Ice Seguerra (born Aiza Seguerra) is one of the most talented and influential artists in the Philippine entertainment industry. Entering showbiz at a very young age, Ice has gone through a tumultuous journey, from a lovely child star, a famous pop singer, to an icon who dares to be true to himself.

Ice Seguerra first became famous when she participated in the show “Eat Bulaga!” in the late 1980s. Her lovely face and natural acting style helped Ice quickly become loved by the audience and received many important roles in famous movies. However, despite her success in acting, Ice found her true passion in music.

When she switched to singing, Ice Seguerra made her mark with a series of hits such as *Pagdating ng Panahon*, a song that became a classic and helped Ice affirm her position in the Philippine music industry. With his warm and soulful voice, Ice has not only captured the hearts of fans but has also been recognized as one of the most talented singers and songwriters of his generation.

One of Ice Seguerra’s biggest turning points was his journey to openly identify his gender identity. In 2014, Ice officially came out as a transgender man, marking an important step in his life. This decision was not easy as he faced pressure from the public and the media. However, with strong support from his family, especially his partner Liza Diño, Ice had the strength to live his true self.

Ice’s courage has inspired many people in the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines. Not only is he a talented artist, Ice is also an active social activist, always speaking up for equality and the rights of the community.

Currently, Ice Seguerra continues to dedicate himself to music and art. He regularly appears in music events, television shows and is constantly creating to bring meaningful works to the audience.

In addition to art, Ice also participates in many social activities and once held the role of Chairman of the National Youth Development Corporation of the Philippines (NYC). This is an important milestone, showing that his dedication is not only limited to the entertainment industry but also extends to the community.

Despite many challenges, Ice Seguerra has always maintained an optimistic spirit and steadfastly followed the path he has chosen. His life is a testament to courage, effort and perseverance – an inspiring story for everyone.

Ice Seguerra on child star life: Nothing traumatic, only fond memories
When Ice Seguerra celebrates his 35th year in showbiz with a concert titled Becoming Ice on Oct. 15 at The Theater at Solaire, it will be an intimate yet encompassing look into the journey to his “authentic” self as a person, artist and member of the LGBTQ community.

“I was formerly known as Aiza Seguerra. Becoming Ice is also a journey, career-wise and personal life-wise. That’s what it’s all about. I want to show during the concert how I became who I am now,” Ice told The STAR during a recent interview.

Ice decided to do a concert, which he also directs and produces with his wife, former Film Development Council of the Philippines head Liza Diño, after forgoing one on his 30th year because he was in government service at that time.

“On my 35th, Liza and I discussed that we should do something because if you look at the trajectory of my career, I started in the industry as a beauty queen (laughs), it’s true. Then I became a singer. And then now, it’s another journey for me as a director. I’m going around, I’m back to what I used to be, so it’s really something to celebrate,” he said.

“With my personal life, a lot has also happened as an LGBTQ person. I also had many milestones. So, that’s something to be celebrated.

“At the same time, with the pandemic and all, these milestones in your life should be celebrated. That’s what I’ve learned because you never know when’s the next chance you will get (to do) it.”

Becoming Ice boasts of a line-up of industry icons — Vic Sotto, Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Regine Velasquez, Chito Miranda, the Tres Marias of Bayang Barrios, Cooky Chua and Lolita Carbon, and more — who all played an important role in Ice’s life through the years. The repertoire will include hits plus carefully chosen songs with the intention of weaving his story. “This 35th has to be authentically me,” Ice said.

The concert will showcase archival footage from his beginnings at Eat Bulaga, the sitcom Okay Ka Fairy Ko, among others, because a big part of who Ice is now is his days as the country’s top child star.

Ice, who turned 39 last Sept. 17, has been having a blast bringing out old photos and articles from that period well-archived by his mom Caridad.

“I’m laughing (because) I have an attribute?” he mused. “I really, really enjoy watching my younger self, maybe because he’s gone, like oh my God, that’s how I looked back then! I was looking at all the photos because we will be showing (them), I was so happy. I’ve seen the old writeups and interviews. I saw a (writeup) where I answered something about Matet. I answered him, ‘He’s not a bad guy, he’s just a smart guy.’ Such answers, ‘di ba atribida?” he laughingly said, referring to former “rival” child star Matet de Leon.

Ice was first discovered for showbiz after winning Eat Bulaga’s Little Miss Philippines at three years old. Before that, the precocious Aiza Seguerra was already joining sagalas and regaling people in his old neighborhood in Dapitan, Manila with his antics.

His mom was then egged on by friends to let Aiza join the popular kiddie pageant of the noontime show. “Because I used to do it when I was little, I didn’t have a nanny to look after me, so Mommy would take me to the market, she would leave me at my godmother’s stand. Then when she got back, I had a lot of vegetables and fish because I was performing there. The market people would give me fish (laughs)!

“It all started there. I was never shy when it came to performing as a kid. Even a hairbrush, I’d sing to it. Even in my daddy’s office, I’d sing. So that’s when they got me in.”

He remembered when they went to the office of TAPE, Inc. which produces Eat Bulaga, they arrived too early at 8 a.m., and were told by the security guard to return after the end of the program. “But my mommy said, if we leave now, we will no longer come back.”

They were made to wait in a canteen and there, Ice put on a show again. Before he knew it, he scored an audition.

He further recalled how supportive his parents — mom Caridad and his late dad Decoroso — became after the initial hesitation.

“One time, my mom had to sit on the stage as I was crying because of the 9 a.m. call time. We were just about to tape, it was Friday, the taping started on Tuesday, so I was so bored. I was such a mommy’s girl when I was a kid, I couldn’t even see my mommy, my god, I was really crying.

“So, my mama would sit on the side while I was taping. During the grand finals, Mommy would stay in front so I could see her, while my daddy, he would fix my hair. Why was my hair like that — everyone thought I was curly — that’s what mommy would do, because I had very little hair, I had thin hair, I put a hairpin on it then beer so my hair would have ‘body’ (laughs), very old school.”

Ice won the contest with the cash prize of P5,000 and a college plan (he got to use it for his studies at the University of Sto. Tomas), after which he plunged into the showbiz world and never looked back. As a bankable child star, he starred in at least 30 movies and TV shows.

Looking back, Ice only had good memories of this time in his life. He said it felt like a big playground with his workmates as playmates. He was also happy with the people he was surrounded with, from Eat Bulaga to Okay Ka Fairy Ko, who admonished him when necessary. “For me, that’s very important because when you grow up in this kind of industry, you will be surrounded by yes men… I feel like the values ​​that they taught me, I still carry them with me,” he said.

Asked about the downsides of working so early in life, he said, “There are always disadvantages. Perhaps, I only realized that recently. As I get older, I see that sometimes I think of children as, you should work too. You should contribute to the family, and at seven years old, sometimes I feel that way. Then, I’ll suddenly remember, it’s not the norm, I’m the exception, you know what I mean?

“But sometimes, you really can’t help but feel that way. I never had a traumatizing experience either. Every time I looked back, they were all fond memories for me. It was fun, at the same time, (I was) earning.”

Nevertheless, if he has any advice to parents of children who want to be artists, he said, “I liked how my mom made sure I trained. I remember that time I had to train for dancing, singing, acting not too much, but singing and dancing really because my mommy believes that if you’re in this industry, you have to know it all.

“As child actors, we’re just cute for a few years, I mean, (literally) I’m still cute until now (laughs) but, you know, cuteness can only go so far. We have to show them that besides being cute, we have something else to offer, we have other talents to give.

“So, to the parents of the young artists now, it’s very important to have your kids trained because this is work, this is a job, it’s not a hobby. When you enter (this field), you have to know you’re working with professional actors who value their time and their craft as well. Like me, I don’t want to work with a child actor who doesn’t know how to give it back, like that, we should be stoned.”

Ice also advised that parents must still act as parents even if their kids are earning and contributing to the family income. “It’s not because your son is making money, they’re the boss. No. That’s the worst thing you could do when you treat them like they’re the ones being followed. They’re still your kids because in this world, everyone is pampered, their heads are made big. It’s up to you parents to keep them grounded.

“I swear you won’t like what happens when you let them go. Promise, I’ve seen a lot of sad stories where their fame gets into their heads — (into) drugs, alcoholics — and we don’t want it to happen, right? This work, if you don’t tread carefully, can actually break you. It’s very important for parents to make sure the child has a strong foundation so that their child can last long in this industry.”