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Philippine Showbiz Today
June 22 - July 7, 2018
Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015
Marian continues to salute modern-day heroes
Her husband Dingdong Dantes
is an OFW advocate. Her mother
Amalia Rivera is a former OFW. No
wonder Marian Rivera also has a heart
for Pinoys who work abroad despite
the challenges that come with it.
Based on data released by the
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
April this year, the number of Over-
seas Filipino Workers (OFWs) at any-
time from April to September 2017
is estimated at 2.3 million people.
It is said that every day, thou-
sands of Pinoys seek greener pas-
ture abroad to provide a better life for
their loved ones while helping boost
the local economy.
Celebrity Marian Rivera is one
with the nation in hailing these OFWs
as modern day heroes. The actress
hosts “Tadhana,” GMA Public Affairs’
weekly drama anthology featuring
the colorful, romantic, heroic, and
inspiring stories of OFWs.
As a treat to her loyal viewers and
fans, Marian will play the lead role in
the anniversary special of “Tadhana”
for airing on June 23.
IT WAS a different kind of thrill
for Marian Rivera to be directed by
her husband Dingdong Dantes for
the anniversary episode of “Tadha-
na.”
In the special episode, Marian
brings to life the story of Jackie, an
OFW who had to bear being away
from her children to give them a good
life by working in Bahrain during the
‘90s. Jackie was left alone to raise
their family. When the opportunity
to work as a domestic helper abroad
came knocking on her door, she did
not hesitate and accepted the job.
It did not matter if this meant being
separated from her kids. What was
important was to give them a decent
future. Little did she know that an or-
deal awaited her in Bahrain.
Jackie’s employer was cruel. On
top of the physical abuse she got, she
was prohibited to go out or even use
the phone to call her family. Except
for letters, she had no way of com-
municating with her loved ones in
the Philippines. She endured this for
two years. But upon Jackie’s return
to the Philippines, she learned that
her family never received the money
and letters she sent them and that
the same people she worked hard for
had turned their backs on her.
In its year-long run, the epi-
sode featuring Marian is the most
“cinematic” of the stories featured.
Dingdong admits that he had reser-
vations accepting the rare chance of
directing his wife but eventually took
the project. “’Yung takot ko at ‘yung
pag-iwas ko na idirek siya ay naging
opportunity,” shared Dingdong in
an interview with GMA News Online.
“I saw a different kind of actress, a
different kind of Marian. Mas na-ap-
preciate ko siya bilang artista, bilang
tao, bilang nanay, dahil ganu’n siya
kaseryoso sa kaniyang [trabaho].”
The couple kept everything pro-
fessional. Dingdong was the captain
of the ship and Marian willingly fol-
lowed his directions. Dingdong ar-
rived earlier because he had an early
call time, but they left the set together
– tired and spent after a day’s work
Marian said when Dingdong
saw how exhausted she was after
the shoot, she got a sweet kiss and a
reassuring “good job” from her hus-
band.
Although their experience work-
ing together was a good one, it will
take some time before fans see the
beautiful couple – who fell in love on
the set of one of their shows – work
together
“Family is our priority. We can’t
work together because doing so
will result to our daughter being left
alone and we don’t want that to hap-
pen. So, we work on projects one at
a time.”●
- R.M. Parungao. MB; Malaya