Esperanza (TV series)

Esperanza
Genre Drama, Romance
Created by ABS-CBN Creative Department
Written by Dado C. Lumibao
Wali Ching
Reggie Amigo
Directed by Jerry Lopez Sineneng, Rory B. Quintos and Don Miguel Cuaresma
Creative director(s) Don Miguel Cuaresma
Starring Judy Ann Santos
Wowie de Guzman
Piolo Pascual
Angelika dela Cruz
Marvin Agustin
Theme music composer Vehnee Saturno (Arranged by Dennis R. Quila)
Opening theme "Esperanza" by April Boy Regino
Ending theme "Esperanza" by April Boy Regino
Country of origin Philippines
Original language(s) Filipino
English
No. of episodes 639
Production
Executive producer(s) Marinella Bandelaria-Bravo
Editor(s) Ben Panaligan, Mel Fernandez
Running time 30-45 min (Philippines) Monday - Friday 7:00pm (moved to 7:30pm)
Release
Original network ABS-CBN
Picture format 480i SDTV
Original release February 17, 1997 (1997-02-17) – July 30, 1999 (1999-07-30)
Chronology
Preceded by Mara Clara (August 17, 1992-February 14, 1997)
Followed by Labs Ko Si Babe (August 2, 1999-November 10, 2000)
External links
Website

Esperanza is a Filipino primetime television drama that was aired by ABS-CBN from February 17, 1997 to July 30, 1999 replacing the 4-year run Mara Clara. It was re-aired in Studio 23 and Kapamilya Channel,[1] which are both an ABS-CBN subsidiaries. The show posted the country's highest rating of a single episode in a TV series which is 67%. Its finale episode rating of 59.8% is the second highest rated finale episode of all time, behind the 2002 finale episode of Pangako Sa 'Yo (also aired by ABS-CBN). A film adaptation was subsequently made in 1999 by Star Cinema with the same title.

The series was delayed in 1997 on its international channel TFC due to late broadcasting. It was aired on June 2, 1997 to November 12, 1999 with current broadcasts of Mula Sa Puso.

Plot

The series follows Esperanza's search for her real family. It seems that Esperanza's mother, Isabel, and father Juan Salgado, got married without the approval of Isabel's mom. To be together Isabel refused to marry the man her mother promised her to, Jaime Elustre, and Juan left the girl he had been dating at the time, Sandra.

As the years went by Isabel gave birth to three kids, two daughters and a son. One day Esperanza's mother took her, her sister, and brother on a bus trip to visit someone. Due to a bus accident, they got separated and had Juan believing all of them to be dead.

Unknown to the three kids, they were adopted by families in the same neighborhood allowing for them to be good friends. Esperanza, the eldest, was adopted by a poor family. She was never told she was adopted. She grew up letting her adoptive mother Selya mistreat her, such as treating her like a slave while she lavished love on her own kids JunJun and Andrea. Her adoptive father Raul did nothing to help her. The only happy moments in her life was being with her childhood friend and sweetheart Anton. Danilo, the second child, who also did not know he was adopted, was rescued by a poor loving family: Ester and Luis who have a son named Noel, who treated him as if he were their own son. Cecille, the youngest, was adopted by a rich couple named Belinda and Mayor Joaquin Montejo who is very controlling and secretly beats her.

When Esperanza learns about her parentage, she tries searching who she really is. She finds out that her mother and brother might have died in the accident while her adoptive father was able to save her and her sister Regina but couldn't support them both. He renamed her from Socorro to Esperanza and gave Regina to the Major who accepted her only after learning that he couldn't have kids and renamed Regina as Cecille. On accident Danilo finds the newspaper Esperanza was reading that asks for help locating Juan's missing family and that explains about their separation and finally learns the truth, that he is Esperanza's brother Raphael. While Danilo now knows the truth he cannot join in Esperanza's search for their father knowing in his heart that his adoptive family is the only family he wants. Esperanza understand and continues to tell Cecille what she knows who accept this and asks her to take her away from her abusive adopted father.

As Esperanza and Cecille make their escape to Manila Danilo decides he needs to also know who he truly is. They soon find their father through the same newspaper that told them about being brothers and sisters and learn that their father has remarried to his old girlfriend, Sandra. It seems that Sandra has been keeping a secret from Juan all these years, that his children are still alive, and she will do anything to keep them apart. Even telling them that their father is so sick he must go to America to get better.

Cecille's adoptive father Mayor Montejo takes Cecille once again and while they fight to get her back it is revealed that Anton is his son. Before he had the "accident" that wouldn't allow him to reproduce he raped Anton's mother. After finding out he has a son he decides to make a trade, he will let Cecile go if Anton will stay with him. Anton, out of love for Esperanza, agrees to the exchange. Montejo sent Anton sent to America to study and in the hopes of making him forget Esperanza.

In Manila, Esperanza meets a new suitor named Brian and finds a job as the nurse maid or companion of Isabel, the wife of Jaime. Isabel has been so traumatized by the bus accident that she has manic depression and believes that all her children died in the bus accident. Esperanza is the only one that has ever gotten through to Isabel and makes her want to get better. It is later revealed that Isabel is really Esperanza's mother.

As years pass by Esperanza continues on with her life not even once hearing from Anton. Though will find out later that Jaime's niece Donna is getting married to Anton and is pregnant with his baby. Though when they see each other again they resolve old issues and Anton says that he would like to start over yet, Esperanza doesn't want to hurt Donna, only to realizes too late that she wants to fight for their love. Donna later learns that her Aunt Isabel does not love her Uncle Jaime and has stolen her away from her family. She tries to help her aunt escape from her uncle's clutches with Anton aiding them. While doing this, Jaime tries to shoot Anton but instead hits Donna, killing her.

Sandra takes Cecille and Danilo away from Esperanza one day when she was gone and takes them to her place to make them her slaves along with their grandmother Isabel's mom and finds out that Isabel and Sandra are half-sisters. Esperanza gets help from a lawyer named Cynthia Lazaro to get her brother and sister back from Sandra. Which she eventually does.

It is revealed that Cynthia has her own evil plot against Sandra, Esperanza and her whole family. It seems that she is Rosella Salgado, the illegitimate daughter of Juan Selgado whom everyone has rejected. She has been planning for years to get vengeance on her father's family, even sending her lover Brian as her spy who accidentally fell in love with Esperanza. She has also taken Isabel captive after the "escape" and kills Sandra.

Cecille dies in a car accident when she crashes with Cynthia who survives. Cynthia reunites the whole Salgado family, including Juan. Brian loses interest in Esperanza, Anton and the police come to the rescue and to capture Cynthia. She dies just before she can shoot Esperanza.

After all the pain and suffering, in her quest to complete her family, Esperanza finally gets reunited with them, even though Cecille is gone.

Cast

Main characters

Supporting characters

Special Guest

Movie

The two television series came to an end with Mula Sa Puso and Esperanza ended up with successful finales and their own movies. The 1999 film finishes up where the TV finale left off, chronicles with another triggering ending, and opens up with the beginning of the lives of the characters. It released on February 10, 1999 at the same day as Mula sa Puso and became the entry to the 25th Metro Manila Film Festival. The film was distributed to home video in December 2000.

International release

Even as the show was airing on ABS-CBN, the management confirmed that there were foreign buyers of the soap opera and was to be translated. It is slated to air on foreign TV channels, having the international title Esperanza. After the original run on its mother network TFC, released it and was delayed from its original air date and aired at 7pm EST and 4pm PST.

Soundtrack

The theme song was sung by April Boy Regino for TV while the movie version was sung by Andre Ibara. The song was re-released in 2010 via 60 Years of Music of Philippine Soap Opera.

See also

References

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