Seasoned actress Sunshine Dizon was stoked for the cast of Wagas, since the series is back on TV. The series will once again tug at the hearts of Kapuso viewers as it returns to television, airing beginning today before Eat Bulaga.
“I’m very happy for the cast especially for Mike Tan because we get to work again. We just want to give our viewers the kind of drama that they can easily relate to. That’s the goal of the entire team,” Sunshine said during the series’ press launch on Thursday.
Inspiring viewers to believe in the power of true love, Wagas now feature stories that will run for one month. For its pilot episode, Sunshine and Mike reunite on the small screen for the episode “Throwback Pag-ibig.”
“It’s a family story. A couple encounters a difficult challenge—they lost their child—but eventually, their prayers are answered to have their child back. Now, the story will revolve around how they are going to fix the broken pieces and the heartaches they encountered when they lost their child. So, it’s more of rebuilding the family,” Sunshine narrated.
“It’s more reality-based in terms of the lines in our script. They are more relatable compared to other grand scale dramas. This is lighter, of course, since it’s a late morning program,” she added.
Directed by Adolf Alix, Jr., “Throwback Pag-ibig” is the story of couple July (Sunshine) and Ryan (Mike) whose relationship fell apart because of a tragedy that led to the loss of the person they both love the most—their daughter Smile (Leanne Bautista).
During the years away from Ryan, July coped with her loss by striving to become a strong, independent woman. She now manages her own dress shop, “July Brides and Gowns”, together with her Nanay Sosing and good friend Mama Ru. Even though she is now successful, she still feels like a failure when she remembers what happened to Smile. Behind July’s sunny and positive façade is a longing to see her. Will she be able to reunite with her daughter?
Ryan, on the other hand, is now an accomplished engineer. He once thought he had found his true love in July but after the tragedy, he blamed her for losing Smile. Seeing July only reminds him of what they both lost. Now, he is starting his life over with his current girlfriend, Amor (Regine Angeles).
But fate must have something up her sleeve. Just as July and Ryan are finally moving on, they discover that Smile is alive. But the good news is marred with a bitter discovery that their daughter is sick.
As Smile returns to the arms of her real parents, can she also mend the broken hearts of July and Ryan and reunite her family? Will July and Ryan be able to love each other again now that they have Smile?
Sunshine is no stranger to Wagas, having been part of its episodes before. “Happy ako kasi malapit sa puso ko ang mga taga-GMA Public Affairs. I always enjoy working with them,” Sunshine said.
Mike, on the other hand, shared that he was able to relate to his character. “Nakaka-relate ako kasi tatay na rin ako eh. Mabigat ‘yung mangyayari. Ako naririnig ko pa lang [sa story conference] parang sobrang bigat na,” he said.
First aired in 2013 on GMA News TV, Wagas has become a weekly routine of Kapuso viewers. It won a Gold Camera Award in the Docudrama category at the 2014 US International Film and Video Festival for the love story of a man with cerebral palsy. The show also received a Finalist Certificate from the same award-giving body in 2016 for the “Gabriela and Diego Silang Story.”
It recently won the “Best Drama Anthology” award at the 2019 Gawad Tanglaw (Gawad Tagapagpuring mga Akademisyan ng Aninong Gumagalaw). In 2018, Wagas was recognized as the “Best Drama Series/Program” by the Catholic Mass Media Awards and as the “Most Development-Oriented Drama Program” by the Gandingan 2019: The 13th UPLB Isko’t Iska’s Multi-media Awards of University of the Philippines Los Baños.
Don’t miss Wagas’ first month-long story, “Throwback Pag-ibig”, Mondays to Fridays beginning on September 2. Viewers abroad can also watch Wagas on GMA’s flagship international channel, GMA Pinoy TV. For the program guide, visit www.gmapinoytv.com.
