Dominic Zapata, the director of the local adaptation of the global hit Descendants of the Sun, may have made some compromises in making the show, but there’s one thing that he made sure, he promised the viewers that he is not compromising their trust in the craft.
“I will not compromise the quality and your expectations of Descendants of the Sun and I will not compromise us, Filipinos, doing a Filipino adaptation of this widely-loved Koreanovela,” he told the crowd at the GMA Studio during the series, grand media conference attended by members of the press and some uniformed units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“We remained faithful to the story, but what we did, pinakapal namin ang backstory ng mga characters. This will allow the viewers to know where these characters are coming from and why they make decisions the way they do,” Zapata added.
GMA Network’s local adaptation of one of the world’s most well-loved drama series makes its highly-anticipated debut on Philippine TV screens tonight. No less than Dingdong Dantes and Jennylyn Mercado headline the romantic story of alpha team leader Captain Lucas Manalo and cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. Maxine Dela Cruz, otherwise dearly known as ‘Big Boss’ and ‘Beauty’.
“ Story-wise, may tweaks to make it more Pinoy, pero hindi nawawala ‘yung mga elements na nagustuhan ng tao. We’re very excited for this series and we’re very proud of it,” shared Dingdong.
Jennylyn echoed his sentiments, “We are very excited to share this with our viewers. We’re proud of the scenes, big scenes that we shot. From the director to the members of the cast, ‘yung buong production team, lahat kumikilos para mapaganda ‘yung show.”
From the very beginning, their relationship was off to a rocky start. As part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Forces, Lucas is always sent off to various missions that last from days to weeks. And with shifts as long and as busy as Maxine’s, the right timing was never on their side. She tries to distance herself from him and his dangerous job, but instead finds herself unable to resist him. One disaster after another befalls upon them, but their love stands stronger than anything that comes their way.
Reporting with them for duty are actors Rocco Nacino and Jasmine Curtis-Smith as they portray the roles of Technical Sergeant Diego Ramos a.k.a. ‘Wolf’ and Captain Moira Defensor. Much like Lucas, Diego is brave, noble, and willing to sacrifice his own happiness for others–even if that includes letting go of his girlfriend, Moira. But Moira is tough, headstrong, and won’t go down without fighting for the both of them.
Last August, GMA’s Entertainment Group inked a partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines which sealed the Network’s commitment to accurately represent the country’s military forces.
Devoted to save lives are the series’ hard-working doctors and nurses: Pancho Magno as Dr. Daniel Spencer; Renz Fernandez as Dr. Earl Jimeno; Chariz Solomon as Nurse Emma Perez; Andre Paras as Dr. Ralph Vergara; Nicole Donesa as Nurse Via Catindig; Reese Tuazon as Dr. Sandra Delgado; Jenzel Angeles as Nurse Hazel Flores; and Bobby Andrews as Eric Feliciano.
After months of intense training for their roles, the military team – composed Antonio Aquitania as Lt. Col. Bienvenido Garcia; Ricardo Cepeda as Lt. Gen. Carlos Defensor; Paul Salas as Marty Talledo; Jon Lucas as Staff Sergeant Benjo Tamayo or ‘Harry Potter’; Lucho Ayala as Staff Sergeant Alen Eugenio or ‘Snoopy’; and Prince Clemente as Sergeant First Class Randy Katipunan or ‘Picollo’ – is ready to assume their place on the front line.
The series is made more intense by the rebel characters of Neil Ryan Sese as Rodel Dela Cruz; Ian Ignacio as Greg Abad; Rich Asuncion as Janet Pagsisihan; and Carlo Gonzalez as Val.
The family of Captain Lucas stars Roi Vinzon as Sgt. Major Abraham Manalo; and Hailey Mendes as Judith Manalo; while Dr. Maxine has her mother, Marina Benipayo as Olivia Dela Cruz.
In a series of exciting cameo roles, DOTS Ph also features Tonton Gutierrez as Gen. Cruz; Sophie Albert as Dr. Liza Ayson; Kim Rodriguez as Denise; Addy Raj as Alif Fayad; Ronnie Henares as Manager Ed; Mark Herras as Orly; and Gabby Eigenmann as Sen. Ricardo Santillan.
Julie Anne San Jose sang the official theme song of the series entitled “You Are My Everything”.
Descendants of the Sun (The Philippine Adaptation) airs after Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday on GMA Telebabad.