Viewers were instantly hooked on the newest afternoon soap, Bagong Umaga as it introduced the lives of young adults connected by grief, lies, love and friendship. 

The show established the lives of three families that went through the same grief one stormy night in a hospital. Diana (Glydel Mercado) fought for the life of her newborn with a health complication. Jose (Keempee de Leon)’s pregnant wife Monica (Nikki Valdez) needed immediate surgery due to her delicate condition.

However, the owner of the hospital, Doctor Ian (Cris Villanueva), deprived these families of urgent response out of greed and in favor of his wife, Maggie (Sunshine Cruz) who was also scheduled for labor. 

Diana’s child and one of Monica’s twins were lost that night. Overwhelmed with grief, Diana switched Maggie’s newborn with Monica’s surviving twin, creating a string of fate that will connect their lives forever.

To mark its successful pilot week, Bagong Umaga” lead stars Heaven Peralejo and Tony Labrusca joined online viewers as they react to the scenes and share trivia during gap shows on Kapamilya Online Live. Joining them is fellow cast member Moi Bien.

Most of the scenes in Bagong Umaga were set in a hospital and a small typical community with a wet market, basketball court and adjacent houses. One would think how the production pulled it off amid the pandemic. As Heaven revealed, these big scenes were filmed inside the ABS-CBN compound. The limitations of the “new normal” brought out everyone’s creativity.

Landing on her first lead role, Heaven is happy to be working with seasoned actors who are generous of their expertise. She often gets acting tips from Keempee and Nikki and she is taken care of like their real daughter. 

Heaven is in awe of Keempee and Nikki’s brilliance, of how they make love and family appear truly heartwarming. She added that everyone gives their best – from the artists to the production team.

The collective effort fires up the beautiful friendship built on the set. The young cast spreads vibrant energy in the lock-in bubble, so the senior stars are lured to be as fun. Heaven, Tony, and Moi would vouch to the happy times behind the scenes. Moi revealed that she was starstruck with Glydel Mercado and Rio Locsin but she’s later on surprised to witness how kind and humble they are.

Tony added that he’s grateful for the camaraderie that makes lock-in taping less exhausting. When the cameras start rolling, everyone is back in character. On doing scenes with Richard Quan playing his abusive father, Tony said that he doesn’t have to fake his emotions since he’s scared of him in real life.    

On working with Heaven as his leading lady, Tony shared that he finds her amusing. “Noong una ko siyang nakita, pinapanood ko lang siya na ginagawa niya lang ‘yung normal niya, para akong nanonood ng movie. Excited na akong makita ulit si Heaven. Excited na akong maaliw sa kanya,” he said, sending TonVen shippers to elation.

 Watch Bagong Umaga, Mondays to Fridays  after It’s Showtime on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z Channel 11.