Arzen Rose Dulzura

Teleserye Throwback: A look back on the unforgettable, thrilling Cardinal family saga in “PHR Presents Los Bastardos” (2018)

Article (news)

Mary Ann Bardinas

It was in 2009 when ABS-CBN began filling our weekday afternoons with kilig via its well-loved anthology titled “Precious Hearts Romances Presents,” which featured the TV adaptations of some of the best-selling Tagalog romance paperbacks published and distributed by Precious Pages Corporation—one of the most prominent publishing and bookstore companies in the country.  Throughout its five-year run, from 2009 to 2013 and from 2018 to 2019, “PHR Presents” emerged as one of the most watched Kapamilya programs. The series spanned four seasons and showcased 20 different stories of love, 15 of which were produced as full-length series, while the remaining five were shorter special narratives that aired for at least two weeks.  The final installment of “PHR Presents” was “Los Bastardos” in 2019, which was arguably one of the most notable and successful teleseryes of ABS-CBN as it became part of our Kapamilya Gold viewing for almost a year, starting from October 15, 2018, and culminating on September 27, 2019. Based on the pocketbook novel written by prolific romance writer Vanessa entitled “Cardinal Bastardos,” it follows the story of the wealthy and kind businessman Don Roman Cardinal (Ronaldo Valdez) and his five sons who were each born to different women whose lives and relationships were shaped by betrayal, secrets, and rivalry over his love and legacy. His firstborn—and first legitimate son—was Roman Cardinal Jr. (Jake Cuenca), whom he believed he’d already lost together with his beloved wife, Soledad (Cristine Reyes), in devastating tragedy. He was adopted by a farmer couple who discovered him in their truck, where Soledad slipped him in order to save him from being engulfed by the mudslide. They named him Isagani Esperanza and raised him into becoming a simple, kind, compassionate, brave, strong, and hardworking man just like his real father, Don Roman.  Don Roman and Isagani’s paths intertwined when the latter decided to partner with the Cardinals for his Coco Brandy business, through which an admirable bond between them started to form. He may be the eldest, but he was the fourth one to learn that he’s a child of Don Roman, which was confirmed through the ring that Soledad had pinned onto his clothes before they parted ways that eventful, stormy night.  The first one to find out about his father’s identity was Connor (Joshua Colet), who is Don Roman’s son with his childhood friend Pilar (Danita Paner/Pinky Amador), who used to work as a prostitute. He was raised by Fausto (Alex Castro/Jeffrey Santos) after rescuing him when Pilar sold him to a foreigner and trained him to become a con artist like him. His mother’s rejection left a deep scar on Connor, shifting his yearning for family into a bitter hatred for the father he believed deserted him. He was initially driven by his plan to seize control of the Cardinal’s bank accounts and transfer the funds into a secret account, but repeated failures led him to change course and soften toward his father upon realizing how Don Roman unconditionally loved him and how more than happy he was to reconcile with him despite his original motive of bringing him down. The second Cardinal to learn about his true identity was Matteo (Marco Gumabao), whose mother, Madeleine (Cindy Miranda/Joyce Ann Burton)—the emotionally abused socialite wife of powerful businessman Menandro (Angelo Ilagan/Lito Pimentel)—used to have an illicit affair with Don Roman. Matteo was adopted by Menandro, who raised him devoid of character and moral values and influenced him to despise the Cardinals as Menandro secretly used him as a pawn for revenge against them, particularly Don Roman. Thus, even though it was already confirmed that he was a Cardinal, Matteo still firmly rejected his true father, determined to bring his family down as he blamed Don Roman for his miserable life. Although he grew up in the Cardinal household and was treated like family without knowing the man he served was his own father, Lucas (Albie Casiño)—the youngest of the “bastardos”—only discovered his paternity when he was already an adult. It was Roman himself who confessed that he was the product of the brief affair that he and his mother, Sita (Mara Lopez/Ana Abad Santos), had in the past. It might be difficult at first for him to process the truth, yet Lucas accepted it with utmost grace and respect for both his parents. The last one to learn that there’s Cardinal blood running through his veins was Lorenzo (Joseph Marco), Don Roman’s second legitimate child with Soledad. Growing up believing that his father violently assaulted his mother, based on the assumption of his adoptive dad, Don Pablo Cuevas (Teroy Guzman), who told him about finding Soledad (Gloria Diaz) bruised, injured, and distraught, it had become Lorenzo’s mission to avenge her and destroy Roman.  To do this, he traveled to the Philippines from the United States to investigate what really happened in the past and learned about his four brothers. He was able to meet him under the guise of a business partnership, earning their trust through his past dealings with Joaquin (Diego Loyzaga) in America. Joaquin was the son of Alba (Roxanne Barcelo/Isabel Rivas) with her family’s gardener, whom she made Roman take responsibility for in order to achieve her ambition of becoming his second wife and acquiring the Cardinals’ wealth. As Alba succeeded in deceiving Roman into believing that Joaquin is his child, Roman raised her son as his own and treated him with love and fairness. He even appointed him to lead the management team of the Cardinal Distillery when he was old and experienced enough. Unfortunately, he died in a plane crash while on his way back home, which led to the shocking revelation about his real paternity during his memorial service.  The Cardinal brothers went through various circumstances individually and together, which completely put their bond as a family to the test. Adding more color and spice to their respective narratives were the romantic relationships they had. Isagani tied the knot with his longtime friend Isay (Maxine Medina) and had two kids with her; Lorenzo ended up with Diane (Ritz Azul), the executive secretary of Cardinal Distillery, and had three children with her; Connor found a supportive partner in Lupita (Mica Javier); while Lucas got married to his childhood friend Coralyn (Mary Joy Apostol).  Furthermore, Matteo was discharged from the mental hospital fully rehabilitated and began rebuilding his relationships with his brothers, their wives, his father, and Soledad—who was later revealed to have survived the tragedy and stood as a kind and loving stepmother to Roman’s three illegitimate sons. Meanwhile, those who had inflicted harm on their family were either killed, incarcerated, or admitted to mental institutions. Aside from the astounding and promising performances of the cast and the well-written narrative, “PHR Presents: Los Bastardos” also captured the viewers with the life lessons it imparted. The journey of the Cardinal family reminded us that revenge only leads to more pain, while forgiveness and accountability open the path to healing, as well as that it’s always possible for broken families and relationships to rebuild and find peace through love, redemption, and acceptance. Kapamilya, were you hooked on “Los Bastardos” back then? Which Cardinal brother was your fave—or your crush? Take a look at the photos of the ensemble cast in this gallery!

Let’s revisit one of ABS-CBN’s hottest teleseryes—“Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Los Bastardos”—in this special feature!

Let’s revisit one of ABS-CBN’s hottest teleseryes—“Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Los Bastardos”—in this special feature!