It could be that the Pinoys who watch the newscasts every day are totally different from those who love to watch a TV series nightly. We don’t think sensible people could stand and stay sane watching both kinds of TV fare. Those programs have strong similarities, we think and feel. 

The latter kind of viewers like their TV narratives highlighted by murders, treachery and deceptions in varying degrees, physical intimacies, messy and risky entanglements, slapping, hair-pulling, fistfights, shoot-outs and other forms of greed, cruelty and violence allowed by the Movies and Television Review and Classification Board for home viewing. 

The latter kind of viewers like their TV narratives highlighted by murders, treachery and deceptions of varying degrees, physical intimacies, messy and risky entanglements, slapping, hair-pulling, fistfights, shoot-outs and other forms of greed, cruelty and violence allowed by the Movies and Television Review and Classification Board for home viewing. 

Multiple shenanigans in the Senate, Lower House, government offices, incidents of losses of self-respect, intimations of greed and addiction to power and fame are reported every day in the newscasts. But their perpetrators do not look as good and stunning as the numerous Pinoy actors of all ages so millions of hoi polloi Pinoys don’t bother to watch them even as their shenanigans can affect their wellbeing.

We expect the launching episode on 1 July of GMA 7’s latest series, Widows’ War, bannered by the beauteous Bea Alonzo and Carla Abellana, to top the ratings that night, starting at 8:50 p.m. 

The show’s full trailer flashed countless times features a scene in which the showbiz come-backing Jean Garcia slaps Alonzo in a crowd, alongside glitzy parties, death scenes, vigils for the dead, funeral processions and so much hugging and kissing. All of them are more riveting than any hearing at the Senate even if two or three senators look good enough to be in the movies (and we’re not referring just to Sen. Robin Padilla, an ex-actor). 

At the forthcoming series’ media launch in a humongous private, high-ceilinged taping studio in Malakas Street, Quezon City, Bea beamingly announced that she also has a scene in which Jean tries to drown her in the sea.

Bea was in a flaming-red gown with a thigh-high slit, and cheerily sat out the event with her left leg crossed over her right knee all the time, including the minutes she sweetly answered questions from the showbiz scribes who totally avoided issues about her that have nothing to do with Widows’ War. 

Carla was in red gown, too, but no slit. She sat just a meter away from Bea, and they both sat in peacock chairs. All the cast members in attendance were formally attired, the men in suits. Only Jean was in long, black gown, and she was talking substantially with zest. 

Directed by Zig Dulay, Widows’ War is anchored on the lives of two widows whose respective husbands were separately murdered. Both husbands belong to a wealthy clan in a mining town. 

The widows were best friends in their childhood and youth but became cunning foes as adults. Both widows are suspected to be involved in the murder of their husbands. During the investigations, the widows would chance upon lies and secrets that led them to part ways as bosom friends. Would they pursue their war despite those discoveries? Or just pretend to be still at each other’s neck until the killers of their respective husbands are identified and miserably jailed?

The series also stars Tonton Gutierrez, Rita Daniela, Jeric Gonzales, Benjamin Alves, Mark Herras, Juancho Triviño, Jackie Lou Blanco, Lito Pimentel, Timmy Cruz, Lovely Rivero, James Graham, Charlie Fleming and Matthew Uy.

Widows War is a spinoff of the network’s popular murder-mystery series, Royal Blood (2023) and Widow’s Web (2019). The Kapuso network is already very much aware that glamorous stars portraying characters as distasteful as some politicians, civil servants, military men and cops make for compulsive viewing by the multitude. Television and film stars are hardly boring and rarely become high-profile lawbreakers and guzzlers, or even embezzlers, of the people’s taxes. 

Meanwhile, we’ve just found out that the lawyer-bandleader we recently wrote about here has a son who also leads a band. The lawyer is Rey Bergado of InnerVoices and the son is Migo Bergado of the rock group Sonnets. 

Both bands were recently featured at 19 East, possibly the best nighttime music establishment in Parañaque, if not in the entire Metro Manila. It is owned by another lawyer-music maker, Wowee Posadas. 

It wasn’t Migo’s dad that named his band with a similar literary undertone as the lawyer’s InnerVoices. Migo himself decided on Sonnets because the day he was thinking of his three-man group, he chanced upon a book of sonnets by The Bard himself, Shakespeare. 

The father bared that he did not encourage the son at all to get into music. It was just one day, upon coming home from a business trip abroad, he chanced upon his son playing the guitar in their music room and singing one of his (the son’s) compositions. Migo was still in college then, taking up a course in allied medical science. 

After a few months, Migo told his dad that he would put up a rock band with three friends and he’d call it Sonnets. Migo will do vocals, guitar and keyboards. One friend also does vocals and guitar. The third member plays guitar, and the fourth hit the drums and sings, too. 

To sample Sonnets, catch them at the Fete De La Musique festival on 28 June at the Alibi Music Lounge. The group is likely to perform as a guest band at Aromata at Scout Lazcano Street, Quezon City, where InnerVoices monthly on a Wednesday. 

Migo says they will soon upload on the digital platforms their rendition of his compositions “Ambon” and “Awit ng Bata.”