The Vilma: A Woman for all Seasons TV special will air on ABS-CBN starting tonight, August 1. This five-part TV special will air on all Saturdays of August at 9:15 PM.
But this month not
only celebrates Vilma Santos' colorful life, flourishing career and upcoming
film. For the first time in Philippine television, ABS-CBN offers a grand
back-to-back celebration of two of the industry's most highly regarded and
respected TV and film icons—Charo Santos-Concio and Vilma Santos.
The whole month of August is dedicated to the 18th anniversary celebration of
the country's longest-running drama anthology show, Maalaala Mo Kaya, with its host Charo Santos-Concio and the first
ever TV special for Vilma Santos. A dear friend of Charo, Vilma's TV special
will air right after MMK for a non-stop and never-before seen TV special
experience.
The first episode (August 1) showcases the respected
actress as an actress/artist and it will be hosted by Claudine Barretto.
During a recent press conference with the Star for All Seasons, Vilma was asked
to name who among the stars of today have the capacity to last as long as she
has in the entertainment industry.
"Hiningan na ‘ko ng ganyang opinion pero wala
akong sinabi. Wala akong sinagot," admits Vilma. "Except ang sinabi ko lang, maski
nung promo ng Anak, ang isa talagang nagustuhan ko si Claudine. Kasi
gustong-gusto ko ‘yung pagiging flexible ni Claud. Si Claud kasi, whether
mapa-sexy, tanggap siya ng tao. Magpakamartir, kapani-paniwala. Magkontrabida,
kapani-paniwala. Parang tanggap siya ng tao kasi yung pagiging flexible niya.
"Maybe because kahit paano, nadaanan ko sa career ko ‘yun na tinanggap ng tao.
Naging kontrabida na ‘ko, ‘di ba, Sinasamba Kita,
pero kumita, tinanggap ng tao. Naging serial killer. Nag-pasexy na din ako,
mistress. Naging madre na din ako. Yung flexibility nung mga ganung bagay, and
yet tinatanggap nila."
When asked about Vilma's high regard for her, Claudine shared, "You know,
I'm a Vilmanian through and through. I promised Ate Vi that I can only be the
best Claudine Barretto that I can ever be but there will never be another Vilma
Santos. She's the only one."
Humbled by Vilma's
praises for her, Claudine also expressed, "As a Vilmanian, I don't want to
say that someone will replace or follow Ate Vi's steps unless it's her son. But
I'm very honored of course especially since it came from the Star for all
Seasons who won the most number of awards. Ate Vi is very respected in the
industry and even in politics. It's a privilege that she noticed my talent. I'm
very thankful."
The following episodes
tackle Vilma as a TV host, dancer and performer on August 8 with host Vhong Navarro, as a wife, mother, sister and
friend on August 15 with host Angel
Locsin, as an empowered Filipina leader on August
22 hosted by her ex-husband, Edu Manzano. Capping off the one month
celebration is an exclusive sneak peek into her upcoming movie In My Life with son Luis Manzano and
John Lloyd Cruz on August 29.
Mark your calendars and block off your Saturday evenings for the whole month of August. Have a date with the one and only Star for all seasons and catch Vilma: A Woman for all Seasons TV special on all Saturdays of August, after Maalaala Mo Kaya on ABS-CBN.