A Mother’s Day series

iWantTFC offers a Mother’s Day limited series with Misis Piggy which streams this week.

The series is described as a “poignant love letter to all mothers who strive to shower their kids with all the love and care despite enduring their own seemingly insurmountable struggles and pains.” It is produced by ABS-CBN Entertainment, iWantTFC, Dreamscape Entertainment, Nathan Studios, and Epic Media.

Writer and director Carlo Catu said that the series revolves around a mother who was separated from her husband and how the children react to the separation.

In an online press conference on April 21, Mr. Catu said that it is not the usual story where a parent works hard to provide for her young children and this does not end when the children in the story are already grown-ups.

“G������ܲ��ٱ� na sila (the children), pero nakaka-graduate din ba ang mga nanay sa responsibilidad nila? (The children have already graduated. But do mothers also graduate from their responsibilities?),” Mr. Catu said. “I think this series will have that answer.”

“It’s my love letter not only to mothers, but to my mom as well,” he added.

In the iWantTFC original series, Sylvia Sanchez plays Marivic, a selfless and strong-willed single mom of three adult children. Marivic wants nothing but the best for her children which is why she whole-heartedly dedicates her time to running a meat stall at a market.

As her children get older, Marivic struggles to accept the fact that they are mature enough to live their own lives as they carve their own career paths in different countries. Her eldest daughter Lani (Ria Atayde) aims to boost her career as a nurse by going to Canada; Steffi (Iana Bernardez) is a teacher taking up a master’s degree who gets a scholarship offer in the United States; and Jeffrey (Elijah Canlas), Marivic’s youngest son, intends to pursue an internship in Australia as he finishes his studies. Marivic’s relationship with her children is further complicated when they suddenly make an effort to reconnect with their estranged father Rupert (played by Ricky Davao).

Ms. Sanchez stars alongside her real life daughter Ria Atayde for the first time.

“It made the whole experience easier. I did not have to think that ‘Ok, she is my mom,’ because she is my real mom,” Ms. Atayde said, referring to doing emotional scenes alongside her mother.

“This time, more than being my mom on the set, we’re able to have a more professional relationship. She really gave me my space and I appreciate that. It really helped with what we were doing. As much as she is my mom, she treated me like an actress, more than anything,” Ms. Atayde added.

Ms. Sanchez responded by saying that she was confident of her daughter’s capabilities.

“Nakita ko naman yung capacity ng anak ko. Hindi ko sasabihin na magaling siya kung hindi siya magaling, kasi ako ang critic niya (I saw my daughter’s capacity. I will not say that she is good if she is not, because I am her critic),” Ms. Sanchez said.

Prior to the pandemic, Misis Piggy was meant to be a movie with Mr. Catu as director. It eventually evolved into a TV series instead, with Mr. Catu also the scriptwriter. The story became loosely based on Mr. Catu’s experience growing up in a family with two siblings.

“Kailangan nating pahalagahan yung magulang natin (We need to value our parents),” Mr. Catu said of the show’s message.

“It’s very cliché, but we are growing up, they are growing old. Our time with them is limited,” he said.

Misis Piggy streams on iWantTFC with new episodes released daily at 8 p.m. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman