''Magkaribal'' (International title: ''Rivals'') is a 2010

Philippine drama television series 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 ...

starring

Bea Alonzo Phylbert Angelli Ranollo Fagestrom (born October 17, 1987), professionally known as Bea Alonzo (), is a Filipino actress. Alonzo first gained recognition for the 2002 teleserye ''Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay''. She is best known for her portrayals ...

and

Gretchen Barretto Gretchen Castelo Barretto (; born March 6, 1970) is a Filipino actress, socialite, and philanthropist. She was launched in Regal Films' ''14 Going on Steady'' as a singer-actress, with the release of her debut single "Going Steady", which serve ...

. The series ran on

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

from June 28, 2010, to November 5, 2010.

Premise

Two sisters, Anna and Angela Abella, are separated due to a tragedy caused by their long family back story. Anna trains herself to be a perfect Filipina model and fashion designer under her new name Victoria Valera. Meanwhile, Angela is adopted by the Agustins and is renamed Angela “Gelai” Agustin. Both of them end up having the same ambition in fashion as they did in their childhood together. So they cross paths in the fashion industry unaware that they are sisters and greedily end up as rivals; not just in their careers, but also in love. Vera Cruz is a famous model and fashion designer, and is also the woman in the past who caused the Abella family's destruction. Now she is ready to keep the two women fighting, and aims to destroy Victoria's image to Gelai to avoid their closure. Vera is determined to stop the Abella sisters uniting against her to dethrone her. But what if the two eventually find out the truth? Can they heal the wounds out of their rivalry?

Cast and characters

Main cast

as Angela "Gelai" Agustin / Angela Abella *

as Victoria Valera / Anna Abella *

Angel Aquino Angel Aquino (born Angelita Velasquez Aquino on February 7, 1973) is a Filipino film and television actress. She is currently part of ABS-CBN's contract talents. She is mostly known for her lead antagonist roles such as Ether in '' Encantadia ...

as Vera Cruz-Abella *

Derek Ramsay Derek Arthur Ramsay Jr. (born December 7, 1976) is a British-Filipino model, actor, and host. As of 2019, he is an exclusive talent of GMA Network. In 2021, he file for indefinite leave and is currently inactive in showbiz to attend personal li ...

as Louie Villamor *

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, a ...

as Chloe C. Abella *

Enchong Dee Ernest Lorenzo Velasquez Dee (, born November 5, 1988), professionally known as Enchong Dee, is a Filipino actor, model, and swimmer. Dee is a contract artist of ABS-CBN's Star Magic. He came to prominence after starring in his first major TV ...

as Caloy Javier

Supporting cast

Robert Arevalo Robert Ylagan Arevalo (; born May 6, 1938) is a Filipino film and television actor. Personal life Arevalo is the son of Filipino film actor/composer/musician Tito Arevalo; his uncle Angel Esmeralda is the father of the late Jay Ilagan and his un ...

as Ronaldo Valera *

Mark Gil Raphael John "Ralph" Gil Eigenmann (25 September 1961 – 1 September 2014), better known by his screen name Mark Gil, was a Filipino actor. Gil was often cast as a main villain in Philippine action films that was popular during the late 80s t ...

as Manuel Abella *

John Arcilla Romeo Gonzales Arcilla (born June 24 1966), professionally known as John Arcilla, is a Filipino actor and environmentalist. He won Best Actor at the 78th Venice International Film Festival for his performance in '' On the Job: The Missing 8 ...

as Hermes Agustin *Arlene Muhlach as Sonia Agustin *Lyka Ugarte as Betsy *

Bianca Manalo Pamela Bianca Ramos Manalo (born November 28, 1987) is a Filipina actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She was the Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2009 winner, and represented the Philippines at Miss Universe 2009, but she was unplaced. In ...

as Gigi Fernando *Nina Ricci Alagao as Donna *

Beatriz Saw Maria Beatriz Imperial Saw-Tan (born November 17, 1985), is a Filipino actress with Taiwanese descent. She won the second season of ''Pinoy Big Brother''. On June 30, 2007 (day 126) after garnering about 1.5 million votes, or 30.29% of ...

as Kate Delovieres *Toffee Calma as Jean Paul *R.S. Francisco as Gian Franco *Artemio Abad as Johnny *

Rodjun Cruz Rodolfo Othello Cruz Ilustre, Jr. (born October 10, 1987), known professionally as Rodjun Cruz (), is a Filipino actor, dancer and singer. He is the brother of fellow actor and dancer Rayver Cruz. Biography Cruz started as a host, together wit ...

as Calvin *

Marc Abaya Ramon Marcelino Diaz Abaya (born November 6, 1979), known professionally as Marc Abaya, is a Filipino singer, actor, musician, TV host, and VJ. He appeared in the 2009 Philippine release of ''Tinker Bell''. He is the son of actor/director Mano ...

as Neil Olaguer *Lorenzo Mara as Salvador *R.J. Ledesma as Christian Ocampo *Edward Mendez as Marc Laurel *

Christian Vasquez Christian Oliver B. Vazquez (born February 8, 1977) is a Filipino actor, model and a former housemate of ABS-CBN's '' Pinoy Big Brother: Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition''. During his stint at Pinoy Big Brother, he was one of the comedi ...

as Paul *

Irma Adlawan Irma Santonil Adlawan (born March 7, 1962) is a Filipino stage, television and film actress. She is dubbed as the “''Queen of Independent Cinema''” for her acting prowess and exceptional contribution to Philippine film industry. Adlawan is ...

as Carolina

Special participation

Kathryn Bernardo Kathryn Chandria Manuel Bernardo (; born March 26, 1996) is a Filipino actress and singer. Dubbed as “''Asia's Superstar”'' by various media outlets, People Asia hailed Bernardo as the Box Office Queen of her generation for being the onl ...

as young Anna/Victoria * Barbie Sabino as young Angela/Gelai *

Nash Aguas Aeign Zackrey Nash Victoriano Aguas (; born October 10, 1998), known professionally as Nash Aguas, is a Filipino actor, businessman/entrepreneur, real-estate investor, and politician. Career At the age of five, Aguas made his television debut ...

as young Louie/Doz *

Dimples Romana Dianne Marie Bonifacio Romana-Ahmee (born November 13, 1976) or better known as Dimples Romana is a Filipino actress. Career Romana finished at International Hospitality Management Major in Culinary Arts at Enderun College after she finished h ...

as Stella Abella *

James Blanco James Blanco Castillo (born June 15, 1981), known professionally as James Blanco, is a Filipino singer-songwriter, actor, and model. A freelance actor, he is known for his roles in '' Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin'' (2001 – 2002), '' Rubi'' (2010), ...

as young Manuel * Alessandra de Rossi as young Vera * Allan Paule as young Ronaldo

Episodes

Production

The show is set the fashion world and includes costuming and cameo appearances by local designers. According to several executives behind the show's production, the series was originally planned to stage the comeback of actress Donna Cruz. During the course of pre-production, Cruz was to play Angela Abella/Gelai Agustin, and

was initially considered to portray the role of Anna Abella/Victoria Valera.

Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956) is a Philippine film actor and politician. He is recognized as the “''King of Philippine Drama''” has appeared in over 120 films since the early 1970s. Regarded as an "acting genius" and ...

was also tapped to play the role of Manuel, and

Cherie Gil Evangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann (; June 21, 1963 – August 5, 2022), known professionally as Cherie Gil, was a Filipino actress. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, she was dubbed the "''La Primera Contravida''" ("The Prime Villain") for he ...

was shortlisted as Vera Cruz. The series also included

as Louie,

as Caloy, and

as Chloe. After Cruz backed out due to her commitments in Cebu where she permanently resides, ABS-CBN tapped real-life sisters Gretchen Barretto and Claudine Barretto for the roles of Anna/Victoria and Angela/Gelai respectively. After the latter's transfer to GMA Network along with actors de Leon and Gil, the production was again delayed. It was only until Bea Alonzo's casting as Angela Abella/Gelai Agustin that the series continued to develop, with Barretto retaining the role as Anna/Victoria, and Aquino this time playing the role of Vera.

took the role of Manuel in the final casting of characters. A young Kathryn Bernardo would be cast in the role of a young Anna/Vera, which she did she simultaneously with

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

series '' Endless Love'' wherein she played the role of young Jenny. Following her performance in ''Magkaribal'', she went on to be cast as Mara in the ''Mara Clara'' remake.

Reception

''Magkaribal'' received heavy promotion as competition for GMA Network's ''Endless Love'', whose pilot aired at the same time (even though ''Magkaribal'' aired a little later than Endless Love). The show premiered on June 28, 2010, with a 25.3% national household rating against its direct competition, ''

Diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...

'' on GMA Network with a 19.4% national household rating (''Endless Love'' scored a pilot rating of 22.9%, which aired earlier than ''Magkaribal''). ''Magkaribal'' posted a 30.0% national household rating on its finale against its rival show (direct competition in the timeslot), ''

Beauty Queen A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

'', which only managed to score a 14.4% national household rating.

Awards and recognitions

International Broadcast

As with many ABS-CBN teleseryes, Magkaribal aired in Kenya dubbed in English under the title ''Rivals''. It was broadcast on

NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Televis ...

during the prime 6pm - 7pm timeslot in 2011.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
ABS-CBN drama series 2010 Philippine television series debuts 2010 Philippine television series endings Television series by Star Creatives Philippine melodrama television series Philippine romance television series Fashion-themed television series Filipino-language television shows Television shows set in the Philippines