Agua Bendita

Agua Bendita
Created by	Rod Santiago
Directed by	Malu Sevilla Claudio "Tots" Sanchez-Mariscal IV
Starring	Andi Eigenmann Matteo Guidicelli Jason Abalos
Theme music composer	Rey Valera
Opening theme	"Malayo Pa Ang Umaga" (First) Sung by Aria Clemente, (Second) Sung by Vina Morales
Country of origin	Philippines
Original languages	Filipino/Tagalog, Cebuano, English
No. of episodes	112 (as of July 16, 2010)
Production
Executive producer	Carlina D. Dela Merced
Production location	Philippines
Running time	30-45 mins.
Original release
Network	ABS-CBN
Release	February 8 – August 16, 2010

Agua Bendita (lit. "Holy Water") is a fantasy drama series on ABS-CBN in the Philippines starring Andi Eigenmann.

Overview

Comics

Agua Bendita was a comic created by Rod Santiago in the 1980's and was published by Liwayway Comics. It was first popularized when it was adapted on television through the series, Komiks.

Televison series

Plot

Agua Bendita focuses on two different but otherwise identical twin sisters. Bendita is born normal while her sister Agua is born blue and has a body that resembles water in a humanoid form, however if Agua is submerged in water, she appears normal. Despite Agua's physical defect, she forms a loving relationship with her parents and attempts to have a good relationship with her sister. Bendita, despite Agua's attempts to bond with her, rejects her twin and appears to not want to have anything to do with Agua. When Agua disappears for some time, it becomes apparent that regardless of Bendita's mistreatment of her sister, that she has some tender feelings for Agua. As both sisters grow older, Bendita has developed many insecurities while Agua tries to find her place in the world around her.

Synopsis

A couple from San Antonio, Marcial and Mercedes, waited for 5 long years to once and for all conceive a child. And upon getting their hands on the unlikely chance, they learn about Mercedes’ critical condition that puts her pregnancy at great risk. Desperate to save his wife and the twins in her womb, Marcial steals the agua bendita that Padre Gido had left for Criselda. Surprisingly, it miraculously salvages the lives of his whole family; but since he had taken the said agua bendita in a deceitful manner, he couldn’t help but be deeply bothered by his conscience. And just as he had expected, karma instantly takes its toll on them—one of their babies is born with an unusual physical trait. Aware that Agua’s predicament will truly upset Mercedes, Marcial decides to hide the kid away from his family. Without hesitation, he tells his wife that she unfortunately died immediately after birth. Discreetly, he sends Agua off with his most trusted housemaid to a secluded place. But after the enraged townsmen in the area learned about her existence, he was left with no other choice but to lock her up inside an abandoned room inside their house for her own safety. Agua continues to wonder why she can't be with her mother and twin sister as Marcial still fears for his daughter's safety. Meanwhile, Amalia spoils Bendita much to Marcial's displeasure. This ignites further disagreement between Marcial and Amalia, and Mercedes is caught in between. While Marcial is out, Amalia calls a priest to have the entire house and the clinic blessed. Tonyang immediately hides away Agua.

Mercedes wonders why her husband spends most of his time at the clinic. Amalia suspects that her son-in-law is having an affair and attempts to follow him. She and Mercedes barge into the secret room in the clinic where they see Agua. Upon catching sight of Agua’s unusual physical appearance, Mercedes is immediately caught by surprise. She simply couldn’t believe that the extraordinary kid happens to be Bendita’s twin sister. But after giving much thought on the matter, she finally ends up accepting the fact that Agua is also her daughter who deserves all the motherly care and affection that she can offer. Mercedes then decides to take the kid inside their house and in order to successfully do so, Mercedes and Marcial decide to introduce Agua to Bendita. But to their dismay, Bendita is pretty much vocal with her refusal to accept Agua in any way. Bendita and her grandmother Doña Amalia deviously trick Agua to once and for all keep her out of their way. Insistently, they bring the poor kid with them, and they relentlessly leave her behind in the middle of nowhere. Completely oblivious, Agua tries seeking her way home, but a group of wicked men furiously run after her. Fortunately, she meets a nice kid named Tod. After she miraculously cured the young boy’s disability, he gladly escorts her back to her parents. Incidentally, Tod happens to be Criselda’s son. And upon learning about the miracle Agua can do, her husband couldn’t help but grow interested with the kid’s wonder.

Agua then was lost because of Amalia accidentally pushing her off a friend's yacht. She was taken and raised by islanders (Ben and Rosy). After the loss of Agua, Marcial and Mercedes separated by having Mercedes, Bendita, and Amalia at America while leaving Marcial in the Philippines to find Agua. Divina came to live with Marcial to have him fall in love with her. When Marcial finds Agua, the family comes back to the Philippines but Amalia doesn't approve. She, Divina, and Luisito work together to keep the couple separated. Amalia's plan became the opposite. She only becomes buisness partners with Solita to steal her money. After years of searching Paco found Agua and sent her to his parents where she was treated as a slave. After Bendita accidentally pushed Solita and made her go into a coma, she went to Cebu to find the Agua Bendita. She found it and drank the water which switched both sisters' physical apperance. Agua escaped and found her way home while Bendita was captured by Baldo and Criselda. Paco wasn't abusive like his parents so he helps Agua and Bendita when they get hurt. Because of Bendita's fault, Solita thinks Agua was her sister because her physical apperance is now normal. Agua hides from going to prison and Ronnie helps her.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Andi Eigenmann / Xyriel Anne Manabat (young)

as Agua Cristi - Agua is born with an unexplainable physical defect. In fear that she will suffer ridicule and persecution because of her appearance, her father hides her in a hidden place in their house. Her family has been moving around due to fears that people will take her away. It is later revealed that Agua can heal people with her tears in grief which she first used in helping Tod.

as Bendita Cristi - Bendita is the physically normal of the twin. Despite being normal, she grew up with a lot of insecurities with her twin, Agua. Bendita has a spoiled personality. She feels that her parents are taking all their attention to Agua due to her disability, leaving her behind. She grew up hating Agua and is very close to her grandmother. However, it got weaker as she learned it was her grandmother who keeps her distanced with her father. Bendita has feelings for Ronnie and will try to do anything to win his heart. She also has some feelings for Paco. But when she drank the miraculous agua bendita she was now the one with the disability that Agua had. She can't heal people like Agua because she is not like her twin, Agua.

• Matteo Guidicelli / Bugoy Cariño (young) as Ronnie Aguirre - a rich kid who became a good friend of Agua. He met Agua when they were young. Unfortunately, he got blind when he met again Agua when they were older. Without knowing Agua’s real identity, Ronnie learned to love her for her personality. His mother was a maid from a rich Italian family who got impregnated by the owner's son. To cover the shame, Ronnie's father left them leaving not a single penny and just with a house as he disappeared from their lives. Fortunately, Ronnie's grandfather is very pleased with his existence and thus, inheriting him and her mother his riches. Bendita on the other hand is trying her best to be close as possible with him. Torn between the twins, he seems to favor Agua over Bendita.

• Jason Abalos / Maliksi Morales (young) as Paculdo "Paco" Barrameda - a poor boy who is the son of Criselda and Baldo and is often called "Tod" when he was young. He met the twin when he once saved their lives on separate occasions. He was tasked by his mother to bring her Agua in order to be freed from her disorder; with which he often works on different jobs which would lead him to the Cristi's. Despite being only used by his mother, it seems he has developed special feelings for Agua as he carries on with the task. He helps Agua escape from his parents, but, because he's still concerned about her safety, he finds her (who is actually Bendita) and hides her in his friend's house. When he finds out she is really Bendita, he dislikes her at first because of her attitude, but now, he seems to have developed feelings for her more than Agua.

Supporting cast

• Vina Morales as Mercedes Montenegro-Cristi - Mercedes took a long time to be impregnated and when had a chance she unfortunately caught an illness that may cause to end her life. This caused her to panic because it is possible that they have to choose either to save her life or the twins' life. However, she was miraculously cured when Marcial brought the mysterious agua bendita, but this came on an exchange where one of the children had an unexplainable disability, Agua. She also hated Luisito.
• John Estrada as Dr. Marcial Cristi - Mercedes' husband, he was poor yet Mercedes had fallen in love with him. Due to his status, Mercedes' mother Amalia have hated Marcial. Luckily, Marcial managed to finish a course of medicine and has managed to help his wife.
• Pilar Pilapil as Doña Amalia Montenegro - Mercedes' mother. She is very close to Bendita, but not to Agua who she mostly state as a 'freak'. She is often the reason of Agua's misfortune and hardships. Her evil attitude was even inherited by Bendita due to their closeness. She also doesn't like Marcial for her daughter, causing her to not talk with her daughter for a long time, that is until she got pregnant. After shse was banned from her daughters pressence, she spends her time stealing money from Solita.
• Alessandra de Rossi as Divina - a girl whose father is the late husband of Doña Amalia's sister. Since her father died, she had always been abused and shamed by the family. She had feelings toward Marcial and became evident when she intentionally kissed him on the lips. She is sometimes conspired by Doña Amalia to fulfill the Doña's goal of breaking Marcial's family bond; usually agreeing with the plan just to gain the upper hand towards Marcial's heart.
• Dimples Romana as Criselda Barrameda - Padre Guido's niece who was the supposed recipient of the miraculous agua bendita. Unfortunately, Marcial stole the Agua Bendita from her. Finding out that Marcial stole the agua bendita while she was helpless, she never stopped hunting down the family. Following them everywhere to get revenge causing her husband to be sent to jail. She is Paco's mother and has a disorder (specifically Epilepsy) which is the reason why Padre Guido searched for the Agua Bendita.
• Carlos Agassi as Baldo Barrameda - Criselda's husband who is a gambler and a drunk. He tried to kidnap Agua to make money out of her healing abilities. He mistakenly kidnapped Bendita and was sent to jail. He is Tod's father. He was able to kidnap Agua when Paco brought her to Manila.
• Malou Crisologo as Tonyang/Muchacha - Agua's nanny. She always takes care of Agua and most of the time becomes her companion. Tonyang has been the family's maid/nanny for a long time and is one of Marcial trusted people. She and Marcial are the only two people who knew about Agua's disability when she was born.
• Jason Gainza as Ben - a fisherman who saved Agua after accidentally being dragged to the sea. He firsted hated Agua, but later accepted her.
• Malou de Guzman as Rosy - Ben's wife who have helped Agua from danger. At first, she is so afraid from her but after being reminded by their lost daughter, she finally accepted her. They have taken care of Agua until she grows up.
• Bing Loyzaga as Solita Aguirre - Ronnie's mother who is very consistent being in social life. She was once a maid on a rich Italian family. She got impregnated by one of the owner's son. The family didnt want anything to do with Ronnie, so they decided to just give the house on the village where Doña Amalia's house stands.
• Zaijian Jaranilla as the voice of Otep - Agua's fish (clownfish) friend who she attempted to steal in a pet store but then she got caught. Luckily, Marcial saw what Agua did and apologized to the saleslady and bought Otep for Agua. She freed him from an aquarium to the ocean. They have once met again when Agua accidentally got lost in the ocean.
• Zoren Legaspi as Luisito Hong Kong - Lisa's son who used to court Mercedes and was originally arranged to be with her. However, due to Mercedes' rebellion, she ended up marrying Marcial. When Mercedes and her family decided to migrate in America, he found a chance to caress Mercedes once again.

Minor Cast

• Pen Medina as Padre Guido - the original owner of the miraculous Agua Bendita. He is Criselda's uncle and have asked Marcial to give the agua bendita to Criselda to cure her illness. Unfortunately, Marcial stole it and instead gave it to Mercedes. Due to this circumstances, Padre Guido from time to time appears in Agua's dream to help her use the abilities she has gained from the Agua Bendita. He also appears in Bendita's Dream
• Neil Ryan Sese as Señor Lucas - a fake healer who helped Criselda when they needed some money. Criselda acts as if she is being healed by Lucas to attract customers. When he discovered that it is Agua who is healing the sick people, he tried to help Agua escape, without success. Baldo accidentally killed Lucas during the process and threw his corpse in an abandoned lot.
• Lollie Mara as Donya Caridad Montenegro - Amalia's sister. She is Divina's cruel stepmother. Right after her husband died, she started to not care about Divina.
• Lyka Ugarte as Donya Lisa - Amalia's friend who owned the boat from what's supposed to bring the Cristi family to their hiding island. But sadly, Agua fell from the boat because Doña Amalia pushed her off and was never seen again. Lisa is also Luisito's mother.
• Miguel de Guzman as Tod's friend - When Tod was working on a vulcanizing shop, he had a fellow worker and a friend who is also a kid.
• Angel Sy as Bimpy - Daughter of the Water Theme Park Owner. She is first afraid of Agua, but then became her friend when Agua healed her, since she sits in a wheelchair. She calls Agua "Ate Agua".

Reception

Komiks adaptation

Serialized on Komiks, first aired in 2006 and again during Holy Week 2007, with two-part episodes in Season 1 starring Shaina Magdayao as Agua/Bendita and Rayver Cruz as Ronnie. There was no third pair in the Komiks series unlike the 2010 adaptation.

Komiks version cast

• Shaina Magdayao as Agua/Bendita
• Rayver Cruz as Ronnie
• Jaclyn Jose as Celeste Cristi
• Raymond Bagatsing as Dr. Rodrigo Cristi
• Amy Perez as Solita
• Lou Veloso as Ben
• Beverly Salviejo as Rosy
• Mosang as Tonyang
• Joshua Dionisio as Young Ronnie
• Kathryn Bernardo as Young Agua/Bendita

Launch

Agua Bendita was launched as one of the ABS-CBN's offerings for the 60th Celebration of Filipino Soap Opera ("Ika-60 taon ng Pinoy Soap Opera"), along with series such as Tanging Yaman, Kung Tayo'y Magkakalayo, Habang May Buhay, Rubi , Kokey @ Ako, Magkano Ang Iyong Dangal?, and a series of Precious Hearts Romances Presents seasonal episodes. The shows were launched during the ABS-CBN Trade Launch for the first quarter of 2010, entitled "Bagong Simula" (New Beginning).

Theme song

The show uses "Malayo Pa Ang Umaga" as its theme song, originally composed and sung by Rey Valera. This was also the theme song of the 1988 primetime soap Ula: Ang Batang Gubat of IBC-13, starring Judy Ann Santos. The first version of the song used in Agua Bendita is sung by Aria Clemente (2007 Junior Grand Champion Performer Of The World of WCOPA), and the second version is sung by Vina Morales.

Critical reception

High ratings garnered by the TV series resulted in ABS-CBN extending the storyline starring Xyriel Anne Manabat, the child actress playing the young Agua/Bendita; because of generally positive reception and critical praise the show received while the main characters were portrayed as children. This resulted in a much delayed debut of the grown-up Agua/Bendita portrayed by Andi Eigenmann, so much that it distressed her mother Jaclyn Jose, who voiced her feelings publicly. Because the original main audience were young children and their families, the projected new, more mature theme of the show would have made it inappropriate continued viewing for them, causing fears that the ratings will drop due to the loss of the original audience which made it a hit. These fears have been shown premature however, as the new cast and scripts have so far retained the innocence and morality of the children that preceeded them.

See also

• List of programs broadcast by ABS-CBN

External links

• Official ABS-CBN Agua Bendita site