Bong Revilla Jr. reprises popular role in comedy series

MANILA, Philippines — Not that Sen. Bong Revilla Jr. is worried, but the 57-year-old actor-politician is strongly aware that television is also competing with digital, that’s why he knows he needs to be up on his toes constantly now that’s he’s back on TV.

“That’s what we need to make the people aware of, that GMA 7 is still very much around, TV is still around,” he told The Philippine STAR. “Most people are watching on their cellphones, on their tablets. There is still television.”

Bong is back on TV in the second season of “Walang Matigas na Pulis sa Matinik na Misis,” produced by GMA 7. He is thankful to the network for its “all-out support” to his action-comedy caper that airs on Sunday nights as pre-programming to the sitcom, “Pepito Manaloto.”

In just the first episode of Season Two of “Walang Matigas na Pulis sa Matinik na Misis,” the big action highlights are carried towards the end. Sen. Bong reprises his popular role of police Major Bartolome “Tolome” Reynaldo, with Beauty Gonzalez as his feisty wife Gloria.

“The first episode alone cost four cars to finish,” beamed Sen. Bong. “The budget is not for TV, but for the movies. I wanted to co-produce the series with GMA, but they didn’t agree.”

Season Two will have 14 episodes and so far, the cast and crew still have four more to complete.

“We will also go to Baguio for the Panagbenga Festival,” he added. “Every episode has its action highlight. May pasabog that the audience can expect. There are special guests who will join us.”

Some of the guests who will be seen in the second season are Michael de Mesa, Roi Vinzon, Jay Manalo, Antonio Aquitania, Ramon Christopher Gutierrez, Jestoni Alarcon, ER Ejercito and for the first time on GMA 7, Ejay Falcon.

Even beauty queen Celeste Cortesi, actress Max Collins and Herlene Budol will join the action-comedy series. Bong suggests the celebrities he wants to guest in the series.

“I suggest to the director who the guests I want to see in the series,” he said. “We can’t just do purely comedy in this series. We need to show action scenes, too, because that’s the trademark of Bong Revilla,”

“I’m happy with my work on GMA because I saw their support. So, the succeeding episodes that the audience will see will be more entertaining. When we start taping, all of us are very comfortable on the set. We’re just like playing. It’s a happy family. The flow of the story is very interesting. Not always predictable,” he added.

Bong’s energy is always remarkable when he gets to the set of “Walang Matigas na Pulis sa Matinik na Misis.”

“When you do another season, you need to start again from zero,” the senator said. “You need to promote again from the very start. You need to go through the same routine. That’s why I have that energy to promote again the series.”

“Every project, I treat it as my first film. At the same time, we are all trying to revive the film industry. We are all trying to help in our own little way. When you really love what you do, you don’t get tired. You are just like playing.”

He is doing his last series on TV before Sen. Bong returns to the big screen. He is slated to finish two films this year — one for a regular playdate and another, hopefully, for the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) in December.

Bong is cooking up something with action stars (Senators) Robin Padilla and Lito Lapid. The actor-politician is laying out his film and TV projects this year because he is slated to embark on the campaign season starting early next year.

He will run for re-election in the senate. “It’s time early next year to campaign again since I’m running for re-election,” he disclosed. “I might be misquoted that I will not run, but I will. Not for a higher position, though.”

His wife, Rep. Lani Mercado, is set to return from the US where she stayed with son Jolo Revilla, whose wife, Angel, gave birth to their first-born.

“She’s a very loving lola,” Bong said. “That’s my sixth grandchild. Ang dami na. Lolong-lolo na talaga si Bong. I’m not a stage lolo. How I treated my children, that’s the way I treat all my apos.”