The rise and fall of the Rafael-Cristine illicit affair in “Pamilya Sagrado”

Mary Ann Bardinas

Aside from bearing “Sagrado” in his name, another thing that makes “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/pamilyasagrado" target="_blank">Pamilya Sagrado</a>” lead character Rafael (Piolo Pascual) powerful is his swooning charisma and handsome looks, which enable him to somehow easily gain not just the attention but also the favor of the people around him.One of those who fell for his charms was the resolute yet affable barrio lass Cristine (Bela Padilla), with whom he had an extramarital affair (and a baby!), which later on led to her tragic demise after being murdered by his wife, Mercedes (Mylene Dizon).As Rafael vowed to help Cristine’s family seek justice for her, without initially knowing that she was related to Estong (Joel Torre), Grace (Shaina Magdayao), and even Moises (Kyle Echarri), let’s revisit the sweet romance that Rafael and Cristine once shared – from how it started to how it ended – in this episode of Friday 5.Their affair started when Rafael caught Cristine in one of the offices at the municipal hall while she was busy working overtime. It was apparently their first time to meet since she just started with her job as a clerk, but it was obvious how instantly smitten he was by her mesmerizing beauty and pleasant personality at first sight.Apart from interrogating Cristine about working beyond office hours, Rafael also probed her for converting that room into a living space. She promised him that it was temporary since she was only new in the town of Montecillo and could not afford yet to rent a place to live.True to her promise, Cristine indeed displayed diligence, delight, and determination in every task given to her. He later found out that she was a working student aiming to finish her nursing degree and work abroad not for her family but for herself.Not long after, a congenial bond was established between Rafael and Cristine for they did things to one another that were already beyond their professional relationship. Their growing closeness was attested when he saved her from the random guys who attempted to harass her on the street, as well as when she took good care of him until he felt better after he got sick.While he already had feelings for her, Cristine&#x27;s compassion made him fall in love with her deeper, which prompted him to kiss her on the lips. She knew it was wrong, so she evaded it and immediately left before things could go out of hand.However, their attraction towards one another was too strong, as Cristine reciprocated his special affection for her and gave in to what she felt for him. They passionately made love one day, which got her pregnant. Mercedes later discovered their illicit affair and Cristine’s pregnancy after she caught them arguing outside his office building.Fervent viewers know that this spawned wrath in Mercedes, who eventually killed Cristine and took her baby away, which coincidentally ended up in the arms of her father, Estong, and younger sister, Grace.Will Rafael be able to fulfill his promise to Cristine’s family of serving justice to her death? Let’s all find out by not missing an episode of “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/pamilyasagrado" target="_blank">Pamilya Sagrado</a>,” weeknights on <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-kapamilya-channel-12340" target="_blank">Kapamilya Channel</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/abscbnentertainment" target="_blank">Kapamilya Online Live</a>, TV5 and A2Z.

Let’s revisit the sweet romance once shared by Rafael and Cristine in “Pamilya Sagrado.”