''Bayani'' () is a Philippine

educational Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

television series produced by

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS). The show revolves around two Grade 4 to 6 school children who discovers a cave where they meet an old man who tasks them to go back in time to relive certain events to witness the heroism of select figures in Philippine history. During its original run, the show airs every weekends (formerly Wednesday) on

from 1995 to 2002. The Department of Education has endorsed ''Bayani'', together with the other educational television shows developed by ABS-CBN Foundation (formerly ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation), as part of regular class activities.

Background

Bayani dramatizes historical events and the lives of Filipino historical heroes as well as their accomplishments from the perspective of two elementary/middle school students named Noli and Aya/Ana and later replaced by Manuel and Lisa, who magically travel back in time to retrieve historical items for an old person. Their travels enable them to meet famous Filipino heroes including

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national he ...

Andres Bonifacio Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...

Apolinario Mabini Apolinario Mabini y Maranan (, July 23, 1864 – May 13, 1903) was a Filipino revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, and statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary Government, and then as the first ...

Emilio Jacinto Emilio Jacinto y Dizon (; December 15, 1875 – April 16, 1899) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution. He was one of the highest-ranking officers in the Philippine Revolution and was one of the highest-ranking officers of the ...

Melchora Aquino Melchora Aquino de Ramos (January 6, 1812 – February 19, 1919) was a Filipino revolutionary. She became known as "Tandang Sora" because of her age during the Philippine Revolution. She was known as the "Grand Woman of the Revolution" an ...

Antonio Luna Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (; October 29, 1866 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipino army general who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination in 1899. Regarded as one of the fiercest generals of his ...

Diego Silang Diego Silang y Andaya (; December 16, 1730 – May 28, 1763) was a Filipino revolutionary leader who allied with British forces to overthrow Spanish rule in the northern Philippines and establish an independent Ilocano state. His revolt was f ...

and his wife,

Gabriela Silang María Josefa Gabriela Cariño de Silang (; 19 March 1731 – 20 September 1763) was a Filipino military leader best known for her role as the female leader of the Ilocano independence movement from Spain. She took over from her second husband ...

Teresa Magbanua Teresa Magbanua y Ferraris (October 13, 1868 – August 1947), better known as Teresa Magbanua and dubbed as the "Visayan Joan of Arc", was a Filipino schoolteacher and military leader. Born in Pototan, Iloilo, Philippines, she retired from edu ...

Josefa Llanes Escoda Josefa Madamba Llanes Escoda (20 September 1898 – 6 January 1945) was a Filipino civic leader, social worker, World War II heroine, and suffragette. She is most known for campaigning for women's suffrage and as a founder of the Girl Scouts ...

Gomburza Gomburza, alternatively stylized as GOMBURZA or GomBurZa, refers to three Filipino Catholic priests, Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, who were executed by garrote on February 17, 1872, in Bagumbayan, Philippines by Spanish ...

, Graciano Lopez Jaena,

Gregorio del Pilar Gregorio Hilario del Pilar y Sempio (; ; November 14, 1875 – December 2, 1899) was a Filipino general of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine–American War. As one of the youngest generals in the Revolutionary Army, he ...

Hermano Pule Apolinario de la Cruz (July 22, 1815 – November 4, 1841), better known as Hermano Pule (, Spanish for "Brother Pule"; also spelled Hermano Puli), was a Filipino religious leader who founded and led the ''Cofradía de San José'' (Confratern ...

Marcelo H. Del Pilar Marcelo Hilario del Pilar y Gatmaitán (; ; August 30, 1850July 4, 1896), commonly known as Marcelo H. del Pilar and also known by his pen name Pláridel,.''Filipinos in History: Volume II'', National Historical Institute, 1990, p. 101 was a ...

Lapulapu Lapulapu or Lapu-Lapu (ᜎᜉ̰-ᜎᜉ̰), whose name was first recorded as Çilapulapu, was a datu (chief) of Mactan in the Visayas in the Philippines. He is best known for the Battle of Mactan that happened at dawn on April 27, 1521, where ...

Macario Sakay Macario Sakay y de León (March 1, 1878 – September 13, 1907) was a Filipino general who took part in the 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire and in the Philippine–American War. After the war was declared over by the Un ...

Datu Ali Datu Ali, was a prominent Moro Chieftain of great distinction and the Rajahmuda of Tinukop before succeeding his cousin, Datu Uto, as Sultan of Bwayan from 1899 until 1905. He was the brother of Datu Djimbangan and Sultan Tambilawan of Kudaran ...

, Jose Abad Santos amongst others. The series also delved into the lives of leading lights in Philippine arts and literature, including

Aurelio Tolentino Aurelio Tolentino y Valenzuela (October 15, 1869 – July 5, 1915) was a Filipino playwright, poet, journalist, and revolutionary. His works at the turn of the 20th century depicted his desire to see Philippine independence from its colonizers. He ...

Francisco Balagtas Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz (April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862), commonly known as Francisco Balagtas and also as Francisco Baltasar, was a Filipino Tagalog litterateur and poet during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is ...

Juan Luna Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (, ; October 23, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recogniz ...

Jose Corazon de Jesus José Cecilio Corazón de Jesús y Pangilinan (November 22, 1894 – May 26, 1932), also known by his pen name Huseng Batute, was a Filipino poet who used Tagalog poetry to express the Filipinos' desire for independence during the American oc ...

Atang de la Rama Honorata de la Rama-Hernandez (January 11, 1902 – July 11, 1991), commonly known as Atang de la Rama, was a singer and bodabil performer who became the first Filipina film actress. Atang de la Rama was born in Pandacan, Manila on January 11, 1 ...

Nicanor Abelardo Nicanor Santa Ana Abelardo (February 7, 1893 – March 21, 1934) was a Filipino composer known for kundiman songs he wrote before the Second World War. Biography Early life Nicanor Abelardo was born in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan to Vale ...

and Francisca Reyes-Aquino. In comparison to other educational series, the show discussed the important contributions of contemporary heroes primarily on various aspects of

civics education Civics is the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in society. The term derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". The term relates to behavior affecting other citizens, particularly in the context of ur ...

including Ermin Garcia on the

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

, Sajid Bulig on the importance of the youth, Roselle Ambubuyog on the rights of

persons with disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

, Rhona Mahilum on the importance of family and Fely Tatlonghari on the

voting rights Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

. The series also placed importance on the heroes and martyrs of the Marcos' martial law regime particularly on the episodes on

Ditto Sarmiento Abraham "Ditto" P. Sarmiento Jr. (June 5, 1950 – November 11, 1977) was a Filipino student journalist who gained prominence as an early and visible critic of the martial law regime of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. As editor-in-chief of the ''Philip ...

, Remberto "Bobby" de la Paz, and

Macli-ing Dulag Macli-ing Dulag (customarily referred to by his first name, also spelled Macliing or Macli'ing; c. 1930 – 24 April 1980) was a ''pangat'' (leader) of the Butbut tribe of Kalinga province in the Philippines. He is best as one of the leaders of t ...

. It has also featured several episodes on the collective heroism of people, including the

Battle of Balangiga The Battle of Balangiga ( es, Batalla de Balangíga; tl, Labanan sa Balangiga; war, Gubat ha Balangiga), also known as the Balangiga Encounter, Balangiga Incident, or Balangiga Conflict, was a battle that occurred during the Philippine–Amer ...

, the Mutiny of the Tayabas Regiment, the Women of Malolos, the Philex miners during the

1990 Luzon earthquake The 1990 Luzon earthquake struck the island of Luzon in the Philippines at 4:26 p.m. on July 16 ( PDT) or 3:26 p.m. ( PST) with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent'') and produced a 1 ...

, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo and the

1986 People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

that ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Main setting

The first episode of the show had Noli and Aya hiding in a cave in the mountains while fleeing from a gang of bullies. In the cave, an elderly man (

Rolando Tinio Rolando Santos Tinio (March 5, 1937 – July 7, 1997) was a Filipino poet, dramatist, director, actor, critic, essayist and educator."Philippine Theater", Nicanor G. Tiongson (ed.), CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, Volume VII, 1994 Biography ...

) meets them and presents himself as the guardian of the cave which holds the memories of Philippine history and the spirit of the country. He then reveals that Noli and Ana were destined to discover the mysterious cave and are chosen ones of pure heart to access a heavy book known as ''"Aklat ng Kasaysayan"'' (Book of History). The Guardian then sends them on a magical adventure through time to retrieve various lost and stolen historical items from different time periods. At the end of each travel, the two schoolchildren return with the artifacts and presents them to the guardian, who later becomes a grandfather figure to the children. Throughout the series, the main setting for the beginning and ending of each episodes is a cave and elderly person is a male. An elderly woman appeared in the next few episodes and also becomes a grandmother figure to the children. After Tinio's death in 1997, the elderly woman becomes a mainstay guardian to the children who regularly visit the cave and also becomes the cave's secret holder, while retaining the Book of History. In the later episodes, the cave setting has been changed to a different setting although the Book of History is still retained including several episodes filmed inside the

Museo Pambata The Museo Pambata () or the Children's Museum, is a children's museum in the Ermita district of Manila, near Rizal Park, in the Philippines. It is located in the former Elks Club Building, built in 1910, along Roxas Boulevard at the corner of ...

. The Rhona Mahilum episode is an example of this change; the show begins in a forest where Noli and Ana camp, while the adult guardian is an aunt of theirs and the ending is set in the hospital where the episode's title character is admitted.

Cast

Original characters

* Angelo Cometa as Noli - the male lead of the series. Cometa played the character which was later cut off after he outgrew his role and aged out of middle school age. *Celine Lirio as Aya - Noli's friend and female lead of the series. Aya was cut off after she outgrew the middle school age and last shown on episode 23. * Various actresses as Ana - Noli's friend and female lead of the series as a replacement to Aya and shown on episode 24. Ana was played by some actresses which include Mara Babor, Marjorie Enumerable, and Agatha Tapan and was cut off along with Noli after the character's actors outgrew the middle school age. *

as Lolo - the first and original guardian of the cave who later becomes a grandfather figure to the children and shown on the series until episode 11. He died last July 7, 1997. * Ella Luansing Tinio - the hermit guardian of the cave that who later becomes a grandmother figure to the children. She succeeded the role upon the death of Rolando Tinio, her real-life spouse. * Ermie Concepcion as Lola - serves as the guardian and keeper of the cave; the first replacement actress on the character upon the sudden demise of Rolando Tino and shown from episode 24 and 25. * Leticia Tizon as Lola - serves as the guardian and keeper of the cave; another temporary replacement of the character upon the sudden death of Tinio. She shown from episode 13 to 23. *

Ama Quiambao Amable Quiambao (January 19, 1947 – July 5, 2013), better known by her stage name, Ama Quiambao, was a Filipino film, television and theater actress in the Philippines. She was best known for her roles in the films ''Himala'' and ''Diablo''. ...

as Lola - same role as the grandmother character in the series; another temporary replacement of the character in a short period of time upon the death of Tinio. *

Caridad Sanchez Caridad Yuson Sanchez-Babao (born August 1, 1933 in Mandaue) is a Filipina actress, mostly seen on GMA Network. In 1977, she played the role of Nanay Idad in the revival TV drama series based from the very successful radio soap opera (first he ...

as Lola - the female secret keeper of the cave and a grandmother figure to the children from episode 26 until episode 71.

New characters

Malou de Guzman Malou de Guzman (born August 24, 1958) is a Filipina stage, television and film actress. Personal life De Guzman has a daughter Luchi, with former actor Ross Rival. She is an alumnus of the University of the Philippines-Diliman , image ...

as Tita - the aunt of Ana and Noli and appear at episode 72. * BJ Rodriguez as Manuel - the new male lead of the series who replaced Noli ''(after he was deemed outgrown of elementary school age)'' and is first introduced in the "Fely Tatlonghari" episode. * Claudine Alejandro as Lisa - Manuel's friend and the new female lead of the series in "Fely Tatlonghari" episode. She replaced Ana, one of the main character of the series.

Production

''Bayani'' was produced by a Creative Committee composed of an executive producer, head writer, scriptwriter, and consultants from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS, later became the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

or DepEd), and history experts from the

University of the Philippines Diliman , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

. It was meant towards children 7 to 12 years of age. Producers seek to promote the value of heroism, promote the formation of the viewers' Filipino identity, as well as foster awareness regarding the implication of events, actions of people, and promotion of a certain viewpoint to history at large. Like in ''

Hiraya Manawari ''Hiraya Manawari'' () is a Philippine children's television series. The educational television show was produced by ABS-CBN Foundation (formerly ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation in cooperation with the Department of Education, Culture and S ...

'' and '' Sine'skwela'', the Creative Committee of Bayani discuss among themselves which historical hero would they feature in an episode at what heroism did they exhibit. A script for an episode will then be made and it will be vetted by a consultant from UP if the script is faithful to historical facts and records. Further changes will be made until it is approved by the whole committee. Cielo Reyes and Carina Villanoz are the executive producers of ''Bayani''.

Reruns

Reruns of the show is currently aired on ABS-CBN owned educational channel

Knowledge Channel Knowledge Channel (abbreviated as KCh) is a Philippine free-to-air television channel owned by ABS-CBN that consists of educational and informative programs. The channel is available on digital TV via BEAM TV, Sky Cable, Sky Direct, Cignal, Par ...

from the channel's launch in 1999. From March 28, 2020, the show's episodes were

rerun A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. There are two types of reruns – those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Variations In the United Kingdom, the word ...

on ABS-CBN as part of the programming change the network made due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines has resulted in, as of , reported cases, resulting in reported deaths, the fifth-highest in Southeast Asia, behind Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The first case in the Philippines was iden ...

. This rerun was abruptly cut due to the temporary closure of ABS-CBN following the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission on account of its franchise expiration, and then returned on the

Kapamilya Channel Kapamilya Channel (stylized as Kapamilya channel) is a 24-hour Philippine pay television network formerly known as ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under Lopez Holdings Corporation owned by the López family. The network is headquartered at th ...

when the channel launched on June 13, 2020. All of its episodes can also be watched in the iWant app that is available in the Philippines.

References

{{ABS-CBN Foundation shows 1995 Philippine television series debuts 2002 Philippine television series endings 1990s Philippine television series ABS-CBN original programming Children's education television series Cultural depictions of Andrés Bonifacio Cultural depictions of Apolinario Mabini Cultural depictions of Filipino men Cultural depictions of José Rizal Filipino-language television shows Historical television series Philippine children's television series Philippine educational television series 1990s time travel television series 2000s time travel television series Time travel devices Philippine science fiction television series