Tribute to Sana ay Ikaw Na Nga

Sana ay Ikaw Na Nga gave me my first lead role in a teleserye and it will eventually become a very sentimental project for me. It was a highlight of my 2012 and has opened doors to so many more opportunities. As expected, there were a lot of memorable things about the project and I want to share some of them with all those who religiously followed the show — and I assume that is a lot of people because we were the highest-rating show in our afternoon block for quite a while. I had put so much work into that show and I’m proud of what we have achieved so let this be my tribute to such a great time in my life.

Here are five bits of trivia from Sana ay Ikaw Na Nga:

1. There were so many fun and memorable scenes that we did so I’ll have to pick the first one that came to mind when I asked Jan Marini about it. One of our most memorable scenes together was a heated exchange in Consuelo’s house. Our faces were inches apart and I was screaming at her. Unintentionally, I sprayed, or more accurately showered her with laway during our confrontation! Being the professional and veteran, she kept in character but it was hilarious talking about it after the take.

2. My personal favorite scene would be all my drinking scenes with Alvin! We got to adlib a lot and jokes would naturally spew out! It was also a coincidence because before the show even started, I spoke to Marky Lopez and told them that I expected to have a lot of fun with our scenes. From the beginning, I was already looking forward to it.

3. I’ve always told people that my most enjoyable moments would be when we would have taping with everyone in the cast. The first time that happened was during the first big wedding scene, which was shot in Subic! We were there all day but we all enjoyed each other’s company. I bought everyone pizza, the other bought ice cream and merienda — it was just good vibes all around. I think that was a big reason our teleserye was a success, because it seemed like we really enjoyed each other.

4. For one, Gabby Eigenmann is a prankster at heart! The first time he taped, he quickly made it a point to take pictures of the cast sleeping! Unfortunately, I was an easy target. He would post it, we would all laugh about it and I would have the hardest time getting back at him. But eventually, with a lot of patience, I also had my time as you can see in some of the pictures.

5. Another notable discovery is about our director, Dick Lindayag. Also the prankster, he likes scaring our production assistants with toy insects and reptiles! Me, being a good-hearted person, I decided to gift him with some more ammo. It kind of became routine to think about how to scare our poor but lovable prod assistants but either, it was all in the name of fun.

Overall, the best thing about the whole project would have to be the fact that it didn’t feel like work! I sincerely enjoyed my 24-hour taping days, especially when the whole cast would be present. It even came to a point towards the later part of the show that we would talk too much and the scene would get delayed! But, it was a good problem I guess because it showed how tight-knit we had all become.

As Jace Flores put it: “The best time would be… everyday man! I’ve been in other projects pero ang masasabi ko dito is this ain’t work. This is fun time with my second family!”

Looking back, there are so many more things I can write about and even more pictures to post. But, I just wanted to write this tribute to somehow give closure to myself and hopefully, to the many fans of the show out there. It has been a pleasure working on the project and I’m thankful to everyone who supported it! Cheers!

(For any comments, email me at [email protected]. Follow me on Twitter @mikaeldaez.)