''Juan dela Cruz'' is a 2013

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

television series starring

Coco Martin Rodel Pacheco Nacianceno (born November 1, 1981), known professionally by his stage name Coco Martin (), is a Filipino actor, director, and film producer. He is best known for playing the lead roles in ''Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'', '' Walang H ...

. The drama series is broadcast in full high definitionBernandino-reveals-why-coco-martin-never-courted-her/ Margie Bernandino reveals why Coco Martin never courted her
/ref> and is dubbed to be

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 ...

's "most expensive and biggest drama" to date. It is created by Rondel P. Lindayag and Dindo Perez, developed by Julie Anne R. Benitez, Lino S. Cayetano, Ethel M. Espiritu, Dindo Perez, and Shugo Praico, and directed by Malu L. Sevilla, Avel E. Sunpongco, Francis E. Pasion, Jojo A. Saguin, and Darnel Joy R. Villaflor. It starred

as Juan dela Cruz, a half-'' tagabantay'' and half-''

aswang Aswang is an umbrella term for various shape-shifting evil creatures in Filipino folklore, such as vampires, ghouls, witches, viscera suckers, and werebeasts (usually dogs, cats, pigs). The aswang is the subject of a wide variety of myths, s ...

'' who was trained to become the next Tagabantay and serves as a hero to protect the people from aswangs. It was the fifth television drama in the Philippines made by

to be filmed in high definition. The series aired on

's ''Primetime Bida'' evening block and worldwide on

The Filipino Channel The Filipino Channel, commonly known as TFC, is a 24-hour global subscription television network based in Daly City, California with studios in Redwood City, California and offices in Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, UAE, Ethi ...

from February 4, 2013 to October 25, 2013, replacing ''

Princess and I ''Princess and I'' is a 2012 Philippine teen television drama starring Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, Enrique Gil and Khalil Ramos together with an ensemble cast, it aired on ABS-CBN's ''Primetime Bida'' evening block and worldwide on The Fili ...

'', and was replaced by ''

Honesto ''Honesto'' is a 2013 Philippine family drama television series directed by Jerry Lopez Sineneng and Darnel Joy Villaflor, starring Raikko Mateo as Honesto, a young boy whose nose gets big whenever he lies. The series was aired on ABS-CBN's ''Pri ...

''.

Plot

The ''Tagabantay'' (Guardian) is a hero coming from an ancient lineage of defenders using the ''Bakal na Krus'' (Iron Cross) to protect the humans from the

Aswang Aswang is an umbrella term for various shape-shifting evil creatures in Filipino folklore, such as vampires, ghouls, witches, viscera suckers, and werebeasts (usually dogs, cats, pigs). The aswang is the subject of a wide variety of myths, s ...

, who are strange creatures that appear as ordinary people to hide their real identities; they spread evil, kill, and eat people. The ''Bakal na Krus'' transforms into five weapons, namely: ''Espada ng Katapangan'' (Sword of Bravery), ''Pana ng Karunungan'' (Bow of Wisdom), ''Latigo ng Katarungan'' (Whip of Justice), ''Sibat ng Kagitingan'' (Spear of Valor), and the ''Kalasag ng Anking Galing'' (Shield of Aptitude). The Aswangs and Tagabantay are mortal enemies. The story begins when Samuel Alejandro (

Albert Martinez Alberto Pineda Martinez (born April 19, 1961), is a Filipino actor, director and producer. Early life He was born in Manila on April 19, 1961 to Bert Martinez, and Margarita Pineda. Career Martinez began as a film actor. He took his first tel ...

), the Haring Aswang (King

), plans to make Amelia (

Mylene Dizon Mylene Dizon (; born September 6, 1974) is a Filipino actress and model. Dizon has established herself as one of the most renowned actresses in Philippine cinema with an astounding 30 films and nearly 50 television roles to her credit, as well ...

), a ''Tagabantay'', fall for him so he could kill her and finally provide triumph for his race. However, he falls in love with her as well, betraying his entire race. Upon knowing his secret, Amelia and Samuel try to kill each other but Samuel chooses to escape instead of killing her—even if that’s what he should do as an Aswang.

Bakal na Krus and The Kapatiran

At 20, he successfully reclaims the ''Bakal na Krus'' from the thief, but was still unaware of its use and why it must belong to him. Eventually, Juan turns into a vigilant who seeks to help people in need. Soon, Juan later joins the ''Kapatiran'' (Brotherhood), a group composed of people with personal vendettas who seek to destroy the Aswangs. They have been spending years finding and seeking help from the ''Tagabantay'' they know, Julian (

Eddie Garcia Eduardo Verchez Garcia (; May 2, 1929 – June 20, 2019), known colloquially as Manoy, was a Filipino actor, television personality, film director and producer. With almost 600 film and television roles and a career spanning seven decades, he ...

), who is Amelia’s father and Juan’s grandfather. Julian was actually imprisoned for killing Aswangs which the police thought were people. One day, Juan accidentally manages to transform the Cross into a sword, making the ''Kapatiran'' convinced that he is the present-day ''Tagabantay'' for transforming the Cross into weapons only runs in their blood. The group, led by its leader Mang Pepe (

Joel Torre José Rizalino "Joel" de León Torre (born June 19, 1961) is a Filipino actor and producer who is best known for his numerous films such as the biographical film ''José Rizal'' (1998), crime thriller film '' On the Job'' (2013) and the historica ...

), guides and helps train Juan into becoming the next ''Tagabantay''. He also teaches Juan everything that he should know about the war’s history, his duty as a hero, and most importantly, the Haring Aswang—their biggest enemy. Things did not become easy, for Juan constantly shows his mischievous, immature, and unruly behaviour.

Rosario

While performing his duties as a protector, he falls in love with a 21-year old beautiful woman named Rosario (

Erich Gonzales Erika Chryselle Gonzales Gancayco-Lorenzo (born September 20, 1990), better known by her stage name Erich Gonzales (), is a Filipino actress. She is a contract artist of ABS-CBN's Star Magic. She started her showbiz career at the age of 14, as ...

), the same girl he met when he was young. With Rosario, friendship and courtship are very difficult for Juan as he always ends up lying and keeping secrets from her to protect her from his enemies. She is actually the daughter of ''Kapatiran'' leader Mang Pepe, whose wife was killed by Juan’s father, Samuel.

The Anak ng Dilim

After a few weeks, Julian, Juan’s grandfather, escapes from prison to warn Amelia about the new prophecy—the ''Anak ng Dilim'' (Son of Darkness) who is set to be the most powerful Aswang to rule the people and the planet and destroy the Tagabantay. Upon returning, Julian finds out that Amelia has died but has a son. He then seeks for his grandson and finds Juan. He introduces himself to him as “Brother Jules”, and secretly watches over Juan in his responsibility as a ''Tagabantay''. Eventually, Samuel and Juan meet without knowing their real connection. Knowing that Juan is the vigilant who has excellent skills in warfare, Samuel aims to gain Juan’s trust and to make him join the Aswangs, as he believes that Juan’s skills could be useful to their war with the ''Kapatiran'' and ''Tagabantay''. Sooner, Samuel learns to treat Juan as his own son. Similarly, Juan becomes closer to him and treats Samuel as his own father, as he has been longing to find his real father for several years. Samuel has started his own family shortly after leaving Amelia. He lives with Laura ( Zsa Zsa Padilla), the ''Reynang Aswang'' (Aswang Queen) and their son, Kael (

Arron Villaflor Arron Villaflor (born July 5, 1990) is a Filipino actor, rapper, dancer, and talent of ABS-CBN. He started his career in Philippines' showbiz industry in the second season of '' Star Circle Quest'' where he finished as the runner-up. He's curr ...

) who also happens to be Juan’s rival with Rosario. Moreover, Samuel has been preparing Kael for 20 years, as the prophecy states that the ''Anak ng Dilim'' is the Haring Aswang’s son: the Aswang Prince. It is revealed that, the ''Anak ng Dilim''’s great power will emerge when he turns 21. Finally knowing about the prophecy, the ''Kapatiran'', together with Julian’s guidance, soon start preparing Juan for a huge battle with the ''Haring Aswang'' and ''Anak ng Dilim''. When Juan turns 21, everything changed. The plot twists as it turns out that the prophesied ''Anak ng Dilim'' is not Kael, but is actually the eldest son of the ''Haring Aswang''—Juan.

Juan's fate

Juan Dela Cruz is a half-Tagabantay and a half-Aswang. He inherited the ''Bakal na Krus'' from his mother to protect the humans from the Aswangs and spread peace, justice, and to fulfil his biggest mission—to kill the ''Haring Aswang'' and the prophesied ''Anak ng Dilim''. However, since Juan is the eldest son of the Aswang King, he himself is the prophesied Anak ng Dilim, the most powerful Aswang which is set to rule over the entire planet, create the ''Tatlong Araw ng Kadiliman'' (Three Days of Darkness), and destroy his mortal enemy: the ''Tagabantay''—which also happens to be him. When the truth about Juan’s identity is revealed, difficult choices were made. All of them are not victims of love; they are victims of fate.

Cast

Protagonist

as Juan Dela Cruz / Anak ng Dilim

Main

as Rosario Galang-Dela Cruz / Rosario Guerrero *

as Samuel Alejandro

Supporting

;Extended cast

Guests

Special participation

Production

The show was originally a film concept intended to be directed by Richard Somes for the

2012 Metro Manila Film Festival The 38th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is a part of the annual film festival in Metro Manila, Philippines held from December 25, 2012 until January 8, 2013. During the festival, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters in order to show ...

. It was to be topbilled by Coco Martin,

Jake Cuenca Juan Carlos Cuenca (; born December 30, 1987) popularly known as Jake Cuenca is a Filipino-American actor and model. Born in San Jose, California and was raised in Manila, Philippines. He also played for United Football League Division 2 sides ...

and

Maja Salvador Maja Ross Andres Salvador-Ortega (; born October 5, 1988) is a Filipino actress, performer, television host, occasional producer, and talent manager. Referred to as the “Majestic Superstar”and the "''Queen of Revenge Drama''", Salvador is ...

. In August 2012, Cinemedia Films Production Incorporated and ABS-CBN Unit Head, Deo Endrinal confirmed that it would be serialised into a television drama to be directed by Malu Sevilla. Earlier reports claimed that

Angel Locsin Angelica Locsin Colmenares (born April 23, 1985) is a Filipino actress and humanitarian. She is known for her dramatic roles and portrayals of heroines and mythological characters in film and television. She is a recipient of various accolades ...

would be Martin's leading lady, after her two-year hiatus in television, but was later replaced by

. It is under the production of Dreamscape Entertainment TV managed by Roldeo T. Endrinal and Julie Anne R. Benitez whose projects include the top-rating dramas ''

Ina, Kapatid, Anak Ina, Kapatid, Anak may refer to : * ''Ina, Kapatid, Anak'', a 1979 film directed by Lino Brocka Catalino Ortiz Brocka (April 3, 1939 – May 22, 1991) was a Filipino film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and signif ...

'' and '' Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw''. The drama series is broadcast in full high definition and is dubbed to be the "most expensive and biggest drama" to date. A TV special titled ''"Juan dela Cruz: Ang Simula (The Beginning)"'' was aired on February 1, 2013 featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and cast interviews of the highly anticipated drama, hosted by

Kim Atienza Alejandro Ilagan Atienza (; born January 24, 1967), known professionally as Kim Atienza or Kuya Kim, is a Filipino television host, actor, weather anchor, YouTube vlogger and former politician. He is formerly a resident weather anchor in ABS-C ...

.Juan dela Cruz: Ang Simula
/ref>

Music

Soundtrack

Other music

Jesse Lasaten and Von Guzman composed the show's background music using choir,

duduk The duduk ( ; hy, դուդուկ ) or tsiranapogh ( hy, ծիրանափող, meaning “apricot-made wind instrument”), is an ancient Armenian double reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood. It is indigenous to Armenia. Variations of th ...

bullroarer The bullroarer, ''rhombus'', or ''turndun'', is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over great distances. It consists of a piece of wood attached to a string, which when swung in a large circle ...

Yamaha GX-1 The Yamaha GX-1, first released as Electone GX-707, is an analog polyphonic synthesizer organ developed by Yamaha as a test bed for later consumer synths and Electone series organs for stage and home use. The GX-1 has four synthesizer "ranks" or t ...

, and other instruments such as the

balalaika The balalaika (russian: link=no, балала́йка, ) is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the thir ...

for the Kapatiran theme in the drama with a full orchestra. The music was made by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. Jesse Lasaten, after doing work on the epic historical war film '' El Presidente'', composed the background music of ''Juan Dela Cruz''. He used some instruments such as the

didgeridoo The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...

, and

ocarina The ocarina is a wind musical instrument; it is a type of vessel flute. Variations exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body. It is traditionally made from c ...

to make the show's score.

Reception

Ratings

After 3 weeks of airing, ''Juan dela Cruz'' quickly rose to becoming one of the most successful action fantasy-drama of all time registering 42.6% viewership ratings nationwide according to the February 21 data released by Kantar Media.

Awards

My Little Juan

After the primetime success of ''Juan dela Cruz'', the show was later given a follow-up series called ''My Little Juan'', which tells more about Juan's childhood before he was known as the new ''Tagabantay''. The series premiered on May 20, 2013 and ended on September 13, 2013.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, tt3666228 ABS-CBN drama series 2013 Philippine television series debuts 2013 Philippine television series endings Philippine action television series Fantaserye and telefantasya Television series by Dreamscape Entertainment Television Superhero television series Filipino-language television shows Television shows set in the Philippines Philippine mythology in popular culture