Sylvia Sanchez has always been synonymous with the “ulirang ina” roles i.e Hanggang Saan, The Greatest Love and Pamilya Ko to name a few. Now she’s back as Marivic in Misis Piggy.
Misis Piggy tells the story of a mother who goes through separation and works to raise her children on her own and how the children react to the separation. In addition to that, it also goes through how she deals with when the children start to seek out a relationship with their father. Playing the role of her children are her own daughter Ria Atayde as Lani, the eldest child, Iana Bermudez (Angel Aquino’s eldest daughter) as Steffi and Elijah Canlas as Jeffrey the “bunso”. Ricky Davao as her estranged husband Rupert and Rubi Rubi as her best friend and confidante.
Writer and Director Carlo Enciso Catu describes Misis Piggy as a love letter for her late mother, Although he received and revised the original story from Lilit Reyes, who originally penned Misis Piggy as a movie. He has loosely based the characters from his own family, saying that, like Steffi, he is also a middle child and Mama’s boy, but he also put a part of his character into Jeffrey.
Direk Carlo added that all mums could relate to the story, as it’s relevant to all the mothers who love their children unconditionally. He describes it best with the Filipino saying, “isusubo na lang, ibibigay pa sa anak”, which is how most parents are – they prioritise their children before their own needs. He also asked the question “Kung graduate na ang mga anak, graduate na rin ba ang nanay sa responsibilidad nila?” as most of us know, there is no retirement age for moms. It is a lifelong commitment.
Sylvia Sanchez does not only star in this new series, she is also one of the producers, along with co-star Iana Bermudez. The cast only had praises for them, saying they are well-taken care of and always “busog” and happy on the set.
Ria Atayde describes working with her real-life mom as easier than she thought it would be. Playing Sylvia’s daughter on screen made it more manageable for her to internalise her role. She also said that Sylvia gave her space and treated her like an actress instead of as her child on the set. Meanwhile, Sylvia was proud to see her daughter blossom as an actress. She shared that she never asked for favours for her children Arjo and Ria, who are both in showbiz. Sylvia said that she knows how challenging it is for actors’ children to be always in their parents’ shadow and constantly being compared to them. Ricky Davao, who is a child of an actor – the late Charlie Davao, whose daughter has also started joining the business, chimed in that it takes a long time to create their own persona. They both agreed that it makes them prouder when people say that their children are better actors than them.
Misis Piggy features the sacrifices parents make for their children, hopefully encouraging the children to appreciate their parents more. Direk Carlo emphasized that parents are growing old while children are growing up. We must not wait for special moments to show our love for them but make them feel loved every day while we still have them.
Misis Piggy will start airing on April 25 on iWantTFC, with new episodes available daily.
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