“At first, I didn’t believe they’d offer me the role of the Supremo,” he says.
“I don’t think I have the looks or the qualities of a hero. But the GMA people insisted akong choice nila and they gave me the script. When I read it, whoa! Ang hahaba ng lines ko, in Tagalog pa. E, nabubulol ako sa long lines in Tagalog, hindi ko mai-deliver ng diretso, laging nagba-buckle. Isang eksena nga, inabot ng isang oras sa paulit-ulit na takes for me to perfect it.”
But now, he’s enjoying the role as it’s an eye-opener for him. “It’s like I’m taking history lessons myself and I realized that Andres Bonifacio should really be our national hero. I have nothing against Jose Rizal but he’s an ilustrado, it was the Americans who poised him on us, unlike Bonifacio who really came from the masses. Bonifacio showed that we’re no pushovers, that we have a strong side in fighting for our rights against our oppressors. E, these days, di ba parang it appears that we just allow ourselves to be pushed around by the bigger people, the corrupt politicians. So it’s time for us to look up to Bonifacio who really knew how to fight back.”
Written by Ian Victoriano and directed by King Marc Baco, “Katipunan” started airing October 19 and has been rating well since then. It also stars Glaiza de Castro as Ka Oryang, Benjamin Alves as Sebastian, Dominic Roco as Pacquing, Mercedes Cabral as Teresa, Roi Vinzon as Padre Valdellon, Jill Palencia as Juanita and Nico Antonio as Emilio Aguinaldo.
