Amaya roadshow invades Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - They came, they were seen, then they conquered Cebuano hearts. The powerhouse cast of Amaya descended in Cebu last June 30 and July 1 for a revolutionary roadshow which saw them visiting schools and malls in a tightly packed two-day schedule.

During the first day of their visit, the Amaya cast Marian Rivera, Rochelle Pangilinan, Glaiza de Castro, Mikael Daez, and Dion Ignacio dropped by the Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School Annex where they shared an entertaining and educational afternoon with the students. The stars then performed live in front of their fans estimated at 3,000.

The cast also visited the Gaisano Grand City Mall in Lapu-Lapu City. Marian, Rochelle, Glaiza, Mikael, and Dion played some exciting games with the more than 9,000 people that turned up during the Kapuso Mall Show. Marian was also the special guest at the Cebu Business Month’s Grand Chamber Awards and Fellowship Night which was held at Radisson Blu Hotel on the same night.

The Mabolo National High School was next on the list for the Kapuso Campus Tour Friday, July 1 at 8:00 in the morning. At 9:00 am, the stars headed out to the streets of Cebu for the much-awaited Amaya motorcade. Marian, Rochelle, Glaiza, Mikael, and Dion donned their historic costume pieces and rode the float built like the Karakoa, a pre-Hispanic battleship which can be seen in the epicserye.

The roadshow passed by Fuente Osmeña, Colon St, and Magallanes. The motorcade caused quite a stir among Cebuano motorists and pedestrians who got quite a pleasant surprise at the star sighting. Some cars honked while a number of people at the roadside cheered, clapped their hands and rushed to the float to get a closer look at Marian Rivera, Mikael Daez, Rochelle Pangilinan, Dion Ignacio and Glaiza de Castro. To cap off the day, the cast went to SM City Cebu Covered Parking for a fun-filled Kapuso Night and wowed the estimated 8,000 people who turned up for the event.

Cebu was the second stop after the Amaya cast launched the roadshow in North Central Luzon in the key cities of Pangasinan, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija last June 4 and 5.

Amaya tells the story of a "binukot" princess-turned-"banwa" (tribe) leader. The cinematography, production designs, costumes, dialogues and rituals are patterned according to pre-Hispanic history using Central Visayas as the backdrop.

This epicserye is the Kapuso network’s most expensive and biggest TV production to date. It airs weeknights right after Captain Barbell on GMA Telebabad. (FREEMAN)