A quick turnaround ensues for ‘My Mother’s Secret’.
After premiering against ‘Inday Bote’ this week, the series will enter its second week with a new opponent on the horizon. Taking over ‘Inday Bote”s slot this Monday on ABS-CBN will be ‘Pasion de Amor’, the localized remake of the original telenovela ‘Pasion de Gavilantes’.
The focus of the series will be on a trio of brothers from one family who fell in love with a trio of sisters from another in order to avenge the death of the former’s sister. The sister’s death was the result of her love affair with the latter family’s patriarch, whose wife murdered them as retribution.
Jake Cuenca (as Juan Samonte), Ejay Falcon (as Oscar Samonte) and Joseph Marco (as Franco Samonte) will play the role of the three brothers. Ellen Adarna (as Sari Elizondo), Coleen Garcia (as Jamie Elizondo) and Arci Muñoz (as Norma Elizondo) will play the role of the three sisters.
Supporting roles will be provided by Teresa Loyzaga, Aubrey Miles, Michelle Madrigal, Ahron Villena, Ingrid Dela Paz, Daria Ramirez, Alex Castro, AJ Dee, Ron Morales, Zeppi Borromeo, Ashley Rivera, Benj Bolivar, Nathaniel Britt, Mauro Lumba and June Macasaet. Ronaldo Valdez will appear in a special participation.
The original ‘Pasion de Amor’ (titled ‘Pasion de Gavilantes’ in Latin America) first aired on ABS-CBN in the late 2000s as an afternoon drama, and it starred Mexican telenovela star Mario Cimarro. When the original teaser was first shown, the network intended to air the series on Kapamilya Gold, with the premiere date set in May of this year.
But with ‘Flordeliza’, ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ and the Koreanovela ‘Let’s Get Married’ still on the air, the Kapamilya network decided to move the series to the Primetime Bida block instead. As a result, the remake will feature less of the suggestive sultriness that was prevalent in the original series, in order to appeal to younger audiences at the 5:50 p.m. slot.
‘Pasion de Amor”s entrance next week should cause some concern for ‘My Mother’s Secret’, whose first week was off to an inauspicious start. If the first five episodes are any indication, then the latter series is in for a rude awakening.
‘Pasion de Amor’ airs starting this Monday before ‘TV Patrol’ on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.
From the Tube 
The timeslot before TV Patrol is no stranger to mature-themed teleseryes that might be suitable the last slot of Primetime Bida, such as Katorse (adapted from a film) (Ejay Falcon is also on the that teleserye’s cast).
As for My Mother’s Secret (working title: Family Secrets), its debut episode rated only 9.2% according to Kantar National TV ratings. Its next two episodes were rated 9.3% and 7.6% respectively, according to the same ratings provider. So much for its very short (!?) period from its conception under its working title to the airwaves. (Lackluster promotion also?)
Indeed. GMA only started to promote My Mother’s Secret a week before its premiere date. And like you said, it’s a rushed product. I never heard of this series until just two weeks ago, making it for a series that lacked any hype whatsoever.
Meanwhile ABS has hyped Pasion de Amor for nearly a month. They were even supposed to air it on KGold, but without any available slots, they decided to move it to Primetime Bida, which is a sound deal since they didn’t announce a finale just yet for either Flordeliza or Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita.
Another flaw on the opening credits: “introducing Arci Munoz” (diba, she’s been with the showbiz for 9 years now?)
ABS sort of forgot about her previous roles on GMA and TV5 (mostly forgotten), hence that billing.