This concept was five years in the making, but the idea of a teleserye that would portray the life of Filipino soldiers and the military has been a dream of the network for decades. Finally, A Soldier’s Heart has reached viewers at home.
This primetime series tells the story of people from different walks of life reaching a common goal—serve in the military. “Each and every one of them has their own story to tell,” director Richard V. Somes said. More than just a plot about one group fighting another, they aim to highlight the complexity of real-life situations. Because in reality, problems are not simply black and white.
Initial challenges
The biggest hurdle their production faced is how to truthfully represent the lives of soldiers and how to realistically portray conflict. “Kapag sinabi mong, halimbawa ang tauhan ay galing sa Mindanao, kailangan mong alamin ang lahat ng bagay na tungkol sa Mindanao,” head writer Jerry B. Gracio stated.
Not to mention, the series will be treading sensitive topics. They cannot be careless in using words like “Muslim” or “Islam”. “Kailangan magpasintabi ka at kumunsulta sa mga may mas alam,” Gracio added. As part of their research, their team hired Muslim scholars, Imams, and Marawi locals as consultants on set.
Brutal training
LTC. Ramon Zagala from the Army Chief Public Affairs of the Philippine Army coordinated with the producers on a short soldier’s course. They all agreed that the cast needed to experience at least a part of what real soldiers have to go through.
It was mentally and physically exhausting. Add the fact that their training was done during the summer. “Dudurugin ka talaga,” Vin Abrenica described. Yves Flores revealed that most of them were ready to give up after the second day, “Hindi kayo artista dito. Hindi kayo special. Isa rin kayo sa amin.” Their limits were challenged, but Gerald Anderson was there to constantly encourage all of them. “Si Gerald kasi ‘yung parang kuya namin kasi siya naman ‘yung pinaka matanda sa amin. Siya ‘yung nag-push sa amin hanggang ngayon. Sabay-sabay kami nag-graduate. Walang nag-quit sa amin,” Yves added.
Sue Ramirez is also proud to take part in the project and show how women are being treated in this particular field. Although, she feels that women still have a long way to go, she is glad that there have been changes for the better. “Pino-prove talaga natin na kaya din nating gawin lahat ng kayang gawin ng mga lalaki,” she explained.
Beyond the drama and action, A Soldier’s Heart has a heartfelt message. “Alam namin na mayroon siyang mensahe na gusto namin iparating sa mga tao. And, at the end of the day, we’re giving back sa mga sundalo natin at mga brothers natin na Islam,” Gerald ended.