One of the favorite bonding activities among Filipino families is watching television, especially during primetime, when everyone is likely to be at home already after a tiring day at work or school.
Thus, through the years, ABS-CBN has made sure that there’s exhilarating entertainment for every member of the family through its teleseryes. There are touching dramas and romances for moms, grandmas, and aunties, while there are usually youth-oriented series and fantaseryes for the young ones. And for dads, grandpas, and uncles? Well, there are action series to satisfy their penchant for anything action, may it be fight sequences, explosions, shootouts, car (or motorcycle) chases, and all action tropes imaginable.
In this feature, let us revisit some scenes from Kapamilya teleseryes that brought us electrifying high-octane moments of action through the years!
Palos (2008)
Loosely based on the classic Pinoy comics published in 1961 and the film character of the same name, “Palos” is a 2008 Primetime Bida series that followed the journey of its lead character, Giancarlo Caranzo, played by Jake Cuenca, in finding an agent he only knew by its codename “Palos” to avenge the death of his beloved mother.
Along the way, Giancarlo, who eventually became the “New Palos,” went through a slew of encounters with people trying to hinder him from carrying out his mission. Even though the technology then used in creating special visual effects was not that advanced, it still didn’t fail to electrify viewers with action-packed sequences, such as this scene of Giancarlo evading gunshots and explosions while on his motorcycle.
FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano (2015-2022)
Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without the long-running action drama series that filled our weeknights with pulse-pounding excitement for seven years – FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano – from 2015 to 2022.
Take, for example, this enthralling scene of the mighty hero Cardo Dalisay (Coco Martin) helping fugitive Romulo Dumaguit (Lito Lapid) escape from the authorities who were after them with his trusty motorcycle. Finding themselves cornered and on a dead end, Cardo revved his motorcycle up and let it off the second storey of the building where he picked his comrade up.
Wildflower (2017-2018)
Another notable teleserye that made it onto this list is the revenge drama series Wildflower, topbilled by seasoned actress Maja Salvador as the indestructible Lily Cruz, who also went by the alias Ivy Aguas.
During the finale week, we’d witnessed her intense face-offs with vicious antagonist Helena Montoya, a.k.a. “Red Dragon.” In one instance, Maja left viewers in bated breaths as she fearlessly got herself hooked on the helicopter in her character’s attempt to stop Helena from flying away.
La Luna Sangre (2017-2018)
Shying away from her teeny bopper and refined roles in the previous series and movies that he starred in, Kathryn astounded us when she turned into a femme fatale in the fantasy action series La Luna Sangre. She played the heroine Malia Rodriguez, who was hailed as the “New Chosen One” since she’s the daughter of the most powerful vampire Mateo (John Lloyd Cruz) and chosen werewolf Lia (Angel Locsin).
Being the head guardian or lady sentinel of the La Liga Unida organization, she tried with all her might to protect the members during the attack of the bloodthirsty vampires led by Supremo (Richard Gutierrez).
But she unfortunately failed since she still lacked proper training and the combined powers of her parents.
The General’s Daughter (2019)
While we already know her as a premiere dramatic actress, Angel Locsin proved that she can definitely do more through her remarkable portrayal of the courageous titular role, 1st Lt. Rhian Bonifacio, PA, in the action-drama series The General’s Daughter.
Since her character is a military nurse and a spy, we got to see Angel carry out death-defying stunts and get involved in riveting fight scenes throughout its run. One of which was when Rhian had to climb up a towering structure with the help of a harness as she had to stealthily go up its helipad.
Sandugo (2019-2020)
Actors Ejay Falcon and Aljur Abrenica got to showcase their action star facets in the afternoon soap opera Sandugo as they played JC, a policeman, and Aris/Leo, a hooligan, respectively. They turned out to be fraternal twins who got separated when they were kids after their parents gave up Aris for adoption in exchange for a hefty sum that they used for JC’s medication.
And as if struck by fate, their paths once again intertwined many years later in the police operation of JC’s troop at the hub of an illegal business that involved Aris. As both of them were in pursuit of accomplishing their respective duties from opposing sides of the law without knowing that they were brothers, they figured in an intense clash, failing to finish off one another.
A Soldier’s Heart (2020)
Being a teleserye that primarily focused on the missions and personal journeys of the soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, A Soldier’s Heart definitely didn’t fall short in bringing intense action to viewers every primetime.
One of their missions that left us in bated breaths was that of Team Charlie, led by Pfc. Alexander "Alex" Marasigan, PA (Gerald Anderson), against the terror group spearheaded by Saal (Sid Lucero), who were actually biological brothers.
The Iron Heart (2022-2023)
After enthralling us with a series of projects that showcased his chops in drama and action, we got to see Richard Gutierrez in his element as he played the role of the fearless Apollo Adelantar in The Iron Heart. Viewers got to join him in his adrenaline-fueled adventures as he went on a dangerous mission to bring down the Altare crime ring as an undercover agent from here in the Philippines to Italy and Japan
It delivered loads of exhilarating sequences, including this pulse-pounding scene wherein Apollo was being chased by his friend-turned-enemy Eros (Jake Cuenca) and his boss Menandro (Ian Veneracion).
Mars Ravelo’s Darna (2022-2023)
Her being the newest Darna might have drawn various reactions, but Jane de Leon immediately proved in the first few episodes that she’s truly deserving of the important role. Donned in the iconic red and gold costume, she was oozing with confidence and power as she faced the criminals who tried to harm civilians and single-handedly defeated them with her superpowers in one particular scene.
FPJ’s Batang Quiapo (2023-present)
Last, but definitely not the least, is this series that has been filling our weeknights with thrills, drama, and action since 2023: FPJ’s Batang Quiapo. While it’s quite difficult to pick one scene to include in this list, we chose this nail-biting sequence wherein Tanggol (Coco Martin) and Bubbles (Ivana Alawi) bravely confronted Ramon and his henchmen in an intense and explosive shootout at a train depot. Even though there were just the two of them, the dynamic duo was still able to make it through that encounter that could have ended them both.
Were you able to catch these nail-biting scenes, Kapamilya? Which of these exhilarated you the most?