American–Filipino actress Liza Soberano has worn countless costumes, played countless roles, but nothing could have prepared her fans for the rawness of her latest portrayal, herself. In “Can I Come In?,” a highly produced podcast-documentary hybrid, the actress sits in a bathtub, almost curled into herself exposing the unvarnished truth of her past.
She has been in the entertainment industry since she was 12 years old. For 15 years, audiences knew only the glamor, the beauty, the carefully polished surface.
The episode, pointedly titled “Liza Soberano: Mind Your F**king Business,” premiered on Aug. 14, 2025, and quickly garnered 3.5 million views as of this writing. It unfolds in three chapters.
In Chapter One, Liza bares the darkest corners of her childhood. She recalls her mother’s addiction and her father, once a chemist, deported after cases of drug involvement, not following a restraining order and carrying illegal firearms piled up against him. “My mom sadly has a really bad addiction to crystal meth and my dad, he was a chemist, so they were kind of like this Bonnie and Clyde duo, not really thinking about the consequences,” she revealed.
Left with her mother and her mom’s boyfriend at the age of two, Liza was thrust into chaos. She recounted being caught up in a kidnapping case after her mother’s boyfriend stole a van. When they were nearly caught, violence erupted. “He hit me in the head with the bottom of the gun he was holding,” she said.
Her story spiraled into even darker territory, moving from house to house, eventually ending up with a woman named Melissa as her foster mother, where she endured eight months of abuse. She was bullied, starved and humiliated.
“I would have to sit in a big cardboard box behind the sofa, like a dog,” she said, describing the degrading conditions she was forced to live in. Once, Liza was asked to clean dog poop off the carpet with her tongue.
Chapter Two shifted into another kind of heartbreak, her relationship with Enrique Gil. Both her on-screen partner and long-time boyfriend, Liza confirmed that they had officially broken up three years ago. It was a revelation that left many LizQuen fans stunned, but it was also a necessary step in reclaiming her truth.
In Chapter Three, the imagery turns symbolic. Liza is seen walking in front of an old mansion, slicing pieces of cake for each person who hurt her before smashing them to bits, a ritual of release, a gesture of gratitude for being able to let go.
Ambassador for ‘Save the Children PH’
Fans quickly connected the revelations to her 18th birthday, which she spent with Save the Children, the global humanitarian organization she quietly supported.
“As an actress, I’m not here just to entertain but as a public figure to speak up on things that matter,” she said in a follow-up post on Instagram, Aug. 19. “That is my responsibility. If I don’t speak up out of discomfort or fear, what chance do all the scared and voiceless women and children who are still in dangerous situations have?”
Liza cited sobering figures: as many as 100,000 Filipino children are exploited in prostitution, while 1.48 million children aged 5 to 17 were reported by the U.S. Department of State in 2022 to be engaged in child labor, many in hazardous conditions.
“For anyone who needs to hear this, people may try to guilt you or shame you for speaking up. Don’t let them,” she urged. “Cruel people will try to discredit your story, they’ll say you are exaggerating or being self-serving, don’t mind them. Only those with hardness in their hearts would discourage your voice.”
She also warned against those who prey on the pain of others: “Only those with no light of their own need to use the sadness of others as fuel for their egos. You will shine, and they will fade away.”
In the caption of her post, Liza encouraged her followers to rally behind the cause: “Make a stand together, fight together, and work together to create a safer and kinder world for each other. Bit by bit, let’s make meaningful change and stop allowing the callous and greedy from driving our narrative.”
Her words have since resonated beyond the entertainment world. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and its attached agency, the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), publicly commended her courage in speaking out in a press release on Aug.19.
“Speaking up about one’s past is never easy, especially for children who have gone through painful and traumatic experiences. It’s like revisiting wounds that haven’t fully healed,” DSWD spokesperson Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao said. “That’s why we deeply respect and value those who come forward despite the difficulty. Their stories help open important conversations so that these experiences no longer define the lives of future generations of children.”
The CWC echoed this, noting: “Liza’s story reflects the painful reality that many Filipino children continue to face — growing up in environments that expose them to trauma, instability, and harm from those who are meant to nurture them.”
Both agencies highlighted the long-term impact of childhood trauma and stressed the need for stronger protective mechanisms, psychosocial support, and programs like the Parent Effectiveness Service (PES) under Republic Act 11908, which equips parents with tools to prevent abuse and foster healthier family environments.
The DSWD also reminded the public of the Makabata Helpline 1383, a 24/7 hotline for urgent cases of child abuse, neglect or discrimination.
In “Can I Come In?,” she lets fans in, not into a dressing room or a red-carpet moment, but into her deepest wounds. And in doing so, she reminds us that the girl behind the glamor is, above all, a survivor.