''LaLola'' is a

Philippine television drama Philippine television drama, also known as ''teleserye'', Filipino telenovelas or P-drama, is a form of melodramatic, serialized, televised fiction in the Philippines. ''Teleserye'' is derived from two Filipino words: "tele", short for "''telebi ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

series broadcast by

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 ...

. The series is based on a 2007 Argentine television series of the same title. Directed by

Dominic Zapata Dominic Zapata (born February 14, 1971), is a Filipino television and film director. He is a graduate of the De La Salle University-Manila and Don Bosco Technical Institute-Makati. He took up AB Communication Arts and BSC Marketing Management (CAM ...

and

Jun Lana Rodolfo R. Lana Jr. (born October 10, 1972), known professionally as Jun Robles Lana, is a Filipino filmmaker. The winner of 11 Palanca Awards for Literature, he became the youngest member of the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2015, he dire ...

, it stars

Rhian Ramos Rhian Denise Ramos Howell (; born October 3, 1990), professionally known as Rhian Ramos, is a Filipino actress, commercial model, singer, host and race car driver. She is an exclusive talent of GMA Network Career Ramos started working in co ...

and

JC de Vera John Carlo de Vera (born March 10, 1986), better known by his screen name JC de Vera, is a Filipino actor, host and model. Personal life De Vera was offered a basketball scholarship in Colegio de San Juan de Letran after he graduated from high ...

. It premiered on October 13, 2008 on the network's Telebabad line up replacing ''

Ako si Kim Samsoon ''Ako si Kim Samsoon'' (International title: ''My Name is Kim Samsoon'') is a 2008 Philippine television drama romantic comedy series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is based on a 2005 South Korean television series '' My Lovely Sam Soon''. ...

''. The series concluded on February 6, 2009 with a total of 85 episodes.

Premise

Lazaro "Lalo" Lobregat is the president of Distelleria Lobregat. He is regarded as the metro's most eligible bachelor not to mention, a heartbreaker. He is a little bit insensitive about some things especially about the feelings of

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

. There is still a bit of conscience in him, but he is too preoccupied to notice his "inner good" because of his cool cars and hot chicks. But when his ex-fling Ada Romina killed herself because of him, everything in his perfect life will change. Sera Romina, Ada's sister is furious. All she knows is that he must pay. Unknown to Lalo, Sera and Ada are

babaylan Filipino shamans, commonly known as (also ''Balian'' or , among many other names), were shamans of the various ethnic groups of the pre-colonial Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or a ...

s, magical beings that could conjure curses and spells with the power of the moon. With a cursed kiss from Sera, Lalo changes into a woman in a snap. Since nobody will believe his overnight sex change, except for his closet gay best friend Gary, he passes himself as Lola, Lalo's steady girlfriend, to which everyone has a hard time believing. With a new body, he finds out how hard it is to be a woman, experiencing the same

chauvinism Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. It can be described as a form of extreme patriotism ...

he used to inflict on women. With each passing day, every inch of Lalo starts to fade, physically and emotionally, and starts to develop real female characteristics like

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized by the rise and fall of ...

. As if that's not hard enough, she starts to develop feelings to Lalo's office mate and complete opposite, Facundo Diaz. He also discovers the deep dark secrets of Distelleria Lobregat and his identity, not to mention an angry babaylan magically trying to destroy her even more.

Cast and characters

;Lead cast *

as Facundo Diaz *

as Lolita "Lola" P. Diaz ;Supporting cast *

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 ...

as Aguirre Lobregat *

Jackie Lou Blanco Jacqueline Lourdes Blanco-Davao (born February 11, 1964) is a Filipina actress and aerobic instructor. During the 1980s and the 1990s, she appeared in different film genres including ''Hihintayin Kita sa Langit'', (1991), ''Si Aida, Si Lorna, o ...

as Griselda Lobregat *

Marvin Agustin Marvin Jay Marquez Cuyugan (born January 29, 1979), known professionally as Marvin Agustin, is a Filipino actor, chef and entrepreneur. Early life Agustin is the youngest and the only male child of Theresa and Danilo Cuyugan and has two older ...

as Gaston S. Lobregat * Angelika dela Cruz as Sabrina Starr *

Wendell Ramos Wendell Xavier Ramos (born August 18, 1978) is a Filipino actor and model who is currently under GMA Network after ABS-CBN and TV5. Biography and early career Ramos started his showbiz career in 1995 when he joined the cast of ''Bubble Gan ...

as Lazaro "Lalo" Lobregat *

Marky Cielo Mark Angelo Cadaweng Cielo (May 12, 1988 – December 7, 2008), better known as Marky Cielo, was a Filipino actor, dancer, and the first known Igorot in Philippine showbiz. He was notable for his win in the reality talent competition '' Star ...

as Billy Lobregat *

Keempee de Leon Joseph Joachim Tugas de Leon (born January 8, 1973), better known as Keempee de Leon, is a Filipino actor, comedian, singer, songwriter and TV host. He is the son of Joey de Leon and Daria Ramirez. Career Keempee de Leon started his career in ...

as Graciano "Gary" T. Fuentebella *

Eula Valdez Maria Julia Amorsolo Valdes (; born December 11, 1968), professionally known as Eula Valdes, is a Filipino actress, best known for her role as Amor Powers in the original version of ''Pangako Sa 'Yo'' (2000) and as Janice in the '' Bagets'' fi ...

as Susanna F. Lobregat *

Lovi Poe Lourdes Virginia Moran Poe (born February 11, 1989), popularly known as Lovi Poe, is a Filipino actress, model, and recording artist. She is the daughter of action star Fernando Poe Jr. Poe is known for starring in two popular GMA drama seri ...

as Julia Fuentebella *

Gladys Reyes Gladys Sommereux (née Reyes; born June 23, 1977), is a Filipino actress best known for her role as "Clara," the lead villainess from the 90s ABS-CBN hit series '' Mara Clara''. In 2012, after years with her home network ABS-CBN, she transferred ...

as Iris Diaz *

Isabel Granada Isabella Villarama Granada (; March 9, 1976 – November 4, 2017) was a Filipino actress and singer. Early life and education Isabel Granada was the daughter of Humberto ortiz Granada, a Filipino chief marine engineer, and Isabel Villarama, a ...

as Tala Romina ;Guest cast *

Iza Calzado Maria Izadora Ussher Calzado-Wintle (born August 12, 1982), known professionally as Iza Calzado (), is a Filipino actress, television host, dancer and model. She is dubbed as the "''Goddess of Horror Films''" by local media for her acting prowe ...

as Sera Romina *

Ian Veneracion Stephen Ian Lopez Veneracion (; born February 7, 1975) is a Filipino athlete, actor, pilot, and singer. He was a former talent of GMA Network and is currently an artist of ABS-CBN and TV5. Personal life and career His father is renowned painte ...

as Emilio Lobregat *

Jewel Mische Jewel Fatima Avejade Mische-Kurzer (born 29 June 1990) is a Filipino former model and actress. Biography Although born in Manila, Mische grew up in Bocaue, Bulacan. Her father is of German- Spanish-American descent while her mother is Fili ...

as Ada Romina

Ratings

According to

AGB Nielsen Philippines AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines, commonly called AGB Nielsen, is a market research firm in the Philippines specializing in broadcast media. AGB Nielsen conducts audience measurement of television ratings for certain areas in the Phili ...

' Mega Manila household television ratings, the pilot episode of ''LaLola'' earned a 35.8% rating. While the final episode scored a 40% rating.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1250896 2008 Philippine television series debuts 2009 Philippine television series endings Filipino-language television shows GMA Network drama series Philippine romantic comedy television series Philippine television series based on non-Philippine television series Television shows set in the Philippines