PHILIPPINES, FEBRUARY 8, 2011 – TV5 gave its first drama serye, Babaeng Hampaslupa, a commercial-free premiere last night. The series, which airs weeknights at 9pm after Willing Willie, boasts of a cast which includes Susan Roces, Alice Dixson, Jay Manalo, Christian Vasquez, Freddie Webb, Celso Ad Castillo, Sheila Mae Rodriguez, Alwyn Uytingco and Alex Gonzaga in her first title role.
At first glance, Babaeng Hampaslupa could be mistaken for the TV equivalent of the Mano Po film series because of the Filipino-Chinese family the series centers on, though the series is based on the film of the same title. The three-generation saga is directed by Eric Quizon and Joyce Bernal. TV5 appears bent on giving GMA and ABS-CBN serious competition for advertisers. With a 9.8 AMR% and 27.4% Audience Share according to Nielsen Individuals and landing in the top 20 programs for the day nationwide in the Kantar ratings (the only TV5 program on the list aside from Willing Willie), the series premiere has drummed up interest from viewers, stealing some of the thunder from the pilot episode of GMA 7’s romantic comedy I Heart You Pare starring Regine Velasquez and Dingdong Dantes and pre-empting ABS-CBN’s Kim Chiu vehicle, Binondo Girl. How TV5 intends to keep up its pace by fielding young lead talents is in itself a show worth watching out for.
