ABS-CBN’s afternoon soap Juanita Banana may have achieved success in its first week but the creator of the story, renowned author Pablo S. Gomez, is not so happy.
Gomez is the man behind well-loved Filipino stories, such as “Petrang Kabayo,” “Machete” and “Kampanerang Kuba,” which have been adapted into movies and TV soaps.
“Juanita Banana” is the second adaptation of the Gomez classic, the first being the 1968 film of the same title, starring Pepito Rodriguez, Ricky Belmonte, German Moreno, Bella Flores, and Rosemarie Sonora in the title role.
On Monday, November 8, the 81-year-old author surprised attendees to the show’s thanksgiving press conference when he expressed his disappointment over changes in the storyline. “Nung pirmahan ko yung kontrata ng ‘Juanita Banana’ nakalagay na dun na pwede nilang baguhin yun para lamang sa ikagaganda. Naniniwala naman ako na yung mga bagay na idinagdag nila e gusto rin nilang gumanda yung ano dahil trabaho nila yun e pero hindi nila ako naging sakit ng ulo, hindi ako humadlang, hindi ako nakialam kasi iginagalang ko sila bilang writer. Ironically Juanita Banana was bought from me by Sampaguita (pictures) 30 years ago. And then after 30 years eto binili naman ng ABS-CBN.”
Gomez’s main issue against the ABS-CBN presentation was that the creative group did not consult with him regarding changes to his story. He said the people behind the 1968 version made sure he was notified when the story needed adjustments. He appreciated Sampaguita Pictures’ “respect” for him even if the rights to the movie were already bought.
According to Gomez, the current “Juanita Banana” writer did not notify him when the story needed alterations. “I never heard from the one who writes now,” lamented Gomez.
Nerissa Cabral, the scriptwriter of the current TV version, earlier confirmed that there were big changes made in the story’s plot. “Yung characters basically yun in tact pero syempre yung flow ng story pretty much malaki ang nabago so we just maintained the characters, the milieu and then we updated it para naman maging enticing para dun sa mga taong hindi naman inabutan si Rosemarie Sonora,” she said.
Despite the unexpected remark from Gomez, the whole cast continued their happy mood thanking everyone for the support that the show has been receiving.
“Juanita Banana” airs right after “Win na Win” on ABS-CBN. It stars former Bb. Pilipinas Universe Bianca Manalo as the main character “Juanita.”
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