We watch television for us to either be entertained or informed, but it’s usually the former as attested by our fondness with teleseryes. Although it mirrors everyday life, teleseryes still have the potency to divert our attentions from the daunting realities of the time and space that we’re in through their delighting and interesting narratives.

While series with themes of adultery, comedy, and romance arguably appeal the most to majority of the viewers, it’s undeniable that we have a soft spot towards inspirational dramas, which meld entertainment with enlightenment. Series under this category usually tell stories inspired by the lives of ordinary people portrayed by compelling characters and serve viewers with valuable life wisdom that the we can take into our real lives.

And in the past decades, ABS-CBN has produced a wide array of inspirational teleseryes that have taught and promoted good values in pursuit of making the world a better place for all of us – and below are just five of it and the main values that they highlight.

 

Mga Anghel na Walang Langit (2005), Sacrifice

 

If you’ve been a fervent Kapamilya teleserye viewers in the 2000s, you will certainly remember the primetime drama Mga Anghel na Walang Langit, which ran from May 2005 to February 2006. Inspired by the 1970 film of the same title produced by the King of Philippine Movies Fernando Poe Jr., it depicts the harrowing plight of five street children, named Enchang (Nikki Bagaporo), Dodong (Carl John Barrameda), Pepay (Miles Ocampo), Gigi (Sharlene San Pedro), and Jeboy (John Manalo). They may have come from different walks of life, yet they find solace and friendship in one another as they face and survive the harsh realities of the world they live in together.

This may have featured a lot of touching scenes, but one of those that probably moves us to tears and pierces our hearts the most is when Pepay decides to take her younger siblings away from their gambling addict mom and eventually put them up for adoption since she is still a kid and incapable of raising them and providing them at least their basic needs. It may be difficult for her to be away from them, but it is her being an ate that prevails as she chooses to make a huge sacrifice in hopes of giving them the good life they deserve.

 

E-boy (2012), Love and family

Broadcast in 2012, this fantasy-science fiction drama follows the story of the titular character E-boy (Bugoy Cariño), a child robot who is given human characteristics after his brilliant inventor Gabriel Villareal (Ariel Rivera) transferred to him all the brain waves of his deceased child Adrian (Maliksi Morales). Thus, aside from having the ability to move on his own and interact with the people around him, E-boy has also taken on the personality of Adrian.

This series enlightens us on the true meaning of love and family through the adventures of E-boy. Even though he essentially doesn’t have a heart, he reminds viewers that being human is more than just having the physical form, but having the capacity to love and understand unconditionally. His experiences during the time he has spent with Adrian’s family also remind us the value of family, which we sometimes tend to overlook as we let ourselves be engulfed by thrills and circumstances of life.

 

Honesto (2013), Honesty

 

Of course, from the title itself, we already get a hint on what this series is all about – being honest. Through the adorable wonder kid Honesto, compellingly played by Raikko Mateo, we are reminded to practice the oft-quoted adage, “Honesty is the best policy”, unless we want to face the consequences of our dishonesty. And for our bida, it’s the swelling of his nose every time he tells a lie, regardless of how huge or small it is.

Aside from striving to always tell the truth, the titular character has also taught us to embrace our own uniqueness and consider it as a blessing instead of being a curse. And that is what his adoptive mom Lourdes (Janice de Belen) has inculcated in him, as seen in the scene wherein she consoles him after realizing that one of the reasons he is being bullied by other kids is his nose.

“Ang mga tao, kapag kakaiba sa kinasanayan nila, matatakot sila sa’yo o tatawanan ka nila. Pero, espesyal ka, Honesto, at magagamit natin ang katangian mong ‘yan,” she tells him. “Ang importante, lalaki ka na hindi ka sinungaling kasi, anak, mas masarap kapag malaya ka. At kapag hindi ka nagsisinungaling mas malaya ka. Wala kang tinatago, wala kang kinatatakutan. Masuwerte ka, Honesto.”

 

My Dear Heart (2017), Faith

 

In 2017, we probably found ourselves touched by the story of Heart (Nayomi “Heart” de Jesus) in My Dear Heart, a vivacious young girl who grew up under the care of her adoptive parents Jude (Zanjoe Marudo) and Clara (Bela Padilla). However, just when things were going well in their family, she suddenly fell into comatose due to her rare congenital heart condition.

While she was unconscious, her soul left her body and wandered around, through which she met her best friend Bingo (Enzo Pelojero), who became her medium as she communicated with her loved ones. She also became visible to her doctor, Margaret Divinagracia (Coney Reyes), who turns out to be the mother of her biological mom Gia (Ria Atayde), the ex-girlfriend of Jude.

Her family might already be losing hope that she would wake up again and that they would overcome the other challenges that they had to face, but it’s her unwavering faith in God that inspired them to keep holding on and continue believing that everything would be alright in the end.

 

Starla (2019), Forgiveness

 

At some point in our lives, we perhaps wish to at least one of the stars out of the millions that there has in space. And a young boy named Buboy (Enzo Pelojero) is indeed lucky enough to have one in Starla (Jana Agoncillo), a wayward wishing star which he even regards as a friend. Together, they make miracles in Barrio Maulap by helping the townsfolks with their problems, including Mang Greggy (Joel Torre) who agreed to foster him.

It may be quite impossible, but Buboy and Starla are able to help in mending the rift between him and his estranged daughter Atty. Teresa “Tere” Dichavez (Judy Ann Santos) after a long time of not talking to nor seeing each other. In the end, Tere decides to finally bury the hatchet and forgive her father for all his mistakes and shortcomings to her and her late mom. She even chooses to return to their family’s old house to live with Mang Greggy and make up for the time they lost.