If not all, many of us grew up believing that Santa Claus is real, the good old bearded man dressed in red ensemble who, every Christmas, generously grants the wishes of kids who have been “nice” throughout the year as a way of rewarding their good work. On the other hand, those who have been naughty would get lumps of coal as a form of punishment for their bad deeds.
While we still figure out whether we made it to the “naughty” or to the “nice” list, here are the characters from teleseryes we’d seen this year, whom Santa would probably have a hard time thinking where to include them because of how they’d been both “naughty” and “nice.”
Juliana, Linlang
Contrary to Kim Chiu’s sweet and endearing personality in real life, her infamous character in “Linlang” —Juliana—was her total opposite. Yes, Juliana’s affectionate and doting, especially towards her unica hija Abby (Heart Ramos/Hannah Lexie), but she was once among the hated persons in a teleserye at the time when it was broadcast online and on TV because of the wrong decisions that she had made, especially when it came to love.
As we all know, she cheated on her husband, Victor (Paulo Avelino), with his brother Alex (JM De Guzman) after their wedding went on the rocks. But after always taking the side of her second partner and covering up for his crimes, Juliana eventually regretted ending her marriage with Victor and choosing the abusive and depraved Alex more than him. Since it was already quite impossible for them to rekindle what they used to have, Juliana just decided to conspire with Victor in exposing Alex.
Elias, Nag-aapoy na Damdamin
Despite having a limited stint, Ejay Falcon was still able to create a strong impact in “Nag-aapoy na Damdamin” as his character, Elias Delgado, spiced up the narrative and stirred further conflict among the main characters. He initially introduced himself as a real estate developer who wished to give back to the community, only to be revealed that he actually had other reasons for coming into their lives: to exact vengeance on the Buencaminos due to what happened to him and his mother in the past.
Through his private investigation, Philip (JC de Vera) discovered that Elias his real businesses were the manufacture of fake license plates and the buy and sell of smuggled cars, and real estate development was just a front to conceal his fraudulent activities. However, it was later on found out through one of his conversations with Olivia (Jane Oineza) that he got engaged to these acts in pursuit of alleviating the condition of his and his mother and had no choice but to continue despite already earning much as his way of paying debt of gratitude to the person who didn’t only serve as a father figure to him but who helped him when he needed it the most.
Hilary, Pira-pirasong Paraiso
For sure, Elisse Joson never failed to trigger our gigil with her compelling portrayal of Hilary in the afternoon series “Pira-Pirasong Paraiso.” While she used to be a nice, cheerful, and supportive daughter and sister to her adoptive parents and siblings, things eventually changed as she allowed herself to be driven by envy and selfish ambition to become rich.
As it was discovered that her sister, Baby (Loisa Andalio), was the long-lost heir of a wealthy family, Hilary and their wicked adoptive father, Badong (Epy Quizon), did everything to have a portion of their assets into their hands. Moreover, Hilary also harbored hatred against Baby for having all the things that she’d only longed for. But despite her displeasing attitude, Hilary still had a good heart, which we got to see when she consoled the heartbroken Criselda (Rosanna Roces) and told her that she would remain by her side as if she were her real daughter.
Tori, High Street
Just when Tania (Angel Aquino) assumed that she had hit the jackpot for having a generous and lenient boss in Victoria “Tori” Soler (Dimples Romana), whom she regarded as her true friend and trusted confidante, she found herself wrong after it was revealed that she was actually a fraud. Tori’s benevolence, which she displayed by allowing Tania to work in her company in spite of being pregnant and giving her everything that she asked for and might need, were all for the show since she wanted Tania and her family to be fully indebted to her and eventually drag them down. But, why did she do it?
Well, it’s because she was actually the wife of Reginald Castrodes (Floyd Tena), the former vice principal of Northford High and a pedophile who was exposed by Tania’s daughter, Sky (Andrea Brillantes), that led to his imprisonment.
Rafael, Pamilya Sagrado
It was indeed quite easy to fall for the charms of Rafael (Piolo Pascual) because he’s not only good-looking but also sympathetic and approachable, making him a great leader of their town and of the country eventually. However, just when we thought that he was different from some of the politicians that we know, we later on saw him engage in an extramarital affair with his executive assistant Cristine (Bela Padilla), to whom he had a child—yet unbeknown to him at first. Besides, he also became an accomplice to the crimes committed by his debauch family.
Despite all his offenses, Rafael was still able to redeem himself by helping the family of Cristine attain justice for her and to make up to his family, especially to his estranged son, Moises (Kyle Echarri).
Iris, Lavender Fields
She may be despised for being complicit in the crimes of her father, Vitto (Edu Manzano), but Iris (Janine Gutierrez) is also admired for being loyal and dependable, especially when it comes to her friends. Those who got to religiously watch “Lavender Fields” would know that she and her family helped her best friend, Lily (Jolina Magdangal), pay her fees and debts in school when they were still in college.
And her kindness to Lily had extended to the latter’s family, as she didn’t only give them jobs in their businesses but also became a doting godmother to their adoptive daughter, Camila (Janell Gonzaga). In fact, she even donated her own stem cell to the young girl when she fell severely ill.