DIRECTOR DOMINIC ZAPATA helmed the toprating “My Husband’s Lover”, which is a gamble since it’s the first local soap that seriously tackled a homosexual romance on primetime TV. He now directs “Hiram na Alaala”, another experimental show that deals with dissociative fugue, a condition where someone completely forgets his own identity and replaces it with that of another person. “’Stolen Memories’ ang original title nito but negative daw ang dating kasi stolen, ninakaw, so naging ‘Hiram na Alaala’,” he says at the show’s presscon. “Kris Bernal and Rocco Nacino are childhood sweethearts. Si Rocco, pumasok sa PMA and promised Kris na pakakasal sila kapag nakatapos na siya. He becomes a soldier at naging friend niya si Dennis Trillo, na si Lauren Young naman ang girlfriend. Habang magkasama sila, naikuwento ni Rocco kay Dennis ang buong buhay niya. In an encounter with rebels, they are both captured. But Dennis escapes and it’s only Rocco who goes missing. Yung mukha ni Dennis is wounded so nakabenda siya. Kris comes to visit him in the hospital at tinawag niya itong Andeng, Kris’ nickname. Then he tells Kris lahat ng kuwento between them na sila lang ang nakakaalam. Kris thought he’s Rocco, but when the benda is removed, she discovers he’s another man. It turns out that because of his traumatic encounter with the rebels, Dennis completely forgot his own identity and assumed that of Rocco. This is dissociative fugue. We did extensive research on it at nangyayari talaga ito. We have medical consultants assisting us, and also military consultants kasi this is my own tribute to our soldiers. At the army hospital, I saw our soldiers who lost an arm or a leg after they were ambushed by rebels. We take them for granted without realizing we owe our peaceful lives to them, so this is my homage to them.”