MHL displays prudence & good taste

It is clearly an indication of our growing maturity as a viewing public that the squeaky-clean Be Careful with My Heart and the gay and lesbian love story in My Husband’s Lover (MHL) would be among the most popular teleseryes nowadays. We don’t have figures to back it up but judging from our circle of friends and cohorts who watch and like both, it is obvious that both shows have been breaking trends.

Both networks were surprised at the response of the audience. Be Careful teams up a country girl (Jodi Sta. Maria) with a grouchy widower (Richard Yap) with three children. Neither have any strength at the box-office. It was clearly an experiment on the part of ABS-CBN to veer away from tried and tested formulas. To top it all, the show was given a morning schedule, a timeslot normally reserved for children and Disney-type shows, certainly not a love story.

My Husband’s Lover is even more experimental. It stars Dennis Trillo, Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana as the main characters, caught in a situation that will turn their lives upside down. Tom has been living a secret double life with an old chum Dennis, with only an openly gay cousin Keempee de Leon aware of his secret. Created and developed by Suzette Doctolero of GMA, My Husband’s Lover was out to prove that the Filipino audience in general, and not simply the gays and lesbians are ready to understand their world.

We recall such a theme in Lino Brocka’s Tubog sa Ginto (1971) with Eddie Garcia as a closet gay, married to Lolita Rodriguez, where Mario O’Hara was his lover doubling up as driver. Recently, Eddie played a closet gay lolo in the film Bwakaw which went to Hollywood as the Philippine entry. Dennis Trillo, likewise, did Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita, where he essayed a cross-dresser spying for the Huks during the WW2 Japanese invasion.

My Husband’s Lover, however, is credited as the first-ever gay-themed series on Philippine television, and as such requires careful handling, since a daily teleserye with adult material could be dangerous if abused. An official GMA Network statement welcomed the scrutiny of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines of My Husband’s Lover. It stated, “We believe that our program while tackling sensitive real-life situations is produced with utmost prudence and in good taste. The MTRCB had given the program an SPG (Strong Parental Guidance) rating with the reminder to avoid torrid kissing scenes. GMA is committed to comply with all its standards.”

When presented with the material, GMA program manager Helen Rose Sese said management gave approval which wouldn’t have been possible “10 years ago.” “Before, medyo tago pa ang mga tao. I guess (now) mas matapang na ‘yung mga tao ipakita what they really feel. So we’re simply adjusting to what is happening now.”

Way back in June when the series had just started airing opposite Apoy sa Dagat from ABS, My Husband’s Lover was said to have scored a 20.5 rating versus Apoy sa Dagat at 16.6 percent in Urban Luzon. In Mega Manila, the margin was even bigger for the gay love story.

Lately, wife Carla has discovered husband Tom’s secret life and decided to stick it out with him for the sake of the family. Tom has also opted to give up his lover Dennis as coming out would “kill” his father and embarrass his entire family. The remaining problem is Tom’s dad, a known gay basher, who has complicated the situation.  He has had Carla followed, believing she is entertaining a lover and had photos of the two taken. However, the turn of events could work against Tom’s father.

In a story by Karen Valeza of Southeast Asia Newsroom, she quoted Dennis and Tom as overwhelmed over the success of their series. “Hindi namin in-expect ito. Akala namin nung una hindi ito tatanggapin ng mga tao… Siguro that’s the most beautiful thing about it. Wala siyang pinipiling kasarian or estado sa buhay. Marami siyang napapasaya.”

To top it all, fans have even coined TomDen for the tandem as is common with fan clubs of “loveteams.” The duo has been getting raves, not just from the gay community, but from women as well. Dennis adds, “Sobrang nag-e-enjoy kami na maraming natutuwa sa mga ginagawa namin.” The strong rating has resulted in an extension of the serye’s screening. However, we are told that the GMA management has been judicious enough not to over-extend the run that could result in loss of focus. We certainly hope this doesn’t happen to My Husband’s Lover.

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