Part of the many inspiring facets of human relationships tackled in the Kapamilya teleserye Huwag Kang Mangamba is that of Diego (Rafael Rosell) and his son Joaquin (Luke Alford). Theirs isn’t just the typical story of an absentee father and a ‘lost’ child. It goes deeper and more complicated than that. But despite the complexities, Diego makes an effort to fix the issues and start anew with his son.
Check out this Friday 5 feature that rounds up the heartbreaking scenes of Diego trying his best to be a good father to Joaquin in the inspirational series.
It opens with Joaquin calling his mother, asking her to take him in. Their broken relationship was established just by their short exchange and it was clear his mom couldn’t care less about him. While he insists to be with someone who doesn’t care, Joaquin despises his father who is trying hard to provide him with love, care, and a good life.
The sad irony is soon explained. Viewers learned that Joaquin hates Diego because of the latter’s gender identity and absence. Diego only showed up after the loss of his parents, who raised Joaquin.
But, Diego already learned his shortcomings and he is determined to make up for the lost time. Despite the hurtful rejections, he does his best to resolve their differences, starting with teaching Joaquin the right values and skills. He wants to bring up a responsible son, who can take over his business in the future. Diego asked Joaquin to learn the ins and outs of their tile business. However, the troubled teen would rather waste his hours in the streets with friends who are also off the right path.
Diego had many times told Joaquin to choose his company. Seeing that his son won’t listen, he begged for at least a little respect, which he also didn’t get. His son wanted him to forget about being gay, all the more crushing his ego.
In a conversation with Barang (Sylvia Sanchez), Diego opened up about the hurt. It was clear that Joaquin’s rejection has affected Diego’s confidence and views about himself. Diego now thinks gay people like him are unworthy of love and even a good relationship with ‘Bro.’ But through Barang’s encouragement, he had a fresher perspective about God looking at a person’s heart and not the physical appearance or identity. Diego regained a little portion of hope just enough to convince him that he can get close to Joaquin again, if only he would let God do the mending.
Don’t miss an episode of Huwag Kang Mangamba also starring Andrea Brillantes, Francine Diaz, Kyle Echarri, and Seth Fedelin on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.