Yasmien, JC brave slums in Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig

It was 1987 when Lino Brocka took a Pablo S. Gomez comic book novel into his hands with the intention of immortalizing it on the silverscreen. But first, the movie director had to solve a casting puzzle to render justice to a story that perfectly fits the familiar Brocka aesthetics. Enlisting the services of Sharon Cuneta, Loretta Marquez, Tonton Guteirrez, Rey "PJ" Abellana, Raoul Aragonn, and Mark Gil, the filmmaker realized his dream of creating a masterpiece that the tells the rags-to-riches story of a talented singer born in the squalor of the slums. Twenty years later, GMA-7 adopts Brocka's opus to turn it into a TV series meant for afternoon viewing. Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig tells the story of a young woman who endures everything in order to sustain herself and her crippled mother while pursuing her dream of penetrating the music industry. Joel Lamangan directs this heartrending tale set in the slums of Payatas. Yasmien Kurdi and JC de Vera are the two lovers who will fight the odds and try to achieve their dreams. Yasmien plays the lead role of Lupe Velez while veteran actress Gina Alajar takes on the role of Lupe's disabled mother, Metring. The late actress Loretta Marquez originally portrayed Metring while Sharon Cuneta was Lupe in the movie version. Having a slum area for a shoot location entails a lot of patience and getting used to, particularly for the actors who are used to staying inside the air-conditioned confines of studios. "Wala namang nag-inarte," proudly announced direk Joel when asked on how his stars reacted to their new surroundings. "Everyone was very professional and they're very sensitive to the feelings of the people residing around the area." The TV series also introduces new characters not seen previously in the movie. "We added some new characters to stretch the plot and to add some new attraction as well," explained Direk Joel when asked on how they stretched the entire tale to fit a TV series format. Despite altering the script a bit, the director assured everyone that they remained loyal to the original story and its essence. Joining the cast are Polo Ravales, Alessandra de Rossi, Marcu Madrigal, Gary Estrada, Jenine Desiderio, Maureen Larrazabal, Mart Escudero, Jennica Garcia, Tony Mabesa, Jim Pebangco, Sweet Ramos, and Raquel Villavicencio. Sine Novela presents Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig airs every afternoon as part of GMA-7's Dramarama sa Hapon. - Philippine Entertainment Portal