Esperanza (TV series)

infobox television
bgcolor=#c00
fgcolor=#fff
show_name = Esperanza

| caption = | format = Drama, Romance
picture_format = 480i SDTV
runtime = 30-45 min
creator = ABS-CBN Creative Dept.
director = Jerry Lopez Sineneng
executive_producer =
starring = Judy Ann Santos
theme_music_composer =
opentheme =
endtheme = April Boy Regino
country = flagicon|Philippines Philippines
language = Filipino, Tagalog, English
network = ABS-CBN
first_aired = 1997
last_aired = July 1999
num_episodes = 480
preceded_by = Mara Clara
followed_by = Labs ko si babes
website =
imdb_id =

Esperanza was a TV series in the Philippines from 1997-1999 and was shown on ABS-CBN.

Credited cast

*Judy Ann Santos as Esperanza Estrera/Socorro Salgado
*Wowie de Guzman as Anton Montejo
*Marvin Agustin as Danilo/Raphael Salgado
*Piolo Pascual as Brian
*Angelika dela Cruz as Cecille Montejo/Regina Salgado
*Jolina Magdangal as Karen Carvajal de Montejo
*Carmina Villaroel as Cynthia Salazar/Rosella Salgado
*Charo Santos-Concio as Isabel Illutre de Salgado
*Dante Rivero as Juan Salgado
*Sylvia Sanchez as Selya Estrera
*Rosa Rosal as Doña Consuelo
*Bembol Roco as Luis
*Chat Silayan as Ester
*Spencer Reyes as Noel
*Joel Torre as Raul Estrera
*Tanya Garcia as Andrea Estrera
*Emman Abeleda as Jun-Jun Estrera
*Beth Tamayo as Donna
*Elizabeth Oropesa as Sandra
*Teresa Loyzaga as Belinda Montejo
*Lito Legaspi as Joaquin Montejo
*Tony Abuel as Jaime Illustre
*Sharmaine Suarez as Vanessa

Plot

The series follows Esperanza's search for her real family. It seems that Esperanza's mother, Isabel, and father Juan Selgado, got married without the approval of Isabel's mom. In order to be together Isabel refused to marry the man her mother promised her to, Jaime Elustre, and Juan left the girl he had been dating at the time, Sandra.

As the years went by Isabel gave birth to three kids, two daughters and a son. One day Esperanza's mother took her, her sister, and brother on a bus trip to visit someone. Due to the bus accident they all got separated and had Juan believing all of them to be dead.

Unknown to all three kids they were adopted by families in the same neighborhood allowing for all three to be good friends. Esperanza, the eldest, was adopted by a poor family yet was never told she was adopted so grew up letting her adoptive mother Selya mistreat her, such as treating her like a slave while she lavished love on her own two kids JunJun and Andrea, while her adoptive father Raul did nothing to help her. The only happy moments in her life was being with her childhood friend and sweetheart Anton. While Danilo, the second child, who also did not know he was adopted, was also rescued by a poor loving family Ester and Luis who have a son named Noel, who treated him no different as if he were their own son. Cecille, the youngest, was adopted by a rich couple named Belinda and Mayor Joaquin Montejo who is very controlling and secretly beats her.

When Esperanza finally knows about her parentage she goes on the search in finding out she really is. She finds out that her mother and brother might have died in the accident while her adoptive father was able to save herself and her sister Regina but couldn't support them both. He renamed her from Socorro to Esperanza and gave Regina to the Major who accepted her only after learning that he couldn't have kids and renamed Regina as Cecille. On accident Danilo finds the newspaper Esperanza was reading that asks for help locating Juan's missing family and that explains about their separation and finally learns the truth, that he is Esperanza's brother Raphael. While Danilo now knows the truth he cannot join in Esperanza's search for their father knowing in his heart that his adoptive family is the only family he wants. Esperanza understand and continues to tell Cecille what she knows who accept this and asks her to take her away from her abusive adopted father.

As Esperanza and Cecille make their escape to Manila Danilo decides he needs to also know who he truly is. They soon find their father through the same newspaper that told them about being brothers and sisters and learn that their father has remarried to his old girlfriend, Sandra. It seems that Sandra has been keeping a secret from Juan all these years, that his children are still alive, and she will do anything to keep them apart. Even telling them that their father is so sick he must go to America to get better.

Cecille's adoptive father Mayor Montejo, takes Cecille once again and while they fight to get her back it is revealed that Anton is his son. Before he had the "accident" that wouldn't allow him to reproduce he raped Anton's mother. After finding out he has a son he decides to make a trade, he will let Cecile go if Anton will stay with him. Anton, out of love for Esperanza, agrees to the exchange. Montejo sent Anton sent to America to study and in the hopes of making him forget Esperanza.

In Manila, Esperanza meets a new suitor named Brian and finds a job as the nurse maid or companion of Isabel, the wife of Jaime. Isabel has been so traumatized by the bus accident that she has manic depression and believes that all her children died in the bus accident. Esperanza is the only one that has ever gotten through to Isabel and makes her want to get better. It is later revealed that Isabel is really Esperanza's mother.

As years pass by Esperanza continues on with her life not even once hearing from Anton. Though will find out later that Hime's niece Donna is getting married to Anton and is pregnant with his baby. Though when they see each other again they resolve old issues and Anton says that he would like to start over yet, Esperanza doesn't want to hurt Donna, only to realizes too late that she wants to fight for their love. Donna later learns that her Aunt Isabel does not love her Uncle Hime and has stolen her away from her family and tries to help her by stealing her away. During the rescue mission Hime tries to shot Anton but instead hits Donna, killing her.

Sandra takes Cecille and Danilo away from Esperanza one day when she was gone and takes them to her place to make them her slaves along with their grandmother Isabel's mom and finds out that Isabel and Sandra are half-sisters. Esperanza gets help from an attorney named Cynthia Lazaro to get her brother and sister back from Sandra. Which she eventually does.It is then revealed that Attorney Cynthia aka Roseila has her own evil plot against Sandra, Esperanza, and her whole family. It seems that she is the bastard daughter of Juan Selgado who everyone has rejected. She has been planning for years to get revenge on her father's family, even sending her lover Brian as her spy who accidentally fell in love with Esperanza. She has also taken Isabel captive after the "escape" and kills Sandra.

Cecille dies in a car accident when she crashes with Cynthia, but she survives. Cynthia then reunites the whole Selgado family, including Juan. Brian loses interest in Esperanza, Anton and the police come to the rescue, before Cynthia gets captured she points her gun at Esperanza, but gets killed before she can shoot her.

After all the pain and suffering, in her quest to complete her family, Esperanza finally gets reunited with them, even though Cecille is gone.

Ratings

Esperanza, which is a come back for Philippine TV actress Judy Ann Santos after the dynastic reign of a past noontime drama series "Mara Clara". The drama series also made a mark on Philippine television as it posted 59.8% overall rating in Mega Manila, the highest ever in record in the Philippines.

Total nationwide ratings (AGB Nielsen Philippines)

*Premiere episode: 45.9%
*Average weekly rating (1997 - 1999): 45%
*Final episode: 45.8%
*Overall average: 40.9%

Total Mega Manila ratings (AGB Nielsen Philippines)

*Premiere episode: 41.5%
*Average weekly rating (1997-1999): 44.3%
*Final Episode: 59.8%
*Overall average: 44.9%

Trivia

* This TV Drama series is also a movie version produced by Star Cinema, wholly-owned subsidiary of ABS-CBN.
* This Teleserye is the highest rating in an episode (Episode 108)- "Esperanza (TV series)" (ABS-CBN, 1999, 67%)

oundtrack

* The theme song of the said soap opera was sung by April Boy Regino for TV while the movie version was sung by Andre Ibara.

Links

* [http://beta.abs-cbn.com/ ABS-CBN]