Kim Chiu’s grandmother had only one house rule for the young Chiu then: to not stay up late outside. She broke the rule one time and was sorry that she did, especially as it led to her developing a phobia later.

Chiu recalled that fateful day when she did not follow her grandma’s order, as well as other restrictions imposed on her as a young girl, during the virtual conference for iWantTFC’s original “Bawal Lumabas: The Series,” held last Tuesday, Dec. 8.

“Yung lola ko ang nagsasabi na bawal umuwi nang late. Umuwi ako ng late. Inabangan ako ng mga pusa sa bahay namin,” Chiu recalled.

(My grandmother said we’re prohibited to come home late. I came home late. Our cats in the house waited for me.)

The cats then reacted to her arrival in a way that scared her seriously.

“Hinabol talaga ako ng limang pusa. Hanggang ngayon ay takot pa rin ako sa pusa kapag nag-eye-to-eye contact kami,” she recalled.

(Five cats chased me. Until now, I still fear cats, more so when we I get to have eye-to-eye contact with them.)

Chiu then pointed out that her parents were not as strict.

“Parang ako na lang ang mag-iisip kung masama ba ito o hindi,” she related. (It’s up to me to decide if something is right or wrong.)

She does remember her parents saying that she must not eat shrimps because she is allergic to them. One day, she defied this advice and suffered the consequences.

“Nagpumilit ako, kinain ko ang mga hipon. Ayun, lumaki ang mata ko, hindi ako nakahinga,” she recalled.

(I insisted, I ate the shrimps. So there, my eyes got swollen and I could not breathe.)

As Emerald in the series, Chiu supposedly worked as an OFW for ten years. Emerald then went back home only to find out that things were not as they were supposed to be in the family.

“Hindi lang pala money ang may control ng lahat. Akala mo, nakaipon ka na, maganda ang buhay nila, iba pa rin pala. Dapat may bonding and communication,” she said.

(It’s not just money which controls everything. You may think that you have saved enough, that your family is living a good life, but it’s still different. There should be bonding and communication.)

kim chiu ig — Kim Chiu. Image: Instagram/@chinitaprincess

Standard and premium subscribers will be able to watch “Bawal Lumabas: The Series” starting Dec. 14 on the iWantTFC app or on iwanttfc.com. The series will have six episodes, with daily drops at 6 p.m. until Dec. 19. JB

Kim Chiu’s viral dance video has no violations, MMDA agrees