Czarina Faith Abuso

PERA O PRINSIPYO? Tropang Gabo weighs in on their “Coco Martin’s Sigabo” characters’ choice

Article (news)

Mary Ann Bardinas

<p>Over the past weeks, we&#x27;ve watched Gabo (Coco Martin) get into different battles in every episode of &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/sigabo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Coco Martin&#x27;s Sigabo</strong></a>&quot;—putting to the test not only his physical strength and fighting skills, but also his values and principles. So far, his journey has taught us that not every battle is fought with fists or fire because, sometimes, the toughest fights are the ones that force us to choose between what we want or need and what we stand for. </p><p>However, it&#x27;s not only Gabo who faces this dilemma. The other characters, including his gregarious barkada, also find themselves caught between practicality and principle. Thus, in the first episode of “CCM Asks,” uploaded by CCM Film Productions on its social media platforms, the actors behind the members of Tropang Gabo were asked what they would choose between “<em>pera</em>” (money) and “<em>prinsipyo</em>” (principle). And here are their witty, hilarious, and relatable responses.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F2649725058780770%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>The only woman in the group, Sue Ramirez thinks her feisty character, Tekla, would initially choose &quot;<em>pera</em>&quot; in a heartbeat. She explained, &quot;<em>Hindi naman tayo lahat ay masusuwerte at mapapalad na nabibiyayaan na mayroon tayong pang-araw-araw na kakainin. &#x27;Yong iba wala. So, minsan desperate calls for desperate measures.</em>&quot;</p><p>However, after spending a lot of time with Gabo since his return to Ginintuang Lupa following eight years in prison, Sue believes that Tekla and the rest of the “<em>tropa</em>” have had a change of mindset. Seeing Tekla as a “changed person” now, Sue believes she would likely choose “<em>prinsipyo</em>.”</p><p>Since Tolits began as a minion of Gabo&#x27;s archrival Django (Jhong Hilario), Jerald Napoles believes that money is mightier than principles for his character. The same goes for Nikko Natividad, who said that his character is actually willing to sacrifice his life for money—even if it were only one peso.</p><p>Nikko explained, &quot;<em>Kaya nga halos kami magpakamatay na para lang magkaroon ng pera kasi dito sa lugar namin sa Ginintuang Lupa, mamamatay kang gutom, mamamatay kang dilat. Hindi ka papakain ng prinsipyo kaya pera talaga</em>.&quot;</p><p>On the other hand, Bassilyo picks &quot;<em>prinsipyo</em>,&quot; especially since his character, Ipe, has been one of Gabo’s closest friends. &quot;<em>Prinsipyo &#x27;yan kasi kaibigan namin si Gabo, so kilala namin si Gabo na ma-prinsipyong tao. Saka kami sanay kami sa hirap, so hindi namin pipiliin &#x27;yong pera. Oo, dumidiskarte kami ng pera pero kapag labag &#x27;yon sa kalooban ni Gabo, hindi rin namin &#x27;yon gagawin</em>,&quot; he stated.</p><p>Another character who is close to Gabo is Bong, played by Smugglaz. Apparently, he wasn’t speaking solely from his character’s perspective when he explained why he would choose “<em>prinsipyo</em>” over “<em>pera</em>.” He said, &quot;<em>Syempre sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, marami sigurong tao mas pipiliin ang pera, lalo na kapag pumasok na ang salitang pagiging praktikal. Pero huwag pa rin nating kalilimutan ang mabubuting prinsipyo at mga aral at turo na ipinasa sa atin sa mahabang henerasyon dahil sa dulo, hindi lahat ng masaya ay mabuti, at hindi lahat ng mabuti ay masaya</em>.&quot;</p><p>And lastly, despite being a former minion of Django, Mammoth Estroso believes that his character, Daboy, would likely choose &quot;<em>prinsipyo</em>,&quot; after being influenced by Gabo. He related that more than money, what he and Gabo desire is to be able to help the underprivileged and the disadvantaged since that&#x27;s their nature.</p><p>Don&#x27;t miss the thrilling action, kilig romance, lighthearted moments, and gripping drama in the next episodes of &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/sigabo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Coco Martin&#x27;s Sigabo</strong></a>.&quot; Catch it weeknights at 8:00 PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), or stream anytime on <a href="https://app.iwanttfc.com/dFR6MWHAcVb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>iWant!</strong></a> </p><div> </div><div><strong>More on this story: </strong></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/8/11/nikko-natividad-gives-an-exclusive-glimpse-of-the-ginintuang-lupa-set-of-coco-martin-s-sigabo-0021" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Nikko Natividad gives an exclusive glimpse of the Ginintuang Lupa set of “Coco Martin’s Sigabo”</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/20/sue-ramirez-tropang-gabo-tease-more-action-drama-and-excitement-in-coco-martin-s-sigabo-0105" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sue Ramirez, ‘Tropang Gabo’ tease more action, drama, and excitement in “Coco Martin’s Sigabo”</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/2/fun-chaos-and-kulitan-fill-the-filming-of-macho-dancing-scenes-in-coco-martin-s-sigabo-0050" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Fun chaos and kulitan fill the filming of &#x27;macho dancing&#x27; scenes in &quot;Coco Martin’s Sigabo&quot; </strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/6/29/look-unfiltered-off-cam-moments-on-the-set-of-coco-martin-s-sigabo-0856" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>LOOK: Unfiltered off-cam moments on the set of “Coco Martin’s Sigabo” </strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/8/13/aleck-reveals-how-she-and-irma-prepared-for-fiery-ibyang-betchay-catfight-in-coco-martins-sigabo-0222" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH: Aleck Bovick reveals how she and Irma Adlawan prepared for the fiery Ibyang-Betchay catfight in “Coco Martin’s Sigabo”</strong></a></div>

<p>Watch as the actors behind Tropang Gabo of "Coco Martin's Sigabo" disclose what they—and their characters—would choose between "<i>pera</i>" and "<i>prinsipyo.</i>"</p>

Watch as the actors behind Tropang Gabo of "Coco Martin's Sigabo" disclose what they—and their characters—would choose between " pera " and " prinsipyo. "