Why "Tayong Dalawa" became a primetime phenomenon

CEBU, Philippines - "Sa mundong para lamang sa isa...hindi maaaring tayong dalawa...”

The well-loved saga finally ends tonight. For a nation with a penchant of living vicariously through its television soaps, that line above hits a painful vein among the teleserye-loving Pinoys, be you a woman pining for a taken man, or a man having to compete with the affection of the one you love. That, and the tale of two brothers equally endearing, their opposing families with their own interesting backstories and personalities, and the action-packed episodes, have made “Tayong Dalawa” the primetime phenomenon that it is.

I was one of those who tuned in last Sunday after ASAP ‘09 to watch the TV special “Tayong Dalawa: The Untold Beginning” which rewinded back to the time when Marlyn and David Garcia Sr. first met at a former U.S. airbase, not knowing her involvement with the American soldier would later on lead to a world of suffering and tragedy for them and their children. It also explained why Helen Gamboa’s character, Elizabeth, became an overly protective mother to Ingrid and why Ingrid acts psychotic and angry most of the time. Even if it did not include the younger stars, it was still interesting to watch, mainly because of the characters of Gina Pareño, Cherry Pie Picache, Helen Gamboa and Agot Isidro, who, as over-all in-charge of production Deo Endrinal says, are just like our quirky neighborhood characters, making them totally relatable to the audience.

Deo, who is also an ABS-CBN business unit head, explains further: “It’s the concept of family. The characters are real. Lahat ng napapanood mo sa Tayong Dalawa, pwedeng mangyari sa totoong buhay, parang pinapanood mo ang buhay ng kapitbahay mo. Our approach was we tried to capture everything that there is or could be in a family: nanay, magkakapatid, lola, anak sa labas, pag-ibig na natutupad, pag-ibig na hindi napapagbigyan. We tried to encompass everything. It’s a combination of love, family and action. The male viewers were a great plus. We were able to attract them because for the first time, we featured the Philippine Military Academy (PMA). We were able to help the government increase the enrollment in the PMA so it wasn’t just giving them something to be entertained, but also something that is socially relevant.”

It began airing January of this year and has been extended to last for up to eight months due to the viewers’ overwhelming response and as the show bids its farewell, its lead cast members made sure to show their gratitude for the support by holding thanksgiving shows and presscons. Last week, Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Jake Cuenca and Coco Martin treated their Cebuano fans to an afternoon of games and surprises at the SM City Cebu covered parking lot. Their followers endured waiting hours for the young stars and were undeterred by the downpour that day. Earlier, they held a presscon at the Castle Peak Hotel, where they promised a truly unforgettable conclusion to the TV drama that they say shaped them into better and more mature actors.

Jake Cuenca credited their veteran co-stars for mentoring them. “Grabe ginabayan talaga nila kami, mula simula hanggang huling taping day hindi nila kami tinantanan sa pagtuturo. Mas nag-mature kami as actors. Sobrang talented kasi ng cast eh. Nakaka-intimidate. Pero nung first taping day, sila yung kusang lumapit sa amin, kung kunyari may naisip silang ibang diskarte sa isang eksena, nakikipag-collaborate sila with us. Ang laking tulong at unforgettable experience talaga.”

Indeed, they were blessed to be given an award-winning support cast, since they had good examples to look up to.

“Kahit hindi nga ako kasama sa eksena, pinapanood ko yung pamilya ko, sila Tita Gina, Ms. Pie, kung paano sila umarte. Sa story con nga, talagang sobrang nakaka-intimidate, sila mga Best Actress at Best Actor, kami wala kaming mga awards. After mga two months ng taping, na-realize namin na blessing ito,” says Gerald.

Kim adds: “Sila Ms. Pie, Jodi at si Ms. Agot, tinuturuan nila kami pag alam nilang medyo komplikado yung eksena. ‘Anak, gawin mo ito, huwag kang umiyak dito...’ mga ganoon, ako, ina-apply ko rin para ma-build up yung character ko. Blessed kami dahil binigyan nila kami ng ganoong kabait at supportive na cast. Kahit si Coco, tinuturuan din kami minsan.”

When asked what for they consider as their most memorable scene, both Jake and Gerald agreed that the face-off between the three brothers which was aired last Friday night was their most intense, emotional and unforgettable. It was also the scene where Coco met an accident when an explosive prop hit his eye and he had to be rushed to the hospital.

“It was highly emotional talaga, dahil lahat ng sumbatan, lahat ng pagkakamali namin sa isa’t-isa, inilabas namin doon. Matagal at madaling araw namin ti-nape yun and aside from the fact na naaksidente si Coco dito, maganda talaga yung eksenang yun,” Jake shares.

As for the indie veteran, Coco cherished the camaraderie that they developed on set.

“Yung naging bonding namin during taping, unforgettable talaga. Nagbibigayan kasi kami ng mga ideas. Nagtutulungan kami. Kami ni Jake at Gerald, naging parang magkapatid talaga kami dito. Kung ano yung mako-contribute namin sa isat-isa para mapaganda yung soap, ginagawa namin. Minsan sinasaway na nga kami na tumitigas yung ulo namin, kasi may mga eksenang delikado pero dahil sobra kaming nakaka-relate sa mga role namin, kami na mismo ang gumagawa ng mga eksena. Sa ngayon , dahil sa nangyari sa akin, na-realize ko na dapat iniisip din namin yung future namin o yung kapakanan ng bawat isa,” Coco says.

To keep their emotions raw, the stars revealed that some of them chose not to read the script in advance and they themselves did not even know yet what will happen in the ending. They shot their finale two days ago.

“Yung iba sa amin did not read the script, we shot it scene per scene so the emotions are raw, yung emotions mas totoo. Nagugulat din kami sa mga eksena. Medyo emotional talaga kami during these final shooting days. Tapos na ang eksena, nag-iiyakan pa rin kami kasi parang paalaman din namin sa isa’t-isa,” Jake shares.

Coco also divulged that an idea to make a Tayong Dalawa movie has been proposed but no definite plans have been announced yet.