AT FIRST, both the original Flor De Luna and Tita Jo Alicante were hesitant to comment on the classic soap opera’s revival, masterminded by ABS-CBN.
“I may have nothing relevant to say,” said filmmaker Laurice Guillen, who portrayed the cruel stepmother Jo.
“I don’t have much to say,” echoed TV host Janice de Belen, who originated the role of the tormented “moon flower” child.
When ABS-CBN revived “Bituing Walang Ningning” as a telenovela, network execs reportedly asked permission from the movie’s original star, Sharon Cuneta.
Did the Kapamilya network extend a similar “courtesy” to De Belen?
“I don’t think ABS-CBN would ask my permission or opinion to remake my old soap simply because I’m now with its rival, GMA 7,” quipped De Belen, who now hosts the Kapuso network’s morning chat show “Sis.”
Would she have allowed any of her daughters (specifically Inah Estrada who hosted the defunct ’tween show “Candies”) to reprise the role?
“I’m not so keen on it,” De Belen said. “That would be too much pressure on my kids.”
“Going Bulilit” mainstay Eliza Pineda, who played Piolo Pascual’s precocious daughter in “Till There Was You,” bagged the role of “Maria Flor de Luna” after an extensive search.
What about ...
Just wondering: Should GMA 7 revive it, would De Belen accept an offer to star in “Anna Liza,” which was the rival show of “Flor”?
“Why not?" the actress said. “It’s a job. In these tough times, we shouldn’t be too choosy. Especially now that I’ve just moved in a new house.”
For the record, though, GMA 7 is not reviving “Anna Liza,” according to Lilybeth Rasonable, assistant vice president for drama. “As of now, we are not talking about it. But who knows? We may do something similar in the future.”
But asked to reminisce about the glory days of “Flor de Luna,” which was first aired on RPN 9, both Guillen and De Belen brimmed over with happy memories.
Excellent team
“We worked with some of the best writers and directors,” De Belen related.
Guillen agreed: “We had an excellent team behind us. Among our writers and directors were Mario O’Hara, Leo Martinez, Benny Rivera, Orlando Nadres, Lorli Villanueva and Tony Santos Sr.”
Guillen reserved the highest praise for her screen husband, the late great Dindo Fernando or Col. Leo Alicante. “He was the perfect partner. He was good in improvising. We often ad-libbed, to make our characters our own.”
She also commended her screen mom, the evil Nyora Agueda, played by then-neophyte Carmen Enriquez. “Ironically, she’s a gentle person in real life. It’s just that she was effective in playing the aristocratic, haughty dońa. At that time, she was a stage actress and teacher at the University of the East.”
Although work was grueling, often extending from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning in the old RPN 9 studios, the “Flor” team shared a familial bond.
“My mom Susan became close to Tita Laurice,” De Belen recalled.
“I asked Janice’s mom to be the ninang (godmother) of my daughter Ana,” Guillen remarked.
“I had a cameo in ‘Kasal,’ Tita Laurice’s directorial debut. I played a flower girl in Hilda Koronel’s wedding,” De Belen added.
Gifted kids
Guillen affirmed that the kids of “Flor” were all gifted: “They were mature for their age, in the sense that they were very professional and considerate of their co-workers. Janice would just stay in one corner and do her homework between takes.”
Martinez and Guillen would often bring home the show’s other child star, Herbert Bautista, who played Flor’s strong-willed brother Rene Boy, before the mandated 12-midnight curfew for minors.
“Herbert lived in Cubao, near my house, so he often hitched a ride with me. Little did I know that he would become vice mayor of Quezon City,” Guillen gasped. “I used to tease Herbert that he was the young Johnny Delgado (her husband),” because he was intense in dramatic scenes.
“It was Herbert who told me about the revival,” De Belen shared.
According to De Belen, she was originally tapped to play Jo’s biological daughter Wilma, who was just as scheming as her mom and lola.
“Julie Vega was supposed to play Flor, but she wasn’t allowed by Larry Santiago Productions. That’s why I got promoted,” De Belen chuckled.
Maritess Ardieta was then hired to portray Wilma, while Vega eventually landed the titular role on competitor GMA 7’s “Anna Liza.”
De Belen was 10 years old when the soap debuted. “It was a radio serial in Cebu. Initially, it was only a 30-minute TV show on weekdays. At its peak, however, it ran for an hour, seven days a week, even Sundays!”
Very popular
“We taped three times a week. The show was very popular,” Guillen reminisced. “Office girls would rush home to catch it.”
Martinez, who played Tita Jo’s lecherous ex-husband before signing up as director, was almost “lynched” by a swarm of angry fans. “On the show, I attempted to molest Flor. One day, Janice’s matronly fans ran after me with umbrellas!”
Guillen acknowledged that “Flor” still serves as a good ice-breaker everywhere she goes. Many original fans of the show are now powerful businessmen or high-ranking clergymen, she noted, and “they never fail to bring up the show. They still call me Tita Jo.”
She recounted one incident in a small town in Cavite: “The parish priest asked me if I remembered Tibor.”
(Tibor was the Alicantes’ family driver, who later became the love interest of loyal maid Soling. He was played by Rey Dimaranan; Soling by Nita Grandea.)
Guillen was stunned: “It turned out that the parish priest was Rey’s son.”
