Tadhana: Another GMA Public Affairs’ Intervention to Entertainment

Another drama anthology will hit GMA screens this Saturday afternoon.

This time, the focus of this up-and-coming series will be on the lives of OFWs whose trials and tribulations abroad are well-documented. Their struggles to fit in another country and bring a better life to both country and family will be told every week on ‘Tadhana’, presented by Marian Rivera.

As is customary to all drama anthologies, celebrity guests will portray a particular subject(s) week after week. For the premiere of ‘Tadhana’, Kris Bernal will portray Elvie, a former Saudi Arabia-based OFW who was constantly abused by her employer, played by Ms. Cherie Gil.

Unsurprisingly, GMA Public Affairs will be responsible for the production of ‘Tadhana’. Considering their recent dabbing into non-news programming, this bit of news should once again add insult to injury to Lilybeth Rasonable and GMA’s Entertainment group.

So what challenge awaits ‘Tadhana’? For starters, this drama should pose another obstacle to ‘Ipaglaban Mo’ and ‘SOCO’ when it comes to performance.

Not only that, GMA also hopes to see a carry-over in ratings from ‘Ika-6 na Utos’ to ‘Tadhana’. With the former enjoying impressive ratings since its extension to Saturdays, the network now banks on the latter to maintain the momentum, something that ‘Karelasyon’ was not able to do.

However, expect a lot of alienation from more traditional viewers who view ‘Tadhana’ as another cowardly attempt by GMA Entertainment to get bailed out by the news division. It’s a shame, since Rasonable and company have done nothing right to salvage whatever pride they have left.

If this is indeed a production of GMA Public Affairs, ‘Tadhana’ should have been a docu-drama instead, with one of GMA News’ reporters presenting the show plus reenactments from various no-name actors and interviews from the subject involved. That said, their decision to use Marian Rivera and bring to life a story by using Kapuso actors leave a bitter taste in one’s mouth.

For now, the verdict is on ‘Tadhana’ to defy all prognosticators. Come this Saturday, this show should experience a baptism of fire.

‘Tadhana’ airs every Saturday after ‘Ika-6 na Utos’ on GMA.

Third Survivor Season in the Philippines

Survivor: Blood vs. Water was taped in the Palaui Island in Cagayan, marking the third consecutive Survivor season taped in the Philippines.

For the third consecutive season, the hit American reality series ‘Survivor‘ was taped in the Philippines. The new season was dubbed ‘Survivor: Blood vs. Water’, and it featured returning castaways pitting against their relatives or their loved ones.

While the last two seasons of ‘Survivor’ were taped in Caramoan, Camarines Sur (‘Survivor: Philippines‘, ‘Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites’), the new season of ‘Survivor’ was taped in Palaui Island, Cagayan. The new season will mark the return of the popular ‘Redemption Island’, albeit in a different format where any of the remaining contestants may choose to switch with their partner if he/she is at Redemption Island. The duration of the series is expected to last 39 1/2 days, thanks to the addition of ‘Day Zero’, where the pairs spend the night in an undisclosed location before they were divided into two tribes named ‘Galang’ and ‘Tadhana’.

The returning castaways in the game include four-time Survivor veteran Rupert Boneham, previous winner Aras Baskauskas, Tina Wesson, Gervase Peterson, Candice Cody, Tyson Apostol, Laura Morett, and three ‘Survivor: One World‘ castaways in Kat Edorsson, Monica Culpepper and Colton Crumbie. Joining them are their immediate family members, who will experience first-hand the harsh life in a deserted island, only relying on survival instincts to stay in the game.

The new season of ‘Survivor’ is being aired in the Philippines on the cable network Jack TV every Thursday afternoon, beginning with an airing of the previous episode before the airing of the latest episode. As with every season, expect a whole lot of alliances, mind games, betrayals and tears throughout every episode.