The pilot episode of Sigabo officially premiered on June 22, immediately drawing viewers in with explosive action sequences led by Hari ng Aksyon sa Ating Henerasyon Coco Martin and Jhong Hilario.
One of the most talked-about moments from the premiere featured Coco’s character Gabo and Jhong’s character Django in an intense motorcycle chase and fight sequence staged in broad daylight at a crowded public market, quickly earning fiery reactions from viewers online.
Speaking during the live gap show at the Kapamilya watch party alongside the rest of the cast, Jhong candidly admitted how exciting the experience was for him, joking that he was even starstruck at the thought of sharing such a major action scene with Coco.
“Actually, kinikilig ako eh,” Jhong said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
He went on to express gratitude to Coco for once again giving him the opportunity to be part of another major action project.
“Ikaw ba naman yung maka-fight scene ng isang Coco Martin? Sobrang thankful and grateful talaga. Lagi kong sinasabi ’to na binigyan ulit ako ng chance ni Direk Coco na mapa-bilang sa Sigabo na alam kong tatangkilikin ng mga Pilipino.”
The It's Showtime host also emphasized how Filipino talent continues to prove it can compete globally and believes Philippine television is now ready to raise the bar even higher.
“Tayong mga Pinoy, [kaya nating] makipagsabayan sa mga sayaw, may mga nag-champion na tayo sa sayaw, sa pagkanta, sa sports, sa pag-arte. I think this time, sa series, makikipag-sabayan na ang mga Pilipino.”
In a separate interview with CCM Film Productions, Jhong reflected on how years of working alongside Coco in FPJ's Ang Probinsyano and FPJ's Batang Quiapo helped him shape his approach in building his latest villain role as Django.
“Hindi ko kinakalimutan yung mga experience na yun and then kung may mga bago dinadagdag ko.”
The actor also revealed that he drew inspiration from some of Philippine cinema’s most iconic antagonists, naming late screen legends Eddie Garcia and Paquito Diaz as influences in developing his portrayal.
According to Jhong, understanding Django’s background and motivations, particularly the character’s desire to escape poverty, helped him connect more deeply with the role.
The adrenaline-filled motorcycle fight sequence between Coco and Jhong was directed by acclaimed director Richard Somes, who later shared how the ambitious action set piece began from creative conversations between him and Coco, who had a lot of "wild imagination."
During the live gap show, Direk Richard said many of the biggest action moments in Sigabo started simply from shared ideas that they eventually challenged themselves to bring to life.
“Hanggang sa, [sabi namin] ‘Kaya na natin ’yang gawin’. Kumbaga puso lang, ganon naman ang Pinoy eh, nasa puso lang. Basta cooperation lang ng staff, ng action team, ng production, ng crowd control, ADs... that’s why I think, kung bakit naging successful, ay dahil nakikita nila yung vision ni Direk Coco.”
Direk Richard described the motorcycle action sequence as particularly demanding, underscoring the massive effort required behind the scenes to execute it successfully.
“Madugo,” he said, referring to how physically and logistically difficult the sequence was to pull off.
He also highlighted how the production team placed strong emphasis on safety while filming the action-heavy scenes.
“Dahil kailangan na natin i-taas ang standard sa pag-aasikaso ng mga staff at artista, yun ang pinaka-mahalaga.”
The director further revealed another major production challenge from the pilot episode, particularly scenes set inside a crowded prison facility.
Because of logistical limitations and crowd control concerns, the production team decided to build an entire jail set from scratch rather than film in an actual detention facility.
“Ang solusyon is gumawa tayo ng set, walang kulungan doon, set iyon. From the existing building, bumuo kami ng set.”
He said careful planning across production design, logistics, and cinematography allowed them to achieve the shots they wanted while ensuring operations remained safe and controlled.
“From logistics, production design, to cinematography... ang pinaka-importante ay makuha natin ang mga gusto nating shots na wala tayong ma-iistorbo at maaargabyado.”
To make the prison scenes look realistic, the production even tapped several locals while some staff members themselves served as extras to help fill the massive set.
Reflecting on the scale of the production, Direk Richard said the team is intentionally pushing Philippine television standards to new heights.
“Mataas na ang standard na binu-buo natin dito," he expressed.
Beyond the explosive action sequences, the pilot episode also delivered romantic moments that quickly had viewers talking after Prime Actress Julia Montes finally made her much-awaited appearance as Sam.
Fans were especially left swooning after Sam and Gabo shared their first on-screen kiss during the premiere, adding a kilig-filled moment that balanced the adrenaline-heavy debut and immediately sparked excitement for the pair’s storyline moving forward.
The strong reception to the show’s ambitious opening reflected all their effort, with Sigabo recording over 404,000 concurrent viewers on Kapamilya Online Live on YouTube during its pilot episode.
Catch Sigabo weeknights at 8 p.m. on ABS-CBN, AllTV2, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live on Facebook and YouTube, iWant, and TV5.