Kapuso network seems bent on making a mark in TV dramas by creating and producing shows that tackle controversial issues. It started with the gay-themed drama My Husband’s Lover. Well, the series succeeded in creating awareness of a reality in Philippine society about gay and bisexual men (some of them married with children), though the issue of same-gender relationship wasn’t exactly exhausted as it also featured a third party, the woman or wife of one of the two major male characters. In other words, it was still the archetypal love triangle, only the third wheel is also a male.
On Feb. 26, GMA piloted in its Afternoon Prime Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka, a series it calls an “advoca-serye” with Yasmien Kurdi, Martin del Rosario, Jackie Rice, and Mike Tan.
Naturally, this show is crafted to appeal to the melodramatic cravings of the Kapuso followers, the same group of people that made Ika-6- na Utos the highest rating afternoon drama since it piloted last year.
So, in its first week on the air, we already saw how this is going to develop even if it supposed to tackle the subject of HIV-Aids, considered at one point as one of the most serious and fatal diseases in the world. These days though HIV infection is manageable with all the drug cocktails available to patients.
And yet, since it is a melodrama to the hilt, the family of Marco (Mike Tan), especially the mother (Gina Alajar) is still unaware that HIV-Aids can only be acquired through exchange of body fluid (saliva, blood, and semen), so there, the writers have found a diving board to plunge Thea (Yasmien Kurdi) in a marathon-like crying race with her husband Marco.
At this point of the series, Thea is trying to find out how she got the virus and from whom, perhaps from Lawrence (Martin del Rosario) a high-school classmate who raped her, or from Marco’s flings.
Being a melodrama, there will be villains. So apart from the cruel mother-in-law, comes Marco’s ex-girlfriend Ava (Jackie Rice) who will fight tooth and nail to get him back.
According to GMA, the series aims to raise HIV awareness and educate viewers on its effects upon a person’s life.
I only hope that this aim doesn’t get lost in the desire of the people behind the show to amass commendable rating points against its competitor on the other side of its fence.
* * *
The top streaming platform, Netflix, recently released a documentary that tackles the possibility of immortality through technology, as a brief introduction
to its latest science fiction series Altered Carbon. The short video featured several prominent thought leaders in entertainment, technology, science and literature, including Ernest Cu, president and CEO of Globe Telecom.
Cu is an immensely forward-thinking leader and tech innovator, who believes in empowering the Filipinos by elevating their digital lifestyle within the global standards. That vision has shaped the trajectory of Globe as a purveyor of all things digital. Hence, Netflix decided to profile Cu, along with Altered Carbon author Richard K. Morgan, Steve Aoki, Jesse Wellens, and other thought leaders to discuss how technology is changing the landscape of human society and how technology deeply affects the lives of individuals. They were also asked to imagine the various possibilities of living forever.
Altered Carbon is the new Netflix original series based on the classic cyberpunk novel written by Richard K. Morgan. Its story is set 300 years into the future, in which technology allows human consciousness to be digitized and stored in discs called “stackers” or uploaded to the cloud. When a person dies, this stacker is recovered from the body (called a “sleeve”), or downloaded from the Cloud and reinserted into another “sleeve,” thus ensuring that the person lives again. Since the process is very expensive, only the rich can afford to live lengthy and seemingly immortal lives. This status quo has led to a careless disregard for human lives among the wealthy.
Takeshi Kovacs, the protagonist in the series, is the lone survivor of a group of elite interstellar soldiers that was defeated in an uprising against the new world order. After 250 years in ice, Kovacs is revived by Laurens Bancroft, an impossibly wealthy, long-lived man, to solve Bancroft’s suspicious death.
From writer and executive producer Laeta Kalogridis, Altered Carbon stars Joel Kinnaman, James Purefoy, Martha Higareda, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Will Yun Lee, and Dichen Lachman on Netflix.
Globe customers can enjoy six months access to Netflix with Globe At Home Plan 1299 and up, while Postpaid customers can get six months worth of Netflix with Plan 999 and up. To learn more, just visit www.globe.com.ph/content/netflix.
* * *
Alden Richards and Ken Chan donated blood during separate bloodletting events of GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF).
Alden joined GMA Network employees in the nationwide Kapuso Bloodletting Day, held simultaneously on Feb.9 at the Network’s headquarters in Quezon City and in GMA’s various Regional TV stations.
Alden surprised everyone, including his fans, when he announced that he will donate blood for the first time. “This is my way of sharing a part of me to help save lives and to be of service to those in need. It’s a very delightful feeling,” he said.
The Kapuso star also encouraged his supporters to donate blood as well.
Now on its 10th year, the annual event organized by GMA Network’s Corporate Affairs Division in coordination with GMA Kapuso Foundation and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) yielded a total of 1,569 (706,050 cc) blood bags.
GMA Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communication Angel Javier Cruz said that giving blood is the essence of Serbisyong Totoo. “When we give our blood, we show our love and care for our fellow countrymen and for me, that’s really the sign of a true Kapuso,” she emphasized.
Meanwhile, Ken Chan donated blood for the first time at GMAKF’s bi-annual Sagip Dugtong Buhay project on Feb. 10 at the Ever Gotesco Mall in Quezon City. which produced 1,902 (855,900 cc) blood bags.
“I’ve always wanted to donate blood, but I just didn’t know where or how. Good thing there’s GMA Kapuso Foundation which is always there to help others,” Ken said.
“We do the Sagip Dugtong Buhay every February during the love month and in August during our founder Tita Mel Tiangco’s birthday month, because this advocacy is very close to her heart. The purpose of having twice a year activities for bloodletting is to also encourage the value of volunteerism. We should also take care of our health so we can donate blood,” said GMAKF Executive Vice President and COO Rikki Escudero-Catibog.
Donations during the Kapuso Bloodletting Day and Sagip Dugtong Buhay reached a total of 3,471 (1,561,950 cc) blood bags and were given to the Philippine Red Cross.