Right on its pilot week, “Coco Martin’s Sigabo” had already brought viewers to a rollercoaster ride of emotions, as its first five episodes humored us with comedic scenes, warmed our hearts with dramatic moments, astonished us with well-executed action sequences, and made us kilig with the first-ever encounter of lead characters Gabo and Sam, played by reel-and-real life couple and the show’s producers, Coco Martin and Julia Montes.
READ: 'Coco Martin's Sigabo' hooks viewers with action-packed, comedy-filled pilot week
But before we get to find out what’s next in the journey of our newest primetime hero, Gabo, let’s revisit first some of the highlights of episodes 4 and 5 aired last June 25 and 26, as well as the fun behind-the-scenes happenings on the set of “Sigabo.”
Just on the first body of the June 25 episode, viewers were already amused by the scenes that Gabo shared with his longtime friends Tekla (Sue Ramirez), Ipe (Bassilyo), and Bong (Smugglaz), as they embarked on a job hunt. It marked Gabo’s first step in fulfilling the promise he made to his beloved father, Rudy (Joey Marquez), to turn his life around and choose the right path after being released from prison.
Considering their educational attainment and lack of work experience and competency, the four were actually uncertain about what jobs they would apply for. Thus, they agreed to simply apply for any vacancies they would come across as they walked down the streets of the City of Manila. Their first stop was a small hardware store, where they auditioned to become live sellers despite having no prior experience.
Many would agree that Sue indeed nailed her performance in this particular sequence as her character Tekla reflects a flamboyant personality often described in pop culture as “babaeng bakla.” Meanwhile, Coco, Bassilyo, and Smugglaz totally amused us with their playful dance moves and witty punchlines, as they tried to entice the viewers to order the items their characters were selling. As we’ve grown used to seeing him take on intense action and dramatic roles in his teleseryes and movies, watching him in such a playful demeanor on TV was definitely something refreshing to see.
WATCH: Gabo, uminit ang ulo sa mga basher ng kanilang live selling | Sigabo
Instead of making a sale, the group ended up being bashed by netizens who weren’t impressed with their performance and appearance, which terribly fueled their frustration. As they allowed their emotions and the nasty remarks they’d received to get the best of them, the troublesome foursome lashed out and destroyed several items in the store, including the mobile phone used for online selling that Gabo smashed with a sledgehammer. As a result, the furious store owners immediately fired them on the spot, forcing the group to once again search for another opportunity.
They later found themselves at the public market, where they chanced upon a stall looking for a cashier and porters. The stall owner was initially hesitant to hire them, but Tekla was able to charm him with her allure, ultimately convincing him to give their group a chance.
Everything initially went smoothly for the quartet. While Tekla was being oriented by the lecherous elderly stall owner about her responsibilities as the cashier, Gabo, Ipe, and Bong busied themselves transporting and attending to the store's merchandise. However, their peaceful first day at work was suddenly ruined by a couple of unexpected incidents that had transpired.
The first one was when Gabo came to the aid of a woman whose wallet had been snatched by the trio of Daboy (Mammoth Estroso), Binoy (Nikko Natividad), and Tolits (Jerald Napoles). He managed to swiftly foil their escape by tripping them and punching them one by one, as well as forcing them into a comical scuffle with one another. When they still refused to return the stolen wallet, Gabo resorted to threatening to fire a "boga," or homemade cannon, at them, which was proven enough to scare the trio into finally surrendering the wallet and admitting their crime.
Meanwhile, the second incident unfolded when Tekla got into a heated yet hilarious altercation with Uwak (Lao Rodriguez) and Lawin (Jojit Lorenzo), who disguised themselves as women in another attempt to secretly get close to Gabo. Their disguise, however, was quickly blown after Tekla yanked off their wigs, exposing their true identities to everyone in the area—especially Gabo.
After a string of humorous comedic sequences, what came next was a series of intense, action-packed scenes in Ginintuang Lupa, as residents faced looming demolition.
While Gabo and his friends were busy at the market, little did they know that tension was already flaring in their barangay. A group of unexpected guests arrived, led by Ricardo (Edu Manzano) and Isobel (Carmi Martin) Jacinto, who introduced themselves as the new owners of the land where residents had built their homes and them that they would have to relocate immediately to make way for the developments planned for the area. The announcement, of course, infuriated the residents, especially Rudy, who confronted the group and demanded that they leave.
WATCH | Rudy, hindi napigilan ang galit at sinapak si Ricardo | Sigabo
Forced to retreat, Ricardo and his entourage were driven away by angry residents, who pelted them with trash and humiliated them in front of their prospective Japanese investors. Seething with anger, Ricardo vowed to return, evict the residents, and settle the score with Rudy once and for all.
It was later revealed that the reason behind Rudy’s deep resentment and burning anger against Ricardo was because of their troubled past. They actually used to be close friends, but their once admirable friendship eventually turned to a longstanding animosity after each believed that the other had betrayed and deceived him over a whopping amount of gold.
True to Ricardo’s threat, a police contingent indeed arrived at Ginintuang Lupa together with a court officer later that day to carry out the demolition order and evict the residents. The group of Gabo arrived at the scene just right in time and put themselves in the frontlines of their community’s clash against the police.
Equipped with improvised weapons and confidence in their unity, the residents bravely resisted and fought against the demolition team, prompting the authorities to use water cannons to control the increasingly hostile crowd. The chaos came to an abrupt halt when a gunshot rang out, and everyone watched in shock as Rudy collapsed.
WATCH: Sigabo: Gabo, buong tapang na lumaban para sa Ginintuang Lupa | Episode 5
Take a closer look at how these exciting moments were brought to life, along with candid off-camera snapshots of the cast that viewers surely didn't get to see on television.
Watch out for thrilling action, kilig romance, amusing moments, and gripping drama in the upcoming episodes of “Coco Martin’s Sigabo,” airing weeknights at 8:00 PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), or stream anytime on iWant!
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