Young actress Andrea Brillantes opened up about being diagnosed with congenital anosmia, which is when one is born with the inability to smell.

She discussed her condition in her interview with Karen Davila on the broadcaster’s YouTube channel last Saturday, July 9.

“Wala po akong pang amoy (I don’t have a sense of smell) at all,” Brillantes said, even joking that one can break wind right at her face and she still would not be able to smell it.

Brillantes shared that there was an instance when her dad broke wind and she could not smell it, which led her to realize that she does not have a sense of smell.

“Silang lahat, hinintay nila ang reaction ko. Doon ko na-realize, hala, may mali ba sa akin?” she said. (All of them, they were waiting for my reaction. That was when I realized, gosh, is there something wrong with me?)

Another instance was when her elder sister has a collection of perfumes which she tried on. She kept spraying on her neck until her neck felt warm, yet she could not smell the perfume.

What she has is “sensation,” she said, like when she feels cool, when she uses rubbing alcohol on her body.

With that, Brillantes admits that she does not have all the five senses and she is not able to experience the world the way normal people would.

“Mahilig po ako sa pabango, actually. ‘Yung ate ko, ‘yung jowa ko, sila ‘yung pinapaamoy ko. ‘Ano’ng amoy nito? Explain mo,’” she said. (I am fond of perfumes, actually. My elder sister, my boyfriend, they are the ones who smell for me: “What does this smell like? Explain it.”)

Davila then asked her, “Pero ‘yung sense of taste mo kumpleto?” (Is your sense of taste complete?)

“Sa akin po, kumpleto naman pero hindi ko po masasabi kasi pinanganak akong ganito. So, hindi ko mako-compare kung anong natitikman ninyo sa natitikman ko. So, hindi ko alam if kulang ‘yung sa akin. Pero sabi nila ate kulang kaya daw ako mahilig sa mga sobrang maasim, maalat, sweet,” she said.

(For me, it is complete, but I cannot really say because I was born like this. I cannot compare what you taste to what I taste. So, I do not know if mine is lacking. But my elder sister says that it is lacking, that is why I am fond of sour, salty and sweet.) JB

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