(L-R) Kaila Estrada, Janella Salvador, Sue Ramirez, and Charlie Dizon at the finale media conference of "What Lies Beneath," March 10, 2026 in Quezon City. Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News
MANILA -- It is "about time" that more stories centered on queer women and their relationships are given a mainstream platform, after the success of the "girls' love" arc on the hit ABS-CBN show "What Lies Beneath."
This is the shared sentiment of the show's stars, who said on Tuesday that they are proud to be part of a project that shone a rare spotlight on sapphic love on local television.
"What Lies Beneath" is centered on four friends -- Alice (Janella Salvador), Erica (Kaila Estrada), Mel (Sue Ramirez), and Beth (Charlie Dizon) -- as they deal with the trauma of having witnessed the murder of their friend Louisa (Mutya Orquia) during their teenage years.
The show reached new audiences in January when it was revealed that before her death, Louisa had been in a relationship with Liezel (Kolette Madelo). Their story arc gained praise for its portrayal of young love, the chemistry between the two actresses, and the critical lens through which the downfall of their relationship was shown.
Mary Joy Apostol also impressed with her portrayal of the adult Liezel, who continued to love Louisa in the years after her death while coming to terms with her own bisexuality.
"Sabi nga nila love is love, and that's true," Estrada said during the show's final media conference earlier this week, ahead of its closing stretch. "And I feel like every character in everything that you watch is a representation of a real person.
"These are real people with real stories to tell, and as a viewer you want to be able to relate to the characters that you watch," she added. "So it's about time, it's about time."
"I believe na lahat ng istorya ay deserve na makita ng mga tao, and nangyayari 'yun sa totoong buhay," said Dizon, for her part. "So deserve na mapanood 'yun ng mga tao sa mainstream."
POSITIVE RESPONSE TO SAPPHIC ANGLE
Louisa and Liezel's love story added a new layer to "What Lies Beneath," which was already being praised for its portrayal of flawed yet empowered women as well as its unflinching arcs that highlighted how these women dealt with the pain and suffering caused by the men in their lives.
Though the arc was brief, the "LouiZel" pairing of Orquia and Madelo gained a following, with fans hoping that they will work together again.
Both young actresses have expressed their gratitude for the support -- along with a willingness to be paired up in a "GL."
Mutya, Kolette kinilig sa 'MuLette' fan edits
"If you see us going sa mga fiesta, you would see people going crazy over Mutya and Kolette," noted Ramirez. "It's such a beautiful sight to see, how open people are getting, the young people also."
The positive response to the "LouiZel" pairing and story arc is not a new phenomenon. In the past few years, there has been a steady rise in the demand for local sapphic representation, and recent "GL" projects have been well-received by both audiences and critics.
In 2023, for instance, the sapphic volleyball film "Rookie" -- starring Kapamilya actress Aya Fernandez and newcomer Pat Tingjuy -- won the Audience Award at Cinemalaya.
Just last year, "Open Endings" -- which starred Salvador, Klea Pineda, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, and Leanne Mamonong -- topped the Cinemalaya box office and received the Best Ensemble award for its cast.
Salvador, in particular, has firsthand experience in seeing the demand for local sapphic representation. There were plenty of calls for her and Jane de Leon to do a follow-up project after "Darna," thanks to the "Darlentina" pairing that also went viral during the duration of the show.
While a major follow-up project ultimately did not prosper, Salvador did feature De Leon in the music video of her song "Hey You," and she went on to gain praise for her portrayal of "Charlie" in "Open Endings."
A year on, she continues to lead the way in calling for more stories of women loving women in the mainstream.
READ: Janella Salvador gets role of her dreams in 'Open Endings'
READ: Janella Salvador takes pride in success of 'Open Endings,' eyes more sapphic roles
"If Filipinos love watching love stories, there are so many untold queer stories that deserve to have the same platform," said Salvador. "So why not give these stories the same platform, the same opportunity?
"Bakit sobrang hirap niya ipaglaban, bakit may humaharang palagi, bakit siya mahirap? It shouldn't be that way," she stressed. "So, sana mas maging open 'yung mga networks. Sana lang mas maging open and mabigyan ng tamang platform."
MAINSTREAM PLATFORM FOR SAPPHIC STORIES
A scene between Louisa and Liezel on "What Lies Beneath."Salvador believes that the positive response to the "LouiZel" story arc -- as well as other works centered on sapphic love -- is proof that audiences are ready for more of these stories.
"I don't understand why it's so hard, in this day and age, na magkaroon tayo ng more stories like that on mainstream TV," she said. "As we can see, the response is good. People actually want it. There's an audience for it, so why not make more?"
"It's not a risk anymore," she added emphatically.
It's a sentiment shared by Ramirez: "Ganoong mga love angle ang matagal nang inaantay, I think, ng mga tao, and it really, really worked for this show."
"Sana mas marami pa," Ramirez added, "Sana mas pag-usapan pa. Sana, mas mainstream pa. Kasi ang laki-laki pa nung space, as in pwede pa. Pwede pa, tara, mag-share tayo ng iba't ibang kwento."
"What Lies Beneath" airs weeknights on the Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, ALLTV, and iWant.