month. So it’s really important that you know how to budget, because there will be months that you have less work than you did last month… so it’s really important knowing where to put your money, knowing how to save, and knowing that your money is safe.
Are you doing anything to ensure that your finances grow hand-in-hand with your career?
J: Actually, lately, my priority has been my home loan. But now that things are settled already, I’m really planning to research more on investments and time deposits… because I also want to make sure that the money that I have in the bank isn’t just sitting there, it’s also growing.