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You don’t see any bitterness in Melissa Mendez’s glowing face even if you know this single mom has played mother and father to three girls for the past 21 years.

“I always think positive,” she explains. Like most people born under the zodiac sign Leo, Melissa takes life by the horn and stares at challenges in the eye.

If the fathers of her daughters Denise, 21, Cassandra, 17 and Alexandra, 10 just provide for the girls’ tuition and nothing more, that’s fine. Melissa is no clinging vine that has to hang on to something or someone to survive.

She has TV shows, like GMA 7’s Luna Mystika, where Melissa plays Mark Anthony Fernandez’s mom. Recently, Melissa put up Emerge Entertainment with siblings Glenda Garcia and Mervin Yap. The trio has just wrapped up their first venture, the indie film Hilot, slated for a Jan. 21 playdate (with a free premiere showing on Jan. 20, 7 p.m. at SM Megamall Cinema 10).

You don’t stay 26 years in the business (and still counting) like Melissa has and think twice about putting up your own production venture.

Besides, Melissa and her siblings thought it would be a good way of helping the industry.

“Instead of just keeping the money, we’d rather invest,” explains Melissa. “We felt an indie film is a good way to start. We will also help the industry by providing jobs for movie workers.”

Besides, she adds, her daughters are always out of the house these days. Instead of moping at home, why not make herself gainfully occupied with more of the work she loves?

So, when she went to the premiere night for one of director Neal “Buboy“ Tan’s films and went away impressed, she didn’t waste time in pitching her offer. Can he direct her first movie as a producer?

Tan showed her a couple of scripts until Melissa read the story of Hilot and instantly fell in love with it.

“Ours is a pro-life movie,” Melissa crows. “The story revolves around an abortionist named Carmen (which she plays) who preys on young women unprepared for motherhood.”

Somewhere in the middle of the film though, the story takes a 360-degree turn. The twist is enough to win the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Education Department and the Pro-Life group’s nod.

The endorsements are helping push the film a lot. Melissa reports that a lot of schools are interested to show Hilot to their students.

So proud is Melissa of Hilot she will not stop until it is shown not just in the Philippines, but abroad as well. She is eyeing not one, but two international filmfests like Cannes and the Chicago International Filmfest. In fact, she has already talked to somebody who can help her bring Hilot to the Chicago International Filmfest.

And because making Hilot is such a joy and a breeze, Melissa is bent on coming up with a follow-up production. This early, she’s looking for a good script for her second film.

Could she be so engrossed with movie production she’s forgetting all about her personal happiness?

“I have suitors,” Melissa admits. “But what I want this time is someone who is consistent in showing his intentions for me.”

The still single Melissa (she never married any of the men in her life) is not closing the doors on marriage. But now, having no love life is fine with her.

For now, her children and producing films are the great loves of her life.

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