Anna Marie Lukban

10 scenes that reveal Patrick’s lingering childhood scars in “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”

Article (news)

Liezel Dela Cruz

He may appear strong and steady on the surface, but beneath Patrick (Joshua Garcia)’s calm presence lies a wound that never truly healed. He continues to carry the weight of what felt like neglect from his mother, along with the unresolved scars that shaped the way he lives as an adult. Certain scenes from the series &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/its-okay-to-not-be-okay" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">It&#x27;s Okay to Not Be Okay</a>&quot; peel back this layer of his character, as highlighted in this Kapamilya Toplist compilation.The video opened with that fateful night in a flashback—young Patrick (Nathan Bulalacao) and his brother Matmat (Noel Comia Jr./Carlo Aquino) were at the Maravida police station, having just been questioned about their mother’s murder, which Matmat said he had witnessed but all he could recall were butterflies. Later, afraid that they would be separated—Patrick to child services and Matmat to a mental facility—the brothers decided to escape. From then on, Patrick took on the role of guardian to Matmat even though they were both still very young. From that point, the brothers lived on their own. While Patrick never stopped searching for answers about their mother’s death, they also tried to avoid the painful events that had repeatedly triggered Matmat’s fear of butterflies along with the memory of that night. This had been the reason why, every year, they uprooted their lives and moved to a new place at the start of the rainy season, until Patrick finally decided it was time to return to their hometown of Maravida.When they arrived, one of the first brave acts he did was going back to the very spot where he and Matmat had once found their mother’s lifeless body. Bringing flowers, he spoke as if his mom were still there, apologizing for taking so long to visit. He explained that he and Matmat had been moving from place to place and relying on the kindness of strangers willing to take Matmat in as he looked for jobs to make ends meet.In a sense, the love of a mother became Patrick’s &quot;multo&quot; as he would often see it reflected in Nanay Li (Rio Locsin) every time she cared for him like her own.And he would also see his heart&#x27;s true desire in the experiences of other people. There was a particular arc in the story that revolved around Junjun (Albie Casiño), an OK Hospital patient and politician&#x27;s son who was diagnosed with manic syndrome. There was a scene where Junjun managed to escape the facility with the help of Mia (Anne Curtis), who brought him to the plaza where his father’s campaign rally was being held. High from a manic episode, Junjun grabbed the microphone and made a scene. He introduced himself to the crowd as Cong. Ben (Leo Rialp)&#x27;s son and opened up about the pain of being misunderstood and hidden away. Patrick arrived at the rally just in time, but instead of intervening, he froze as Junjun’s emotional speech triggered his own childhood memories—moments when he, too, felt neglected by his mother, whose attention he believed was mostly on Matmat. The incident prompted Cong. Ben to storm to OK Hospital, where Doc Anok (Bobot Mortiz) explained that if anything, what happened to Junjun might have even helped his condition, as he had shown signs of improvement after his escape and brief encounter with his parents. However, Cong. Ben and his wife insisted they didn&#x27;t want Junjun at home because no one was there to look after him. Cong. Ben even said that no matter how many times Junjun gets discharged, he would simply transfer him to another facility, going as far as calling his own son useless. This pushed Patrick to ask if a child must be useful to deserve love, to which the congressman coldly replied that children were only born to serve a purpose. Losing patience, Patrick raised his voice to tell them they never should have brought Junjun into the world if he was only meant to be used, clearly drawing from his own painful experiences.That night, while tending to the wound and bruise he had gotten from Cong. Ben’s slap, Patrick remembered the things the congressman had said, which also triggered hurtful memories with his mom. He recalled a similar instance from his past when his mother slapped him after he left Matmat alone just so he could sneak out to play boxing with friends, because she said that his negligence had caused Matmat to be beaten up by their neighbors. In his frustration, Patrick told Tess that he didn’t want to be his brother’s nanny because he had a life of his own, and he even wished that Matmat would just die so he could finally be free.In a recent episode, he poured out his pain during a drinking session with his best friend Jason (Francis Magundayao), asking if his late mother Tess might also have regretted the choices she had made. Jason understood what he meant—that Tess had left her youngest son with the heavy responsibility of looking after his older brother.When he went home, Patrick hugged Matmat and told his &#x27;manong&#x27; that he would treat him to his favorite batchoy, only for the elder one to correct him that it was actually him who had always had a fondness for it. He recalled how their mother always pointed out that batchoy was Patrick’s favorite, which was why she would take them there so often. Just hours earlier, Patrick had confided in Jason about his bitterness toward his mother, feeling she had been unfair by burdening him with heavy responsibilities and pouring more attention on Matmat.But through Matmat’s stories, Patrick remembered that he, too, had been loved. Memories came rushing back—Tessie’s warmth as she set down a bowl of batchoy before him, her glance back under the rain to pull him under the umbrella after he thought she would leave him behind, and that night when he believed she was only fanning Matmat to sleep but instead turned to him, caressed his face, and whispered that she was lucky to have him as her son. Patrick was overwhelmed by his bittersweet moments with Tess, finally realizing that his mother’s love was always there.After carrying so much pain for so long, will Patrick find the courage to let the memories of love guide him toward healing?Catch “<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/its-okay-to-not-be-okay" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">It’s Okay To Not Be Okay</a>” on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and TV5, weeknights at 8:45 PM. Watch it in advance on Netflix and <a href="https://app.iwanttfc.com/dFR6MWHAcVb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iWant</a>.

This Kapamilya Toplist from "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" highlights the moments that peel back Patrick (Joshua Garcia)’s calm exterior and reveal the scars of his past.

This Kapamilya Toplist from "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" highlights the moments that peel back Patrick (Joshua Garcia)’s calm exterior and reveal the scars of his past.