Encantadia enchants Cebuanos

CEBU CITY – An estimated crowd of 15,000 people rushed to see the stars of GMA Network’s top-rating telefantasya, Encantadia, during a mall show held in SM City Cebu recently. Cebuanos flocked to see their favorite Encantados in the flesh, including Dingdong Dantes (who plays Ybarro), Karylle (Alena), Bobby Andrews (Asval), Polo Ravales (Hitano) and Cindy Kurleto (Cassiopea), as they joined the gang of Cebu’s popular local variety program, Singgit Cebu, in an afternoon of fun and surprises.

"It was a success! There was a great turn-out," exclaims GMA Network Cebu TV Station Manager Ann Marie Tan. "Although we were expecting a crowd, I didn’t imagine it would be that huge! Hopefully, it will result in good ratings for both Singgit and Encantadia, and other GMA shows as well," she adds.

The Network brought the main cast of Encantadia to Cebu City as a way of showing gratitude to loyal Cebuano viewers. Apart from the mall show, the Encantadia stars were also showcased in a motorcade around the mall.

Fans started pouring into the vast covered parking lot, venue of the event, early on in the day. By noontime, the place was already teeming with people. The crowd inside the venue was so big, a lot of people had to watch the show from the open-parking lot nearby. They endured the scorching heat of the sun that afternoon just to watch their favorite stars from the telefantasya. People lined up along the road leading to the venue to catch a glimpse of the stars as their vehicle passed.

Anticipation was in the air as the crowd waited for the Encantadia stars. Anything, from the Encantadia theme playing in the background to catching sight of the stars as they made their way to the dressing rooms, made the fans scream themselves into a frenzy. Some enthusiastically waved the hand-made banners they brought just for the occasion. As their anticipation grew, the crowds began screaming the names of their favorite Encantadia characters: "Ybarro, Alena, Hitano, Cassiopea, Asval!"

This warm reception from the Cebuanos really touched the cast. "I’m so happy because Encantadia is well-known in Cebu," said Karylle. Dingdong added, "I’m happy because of the warm reception for Encantadia. I just wish we had the whole cast with us so we could have delighted the Cebuanos even more."

The mall show began right on schedule, with an opening number from the Singgit dancers, who interpreted the Encantadia theme sung by Bayang Barrios. The dance was followed by a duet from Karylle and Dingdong, who sang the Encantadia love theme, Mahiwagang Puso. There were also song numbers from Polo and Bobby, an upbeat dance number from Cindy and the lovely Singgit female hosts, and another solo number from Karylle. The fans were so delighted and couldn’t get enough of the stars. Everyone wanted to have their photos taken with and get the autographs of the young lead stars.

"Cebuanos are very receptive to the network’s offering. That’s why we hope to bring more stars and shows in the locality to boost our ratings. We need to sustain our efforts by entertaining Cebuanos with shows like this on a regular basis," says Tan.

Before joining the mall show at SM City Cebu, the cast participated in a motorcade around the city. Cebuanos lined the sidewalks at the downtown area to catch a glimpse of their favorite GMA stars. The cast also met with the local media for interviews and photo opportunities in a restaurant in Cebu. Even there, fans flocked to them for photos and autographs.

The members of the Cebu press were also so interested and engrossed in the show. This showed in how a lot of their questions revolved around the many storylines and twists in the Encantadia story as well as developments of the individual characters.

During the interview, the cast said Cebu is the farthest place they’ve gone to in promoting Encantadia so far.

"While we’re tired from the trip, having come straight from work in Manila," Cindy admitted to the Cebu press, "we really never lose energy and excitement for Encantadia and anything that can help promote the show further."

Bobby and Polo, who were with Cindy at the table during the interview, vigorously nodded in agreement and shared their own enthusiasm for promoting the show and thanking those who support it.

Bobby relates, "I was very happy with the reception given to us by the Cebuanos. After all these years, our Kapuso from Cebu are still there, and their support for Encantadia was overwhelming. No matter how tiring the day was, it was the people of Cebu who made the trip worthwhile. It was an experience I would gladly repeat. I hope to be back there again soon."