Had Kiko Estrada never been offered last year to be the lead actor of the TV5 action-drama series Lumuhod Ka sa Lupa, he would still be largely known as the Vivamax actor who’s a son of former actor Gary Estrada and who changes real-life girlfriends every year, or every two years or so.
Estrada, a grandson of the almost legendary film villain Paquito Diaz, is the actor proudest of the series’ airing for a full year. It was originally planned to run only for a few months as an afternoon viewing fare but it became well-followed on its first month and was moved to an early primetime slot, reducing TV5’s first evening newscast slot by 30 minutes.
It is now on its last four weeks and Estrada has announced that he has been signed up for a new show on TV5. Or possibly by Viva as a content supplier to TV5’s Cignal channel, which also airs Lumuhod Ka sa Lupa.
Estrada may not have to accept a film offer again from Vivamax (which has been re-branded as VMX) even as VMX’s mother company, Viva Communications, Inc., is actually a co-producer of the series Lumuhod Ka sa Lupa.
Viva Communications owns the right to the story concept created by filmmaker-illustrated novelist Carlo Caparas. The komiks-serialized novel became a film in 1986 top-billed by action star Rudy Fernandez.
If Vivamax offered Kiko Estrada sensual movies in the past, it’s most likely because his paternal grandfather was once known for being a skin flick actor: George Estregan, a younger brother of Joseph Estrada, the first Pinoy actor to become president of the country. (Both brothers have Ejercito as legal surname).
The actor known as Gary Estrada is a son of George Estregan with a woman he was not married to. The actress, known as Agnes Moran, and who’s real surname is Bocaling. Estrada is a half-brother of actor-turned-politician ER Ejercito who, for some time, used Jorge Estregan as a screen name.
Kiko Estrada has never denied being a VMX actor, though he prefers not to (if not never) talk about his seven or eight VMX movies, which had such titles as Hugas, Laruan, Balik-Taya and Sitio Diablo.
At the media conference announcing the series’ last four weeks, Estrada kept saying that the last time he played lead role “in a major project was 12 years [ago].” He actually portrayed male lead characters in his VMX movies all of which were released in 2022 and 2023. He simply does not consider VMX movies “major projects.”
By late 2023, he had begun taping for Lumuhod Ka sa Lupa with Sarah Lahbati and Rhen Escano as his love interests. The series started airing in April 2024 as an afternoon show. In June, it was moved to the early primetime slot by shortening the network’s first evening newscast by 30 minutes.
The series’ lead cast includes Gardo Versoza, Sid Lucero and Ryza Cenon.
Its supporting cast includes Mark Anthony Fernandez, Mon Confiado, Heaven Peralejo (an ex-girlfriend of Estrada), Marco Gallo, Joko Diaz (older brother of Cheska Diaz, Kiko’s mother), stage actors Ana Abad, Bart Guingona, Nor Domingo, Floyd Tena, and a son of the late Caparas who goes by the screen name CJ Caparas.
Several Vivamax actresses who want to quit disrobing in front of the camera have had guest roles in some episodes of the series. Among them are Azi Acosta, Angela Morena, Jamilla Obispo, Rose Van Ginkel, and Phoebe Walker. They portrayed varying characters with scenes that require them fully clothed all the time.
The second Estrada love interest in the series, Rhen Escano, was tearful at the media huddle held at TV5 Media Center at one point. All because she used to do Vivamax films herself and other sensual movies Viva produced in the past. She, too, is as happy as Estrada that with the success of Lumuhod Ka sa Lupa as an action-drama, Viva might never entice them again to do skinflicks.
A well-noted star in the series is Ryza Cenon who almost matched Estrada in the series action scenes of avenging the death of his character’s mother in the hands of the henchmen of a land-grabbing judge who secretly owns a ruthless law company on the side. Cenon portrays the mysterious Christine Maceda whose family was also a victim of the corrupt judge played by Versoza. Cenon serenely attended the media conference and recalled that she worked very well again with Estrada, just like in Kung Di Lang Tayo Sumuko series they did together in 2023 for Viva One, another streaming company owned by Viva Communications. Even Escano was in the series.
Actually, Cenon and Estrada also appeared in a movie in 2016. It was called Diyos-Diyosan, top-billed by John Prats, Princess Punzalan and Tirso Cruz III. Cesar Buendia directed the film.
At the media huddle, Versoza was the jolliest, most amiable and the most talkative. He ribbed Estrada about possibly being the next Machete, a mythical macho god coming to life from being a wooden sculpture. Versoza took up the role after Cesar Montano. Both did it for the now defunct Seiko Films.
At the media-con, you wouldn’t suspect that the cheery and amiable Versoza portrays the most ruthless character in Lumuhod Ka sa Lupa, along with that of Lucero as his son-in-law.
Lumuhod Ka sa Lupa showcases Estrada’s most decent and most educated character in his two decades old acting career: a lawyer, though he could kill without rancor to avenge his mother’s death. Escano also portrays a lawyer who was a classmate of Estrada in law school. It seems to be also her most respectable on-screen character.
In its run of one year, the series engaged a total of 100 actors in varying lengths of roles. It was shot in different places. It is not a small time production and is reported to be the longest-running action-drama series of TV 5 so far.
The series is mainly directed by Albert Langitan, who helmed some of the Vivamax movies of Estrada as well as those of Escano.
The cast has yet to tape the final episode of Lumuhod Ka sa Lupa.