From the successes of Encantadia, Amaya, Sahaya, Legal Wives and Maria Clara at Ibarra, GMA Network proudly presents the most important Philippine TV series of 2024, Pulang Araw.
Premiering on GMA Prime on 29 July, the family drama boasts of a powerhouse cast led by Kapuso Primetime Princess Barbie Forteza as Adelina dela Cruz, first lady of Primetime Sanya Lopez as Teresita Borromeo, Pambansang Ginoo David Licauco as Hiroshi Tanaka, and Asia’s multimedia star Alden Richards as Eduardo Dela Cruz, with kapuso drama King Dennis Trillo in a very special role as Col. Yuta Saitoh.
Pulang Araw is poised to capture the hearts of viewers both locally and internationally, as it will also be available on Netflix Philippines on 26 July, marking a first for the Kapuso Network. Global Pinoys can also catch it via GMA Pinoy TV beginning 29 July.
Set during World War II, Pulang Araw traces the intertwined lives of four childhood friends—Eduardo, Teresita, Adelina, and Hiroshi. As war ravages their homeland and Japanese forces occupy the country, their dreams, friendships, and loyalties are tested, leading them on a journey of self-discovery and resilience.
Alden shared the emotional challenges he faced with his character, Eduardo: “May reality aspect ang Pulang Araw. Nangyari siya talaga. Ang mahirap sa akin is kung paano kumalas sa trauma. Paulit-ulit tumatakbo sa isip ko na dinanas ito ng mga kapwa nating Pilipino. It’s very emotional and disturbing kahit inaarte lang namin, ramdam namin ‘yung trauma. That’s why I consider this as one of my most important projects because we will be telling the untold legacy of the Filipinos during World War II (Pulang Lupa has a reality aspect to it. It is an event that really happened. The difficulty is how to recover from the trauma. I continue to think about what happened to our fellow Filipinos. The movie is very disturbing and traumatic, even if we are just acting it out — we fel the trauma).”
Meanwhile, Barbie teased her fans that they will be seeing a different side of her in the series. According to her, “Sa umpisa kahit hindi sila nabigyan ng marangyang buhay ng kanyang Kuya Eduardo, ang saya nilang magkapatid na parang nasa kanila ang lahat (At the start even if they were not given a good life with her older brother Eduardo, they were happy, the lived like they had everything).”
Sanya, on the other hand, highlighted how her role taught her to never give up: “I was given the privilege na makausap nang personal ang dating comfort women. Ramdam mo ang sakit na pinagdaanan nila, sobrang sariwa pa rin sa isip nila. Malaking bagay na ma-i-share natin ito sa viewers dahil marami silang matututunan. Minsan may mga problema tayo na akala natin sobrang hirap na pero hindi natin nakikita na may mas mabigat pang pinagdaanan ‘yung ibang tao. Kung sila nga hindi sumuko, bakit ka susuko, ‘di ba? (I was given the privilege the comfort women of the past. I felt their pain, which is still fresh on their minds. It is a big pleasure to share with the viewers what they learned. Sometimes we feel the our problems are so big, but there are heavier. So, if they didn’t give up, neither should we). ”
Pulang Araw features some of the most respected artists in the industry, including Angelu De Leon, Epy Quizon, Robert Seña, Neil Ryan Sese and Rochelle Pangilinan.
Also joining the star-studded ensemble are Ashley Ortega, Mikoy Morales, Sef Cadayona, Jay Arcilla, Aidan Veneracion and Tyro Dylusan.
Completing the stellar cast are the special participations of Julie Anne San Jose, Derrick Monasterio, Isay Alvarez, Rabiya Mateo, Jacky Woo, Maria Ozawa, Billy Ray Gallion, and Rhian Ramos.
Pulang Araw is produced by the GMA Entertainment Group, headed by Senior Vice President Lilybeth G. Rasonable, Vice President for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy, Assistant Vice President for Drama Helen Rose S. Sese, Program Manager Edlyn Tallada, Senior Program Manager for Promo Cathy Ochoa-Perez, Executive Producer Shielyn Atienza.
The show’s creative team consists of Creative Director Aloy Adlawan, Content Development Consultant Ricky Lee, Creative Consultant Agnes Gagelonia-Uligan, Writers Rona Lean Sales and Anna Aleta Nadela, Brainstormers Aldrin Garcia and Cynthia Paz.
In the fight for love, family, and country, one’s indomitable spirit is the greatest weapon. Catch this year’s biggest story of every Filipino family, Pulang Araw, based on the original concept of Head Writer Suzette Doctolero and under the helm of esteemed director Dominic C. Zapata.
Pulang Araw is playing on Netflix starting 26 July and airing on GMA Network on 29 July.