Abs-Cbn's Upcoming Teleserye "Budoy": Something to Look Forward To

Gerald Anderson as Budoy, photo taken from www.pep.ph

I am not really into teleserye (read: soap operas on television)but I had recently been intrigued by one of Abs-Cbn's upcoming advocacy teleserye entitled Budoy. Young actor Gerald Anderson is elated to have been chosen as the lead star of "Budoy," the newest TV series to join the prime time line-up of ABS-CBN.

"I am at a loss for words. Overwhelmed ako sa kuwento, sa casting. Mayroon pa akong bagong leading lady. Kasama ko sina Ms. Zsa Zsa, Mylene. Sobrang excited kaming mag-start," said Anderson. He noted that the characters have a different kind of depth and the story is filled with a lot of twists. Aside from this, Anderson revealed that he is hoping the kids would pick up important values from the new soap, such as the importance of education given the declining rate of literacy among Filipinos at present. 

In the said soap opera, Gerald Anderson has Angel Syndrome also known as Angelman Syndrome. According to Wikipedia: Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neuro-genetic disorder characterized by intellectual and developmental delay, sleep disturbance, seizures, jerky movements (especially hand-flapping), frequent laughter or smiling, and usually a happy demeanor.

AS is a classic example of genomic imprinting in that it is usually caused by deletion or inactivation of genes on the maternally inherited chromosome 15 while the paternal copy, which may be of normal sequence, is imprinted and therefore silenced. The sister syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, is caused by a similar loss of paternally inherited genes and maternal imprinting. AS is named after a British pediatrician, Dr. Harry Angelman, who first described the syndrome in 1965.^[1]An older, alternative term for AS, happy puppet syndrome, is generally considered pejorative and stigmatizing so it is no longer the accepted term, though it is sometimes still used as an informal term of diagnosis. People with AS are sometimes known as "angels", both because of the syndrome's name and because of their youthful, happy appearance.

The said television program was even dubbed as an "advocacy teleserye," maybe it's because of the message it will try to convey the public or on its audience when it airs on channel 2. But like I've said earlier, I am intrigued in the show for two reasons: the syndrome itself and how Gerald Anderson will be acting this time. He's probably improved his craft by now.

First introduced to the Philippine audience via hit reality TV show “Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition,” Gerald worked his way up to become one of this generation’s most popular after young actors and leading men with his hit teleseryes “Sana Maulit Muli,” “My Girl,” Tayong Dalawa,” and “Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo.”

As Gerald returns on primetime, he will be joined by other notable young stars, Jessy Mendiola (of Sabel fame) and Enrique Gil.

Jessy Mendiola will play the role of Jackie, Budoy’s childhood friend who dreams of becoming a teacher while rising teen star Enrique Gil will play the role of Benjamin, Budoy’s rival in love and the boy who has everything except his mother’s warmth and his father’s approval.

The advocacy serye marks the return of Janice de Belen to the Kapamilya network. She will play the role of Bebang, Budoy’s caretaker who adopted him after he was disowned by his real family.

Budoy, played by Gerald, is the son of Dr. Gregor Maniego (Tirso Cruz III), the top ob-gynecologist in the Philippines and Luisa Maniego (Zsa zsa Padilla), Dr. Maniego’s secretary who he chose to marry despite his mother mother’s disapproval.

Dr. Maniego came from a family of doctors—his mother Dr. Alberta Maniego (Barbara Perez) is a brilliant oncologist while his brother Dr. Isaac Maniego (Christian Vasquez) is a famous brain surgeon.

Budoy’s birth is a family blessing that later on turned into a family shame when they discovered that Budoy is suffering from Angel Syndrome, which delays the intellectual development of a child.

The family decided to hide their “dishonor”—their abnormal son Budoy—and replace him with a normal child.

“Budoy’s” power cast will be joined by veteran stars Gloria Sevilla, Dante Rivero, and Mylene Dizon.

With such a powerhouse cast and with a promising story, I bet this newest Kapamilya primetime show will definitely be a hit!