In a virtual press conference for Almost Paradise, the ABS-CBN International production and co-production division head, Ruel Bayani revealed that the series made the Network’s CEO Carlo Katigbak’s vision a reality.
However, Bayani said that during the making of the series, he did not expect that the network would lose its franchise.
“Ang dramatic answer is when we were embarking on this project, hindi namin alam na mawawala kami sa ere. This was part of ABS-CBN international initiatives. And ang nangyari, in the nick of time, natapos siya. Buti nalang we have 10 episodes at nabuo sya.”
The show’s completion is important for the network’s CEO since the collaboration with Hollywood TV producers helped Filipinos improve the quality of shows being made in the Philippines.
“Napakaimportante because natupad ang vision ng ating chairman, Carlo Katigbak, that for us to learn from our Hollywood counterparts and from great showrunners, producers, writers and to be able to come up with this kind of project,” Bayani said.
Though Bayani is certain that ABS-CBN shows are of quality, for him, it does not end there. Through Almost Paradise, Bayani now knows that Filipinos can make high-quality shows as such.
“Alam naman natin na dati pa may quality ang mga palabas ng ABS pero alam natin na hindi dun natatapos yun. At ngayon, with this Almost Paradise, alam na nila na kuha na, magagawa na yan in the future.”
He also stressed that even without ABS-CBN’s franchise, the acquired knowledge by the Filipino production crew and artists included in the show would never be taken away from them.
Bayani also pointed that the detractors of the Network cannot extinguish the “Kapamilya spirit” that Filipinos have.
“Kasi kahit nawala ang franchise, hindi maaagaw sa amin yung natutunan namin. At hindi nila mapapatay yung Kapamilya spirit na nasu puso nang bawat isang tao. At yung talent ng Pilipinas ay hindi kayang hadlangan nang kahit sino.”
Almost Paradise is a 2020 action-drama series produced by ABS-CBN, in partnership with Electric Entertainment. It first aired in the US cable company WGN America, marking the Kapamilya Network’s first venture into HollywoodTV production.
The show tells the story of a former DEA agent Alex Walker (Christian Kane), who recently got forced out of retirement and settled on an island in the Philippines. But fate wants him to return to his crime-fighting days. He was pulled back into the dangerous world of law enforcement by helping his local police department fight the criminal activities of rich and powerful personalities.
