DURING THE long vacation last week, I had to rest and stay in bed for a couple of days due to my asthma. With nothing to do and with my two sisters “guarding” me tightly to ensure I didn’t get out of the house, I turned on the television to while away my time. I spent the days watching an assortment of movies and telenovelas, including old pageant videos, movie clips, and recaps on YouTube.
While surfing YouTube, three local soap operas caught my attention because of the presence of larger-than-life female villains who made the lives of the main characters pitiful than hell. Watching their hysterics and sinister moves, I couldn’t help but recall all the most-hated and vilified actresses in Philippine cinema – from Etang Discher and Bella Flores to Celia Rodriguez and Cherie Gil – and think of the telenovela characters that left indelible marks in the hearts of many Filipinos – from Doña Menang and Doña Agueda, to Selina Matias, Claudia Buenavista and Leona Fiero.
Filipinos love underdogs. It is quite understandable why many of us find it easy to associate ourselves with film and television characters who struggle and face many adversities in the beginning, and then rise above it all and succeed in the end. One can even consider it a pièce de résistance when the main character is able to avenge the death of a loved one, usually a family member or the best friend, or even his or her own misfortunes, by claiming every single property that once belonged to the chief antagonist.
Over the years, many screenwriters have struggled how to humanize these characters so they can turn out into more relatable personas who have their own back stories and struggles that will explain their own flaws. Further, some shows in the past were actually social dramas that provided an avenue for the show’s production and creative team to make the viewing experience a peek into the many issues that confront the country.
Sometimes I wish viewers are more circumspect to relate these fictional characters into the real people who make life difficult for them and the country. For example, the Elite Squad in Magandang Dilag might as well be the group composed of a leading government official together with his political allies who connived with officials of other agencies to corner all government contracts leading to substandard roads, bridges and public school buildings; or that infamous group behind the purchase of overpriced medical supplies at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even Mayor Magnus can be any of our local executives who continue to rely on gold, guns and goons to perpetuate himself in power.
On the other hand, “Z” or Zyra Aguerro of Senior High is the typical spoiled brat who relies on her family’s power and influence. She thinks she always gets what she wants, regardless of how she gets it, and must never be questioned what she does with what she gets. She wants people who oppose her to get out of her way and she makes no excuses for this behavior. Her obsession with Gino Acosta reminds me of a former presidential daughter and that infamous “kidnapping” of a popular sportsman, who later on divorced his beauty queen wife so the two could get married.
Well, Moira Tanyag calls herself the queen of APEX Hospital. Never mind that Dora-inspired wig for she is every inch an evil queen. As the first lady of the leading medical institution, she took over in highly deceitful means, connived with other people, and fired everyone who questioned her new policies. She does not mince any word in issuing threats to the other workers, including the hard-working and dedicated front liners. With a weakling and good-for-nothing husband, she is bent to stay in power event if it means cutting ties with her husband’s family.
Do these characters remind you of real people who are the reasons for our misfortunes as a people? Your guess is as good as mine. After all, art imitates life; and no other field can be a source of inspiration for movie and television writers that is as rich and dynamic as the country’s socio-political landscape.
