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The road to revenge: The Edong Santiago’s story in “What Lies Beneath” | Part 1/6

Article (news)

Rianna Mae Santiago

<div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770864040877WLB-ET_0-Cover.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>A single action or word can devastate an innocent person beyond repair. In “<a href="http://whatliesbeneath.abs-cbn.com"><strong>What Lies Beneath</strong></a>,” Edong Santiago (Jake Cuenca) embodies this harrowing reality, with the cruelty inflicted upon him serving as a crucial point in the show’s nuanced narrative.</p><p>Long before his relentless schemes for revenge, the young Edong (Renshi de Guzman), together with his little brother, Lucas (Andrez del Rosario), was just a sweet young boy struggling to shield their mother from their abusive father, Crisanto (Gerald Madrid).  </p><p>In their rare moments of relief, Edong managed to drive Crisanto away, from gaining the upper hand in a fistfight to finally mustering the courage to report him to the local police for robbery. Still, Crisanto left Edong with a threat that resurfaced when he returned after a time. </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770864202858WLB-ET_1-AbusiveHome1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>One night, Edong came home to find Lucas beaten to the ground and Dolores dead—crimes born of Crisanto’s violence. The scene seared itself into Edong’s mind, a trauma from which he would not recover for years to come. </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770864256617WLB-ET_2-AbusiveHome2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>More life-altering confrontations follow for Edong, including a chaotic encounter with the MABEL girls—Mel (Reich Alim), Alice (Eliza Borromeo), Beth (Allyson McBride), Erica (Krystal Mejes), and Louisa (Mutya Orquia).</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770864286022WLB-ET_3-EdongVSLouisaBeth1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770864318240WLB-ET_4-EdongVSLouisaBeth2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Days after his physical altercation with the MABEL girls, another trial descends upon Edong through Esther, Amurao’s well-known religious devotee, who manipulates his troubled reputation to implicate him in Louisa’s tragic murder.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770864346442WLB-ET_5-Scapegoat1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Upon hearing Esther’s statement, Celestino (Bart Guingona) seizes the opportunity to get rid of Edong, driven by the belief that his son had been badly influenced by him.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770864607023WLB-ET_6-Scapegoat2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>While Edong suffers through daily interrogations by Amurao’s police, the previous altercation with the MABEL girls marks the moment that sets him on the path to incarceration. </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770864743965WLB-ET_7-Scapegoat3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770864774445WLB-ET_8-Scapegoat4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>From being a scapegoat, Edong is plunged into the nightmarish reality of Bagumbayan Prison, while Lucas watches the drastic changes overtaking him.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770865060831WLB-ET_9-LivingHell1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>At some point, the young Edong reaches utter hopelessness, ready to end everything, when something stronger rises within him.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770865613191WLB-ET_10-LivingHell2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><h3 style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/2/12/the-road-to-revenge-the-edong-santiago-s-story-in-what-lies-beneath-part-2-6-1448"><strong>NEXT &gt;&gt;&gt; Page 2</strong></a></h3>

<p>Explore this “What Lies Beneath” infographic highlighting the key events that shaped Edong Santiago (Jake Cuenca)—from a boy devoted to his mother to a broken man driven by revenge - Page 1</p>

Explore this “What Lies Beneath” infographic highlighting the key events that shaped Edong Santiago (Jake Cuenca)—from a boy devoted to his mother to a broken man driven by revenge - Page 1

Part 1 The road to revenge: The Edong Santiago’s story in “What Lies Beneath”

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Part 1 The road to revenge: The Edong Santiago’s story in “What Lies Beneath”

Rianna Santiago

Published Feb 12, 2026 02:44 PM PHT

|

Updated Feb 12, 2026 09:33 PM PHT

Read More:

What Lies Beneath

Jake Cuenca

Edong Santiago

JM de Guzman

Lucas Santiago

Kaila Estrada

Erica Melendez

Charlie Dizon

Beth Sevilla-Mora

Janella Salvador

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