Descendants of the Sun gets a Filipino flavor

CEBU, Philippines — A deeper family backstory on its main characters and a different war backdrop were just some

of the tweaks made in the Philippine adaptation of the sensational Korean series “Descendants of the Sun,” (DOTS) premiering tonight after “Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday” on GMA Telebabad.

While the highly anticipated Pinoy remake of the series originally starring Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo (who fell in love in real life, tied the knot in a lavish ceremony, and after almost two years of marriage, announced their divorce to the devastation of their fans) strives to remain faithful to the important concepts of the story, changes to some details were necessary due to the differences in Korean and Philippine culture and political setting.

“Yung pinakamahalagang aspeto nung original, which is, one, the love story, and second, the idea na mayroong mga sundalo at mga doktor at ginagawa nila ang mga trabaho nila sa isang backdrop ng gyera…Kung anong klaseng gyera man niyan, hindi natin gagawin dito na mayroong North and South Korea dahil definitely wala naman yan sa atin,” began Dingdong Dantes, who plays the male lead of Captain Lucas Manalo aka Big Boss, a member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Forces.

“In the Philippine context, we have a different version, so iba ang gagamitin nating conflict. But when we talk about the love story, the fact that it’s a story about soldiers and doctors – mananatili yun.”

Because Filipinos are known to be filial, the actor said their version also decided to explore further the family backgrounds of the four main leads to shed light on how their characters turned out to be how they are.

“Mas nakaka-relate tayo kapag malakas yung kwento ng pamilya,” Dingdong tells the Cebu press when he and his co-stars were recently in town to promote the series.

“Dito, ang isa sa difference sa original ay yung kwento ni Maxine, Lucas, ni Moira, mas pinalakas yung backstory nung family. Kaya nagkaroon ng tatay at kapatid, ganoon din kay Maxine. So the twists are very interesting because maiintindihan mo kung bakit sila naging ganoon. In the original, we already know how their characters are like. Here, mas maiintindihan kung saan nagsimula ang lahat.”

Asked why he thinks military-themed dramas are timely and often well-received (the series’ timeslot competitor is another military-themed soap titled “A Soldier’s Heart” and starring Gerald Anderson”), Dingdong said Filipino viewers are rarely given an in-depth glimpse of a soldier’s life. And then there’s the appeal of a romantic tale that Filipinos are known to always swoon over.

“I guess pagdating sa usaping puso, marami naman siyang relevance. Nag-iiba iba lang yung setting. Naging mabigat lang siya dito kasi pinag-uusapan yung puso versus your commitment sa trabaho,” he said.

“In this case, commitment ng doctors to their profession and commitment ng soldiers sa bayan. Ano yung mas mangingibabaw? We have soldiers and doctors – a point of view we seldom see and a very technical profession na bihira natin mapanood in Philippine dramas. Sa ‘Descendants,’ pinagsama yung dalawang komplikadong pananaw na yun with a very generic or global theme which is love.”

As for his leading lady, Jennylyn Mercado who plays cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. Maxine Dela Cruz aka Beauty, she shared how it took a good 17 years to finally be paired up in a series with her home network’s Primetime King. Fresh out of winning the first season of “Starstruck,” she first worked with Dingdong in 2005’s “Encantadia,” playing the actor’s daughter in her very first television assignment.

“Ang tagal ng hinintay ko para makapareha si Dong, at napakaswerte ko,” said Jennylyn, who is no stranger to Korean adaptations after her well-received portrayal of the lead in “My Love From the Star.”

The last among the cast to tape for “DOTS” since she was still wrapping up the primetimes series “Love You Two” with Gabby Concepcion, Jennylyn said she was a bundle of nerves during her first day on set – what with her very first scene the iconic cellphone meet-cute with Dingdong’s character in the hospital.

“Kailangan namin pagandahin. Kung hindi man namin malagpasan, kahit papano, mapantayan man lang yung original,” said Jennylyn. “Sa mga nakapanood, natuwa kayo, kinilig at naging masaya kayo. Ginawa namin lahat para maramdaman niyo ulit yun. Gusto ko ma in love at maiyak ulit kayo.”

In DOTS, Captain Lucas and Dr. Maxine’s relationship gets off to a rocky start with him often deployed to various missions that last from days to weeks, and with her long and stressful shifts. She tries to distance herself from him and his dangerous job, but instead finds herself unable to resist him. One disaster after another befalls upon them, but their love stands stronger than anything that comes their way.

Also part of the cast are Rocco Nacino and Jasmine Curtis-Smith as Technical Sergeant Diego Ramos aka Wolf and Captain Moira Defensor. Like Lucas, Diego is brave, noble, and willing to sacrifice his own happiness for others even if that includes letting go of his girlfriend, Moira. But Moira is tough, headstrong, and won’t go down without fighting for the both of them.

Playing medical team members are Pancho Magno as Dr. Daniel Spencer; Renz Fernandez as Dr. Earl Jimeno; Chariz Solomon as Nurse Emma Perez; Andre Paras as Dr. Ralph Vergara; Nicole Donesa as Nurse Via Catindig; Reese Tuazon as Dr. Sandra Delgado; Jenzel Angeles as Nurse Hazel Flores; and Bobby Andrews as Eric Feliciano.

According to Andre, their medical crash course gave him newfound respect for doctors. “Nag-training kami sa V Luna with amazing military doctors. Mas tumaas yung respect ko sa ating mga doctors at sa medical staff, especially when they are deployed to wars. It was a very humbling experience to learn from the best and to portray our roles. We have to give justice to our roles.”

After months of intense training for their roles, the military team – composed Antonio Aquitania as Lt. Col. Bienvenido Garcia, Ricardo Cepeda as Lt. Gen. Carlos Defensor, Paul Salas as Marty Talledo; Jon Lucas as Staff Sergeant Benjo Tamayo or ‘Harry Potter’, Lucho Ayala as Staff Sergeant Alen Eugenio or ‘Snoopy’, and Prince Clemente as Sergeant First Class Randy Katipunan or ‘Picollo’ – is ready to assume their place on the front line.

Joining them are Neil Ryan Sese as Rodel Dela Cruz; Ian Ignacio as Greg Abad; Rich Asuncion as Janet Pagsisihan; and Carlo Gonzalez as Val.

The family of Captain Lucas stars Roi Vinzon as Sgt. Major Abraham Manalo; and Hailey Mendes as Judith Manalo; while Dr. Maxine has her mother, Marina Benipayo as Olivia Dela Cruz.

Appearing in cameos are Tonton Gutierrez as Gen. Cruz; Sophie Albert as Dr. Liza Ayson; Kim Rodriguez as Denise; Addy Raj as Alif Fayad; Ronnie Henares as Manager Ed; Mark Herras as Orly; and Gabby Eigenmann as Sen. Ricardo Sintallan. — VAB