The long wait is finally over. After three months of anticipation, “Coco Martin’s Sigabo” premiered on primetime on Monday, June 22, drawing massive interest from viewers eager to catch its pilot episode, which peaked at 404,124 concurrent viewers across the online platforms of ABS-CBN.
Just on the first episode, lead actor-director Coco Martin and the rest of the cast and crew made sure that the months-long wait was well worth it, as they immediately delivered gripping and action-packed sequences that immediately captivated and roused audiences, keeping them on the edge of their seats and glued to their screens, as well as watching with bated breath.
“Sigabo” opens by offering viewers a glimpse into Gabo’s life inside Manila City Jail, where he has spent the last eight years incarcerated for a crime he did not directly commit. Gabo may seem like an unlikely protagonist given his past involvement in a gun-for-hire syndicate, but the show quickly establishes him as a man of strong principles. Despite repeated encouragement from his fellow inmates to escape, Gabo refuses to do so, choosing instead to prove his innocence and that the accusations and charges against him are unfounded.
Although he seemingly strives to keep himself out of trouble while serving his sentence, chaos seems to follow him wherever he goes. In the pilot episode, Gabo attempts to stop a riot initiated by a notorious prison group that his friends suspect is planning a jailbreak. Unfortunately, it was him whom JC/Supt. Macaraig (Jess Lapid Jr.) accused of orchestrating the disturbance, which resulted in him being thrown into a detention cell and subjected to brutal torture, including electrocution while drenched in water.
Believing that the prison officers' abuse will only continue to escalate, Gabo’s closest friends—Tomas (Levi Ignacio), Tatang (Joonee Gamboa), and Omeng (Dindo Arroyo)—once again urge him to escape before the authorities can finally kill him. For several moments, viewers are led to believe that Gabo has already abandoned his principles and decided to follow their advice.
In a tense sequence, he appears to flee, only to be caught and fatally shot while attempting to run away from the officers who apprehended him, spearheaded by Macaraig. However, the scene is eventually revealed to be nothing more than a figment of his imagination, as he actually returns the key that Tomas had secretly given him to unlock their prison cell and firmly declares, “Hindi ako tatakas dahil paninindigan ko kung ano ang katotohanan.”
While many others in his situation would have seized the opportunity to escape, Gabo remains steadfast in his beliefs. His unwavering sense of conviction visibly impresses Tomas, Tatang, and Omeng, who can only admire his determination to stand by the truth despite the dangers he faces.
In an exclusive behind-the-scenes video shared by CCM Film Productions on social media, Dindo Arroyo, Jess Lapid Jr., Joonee Gamboa, and Levi Ignacio shared a bit of their experience working alongside actor-director Coco in “Sigabo,” as well as invited everyone to stay tuned for the show's upcoming episodes.
Dindo expressed how he always finds it very exciting to do projects with Direk Coco, especially now that he has introduced a brand-new hero to primetime television. According to him, viewers can look forward to even more explosive and action-packed storylines in the coming episodes.
Jess echoed the same sentiment, noting that the program marks his reunion with Coco a decade after they last worked together on “FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.”
Joonee, meanwhile, is happy to be able to work with Coco again. He described him as a generous and easygoing co-actor and conveyed that he continues to be amazed by Coco's growth as a filmmaker. He related, “Natutuwa ako dahil ilang beses na kaming nagsama ni Coco at siya’y napakahusay na aktor. Masarap ka-eksena. At ako’y ‘di makapaniwala na ang galing pala niyang direktor at prodyuser.”
Levi, for his part, expressed his gratitude to Direk Coco for once again giving them the opportunity to be part of one of his projects.
Beyond the interviews to the four veteran character actors, the exclusive behind-the-scenes video also gave viewers an inside look at the production of the Manila City Jail sequences, highlighting the careful planning, coordination, and execution behind some of the pilot episode’s most gripping, breathtaking, and action-packed moments. CCM Film Productions also shared photos on social media that perfectly capture the intensity of the scenes and the rigorous preparations that went into them—just like the ones featured in this article.
Now that he’s back to the outside world after being granted freedom, many surely can’t wait to see what’s next for Gabo. Well, you better not miss the upcoming episodes of “Coco Martin’s Sigabo,” weeknights at 8PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), or stream anytime on iWant!
Primetime TV comes alive with launch of "Sigabo;" Coco thanks TV networks
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