With her strong personality, Tiyang Berta (Maria Isabel Lopez) might come off as a kontrabida. Especially in the earlier episodes of Love In 40 Days, it was easy to assume her heart is hardened by selfishness and love for money. But, given her big sacrifices for Jane (Loisa Andalio) and Monmon (Josh de Guzman), we realize she’s simply giving them tough love. Her intentions toward them have always been pure. Behind her sternness is warm affection.
In this Kapamilya Toplist, we rounded up the scenes of Berta as a true family to Jane and Monmon. She respects Jane’s hard work by budgeting the latter’s money for their needs. She’s far from the greedy and scheming woman most of us assumed.
Despite the financial stress after Jane’s accident, she didn’t ask for help from Monmon’s estranged father, Jessie (William Lorenzo), as promised to the child’s mom, her sister Sylvia (Aleck Bovick).
In a scene, she received Monmon’s appreciation for all her sacrifices. The child said he’s lucky to have Berta and cousin Kokoy (Renshi de Guzman) caring for him even after Jane’s accident.
Later on, Berta would take Monmon to his father, not to give up her duties as his legal guardian, but to encourage forgiveness between them. She realized it’s never too late to make it up to loved ones, which is why she promised to protect Jane and Monmon by any means. She kept Jane’s coma a secret to save her from the people who wanted her dead. And whatever happens, whether or not Jane wakes up, she promised to always be there for Monmon. This initiated a friendlier relationship between cousins Kokoy and Monmon, and the former also decided to forget about his fights with Jane.
Berta moves us by seeking justice for Jane. She wants the culprit behind the accident punished, so she firmly cooperates with the investigators. Just her desire to fight for her niece already speaks of her compassion.
Recently, she had a heartwarming encounter with Jane’s ghost. The two were able to talk with Edward (Ronnie Alonte)’s help. They bantered as usual and expressed how much they appreciate one another. Jane recalled how her Tiyang Berta was so patient with Sylvia. Flashback scenes took us to those heart-wrenching moments wherein Berta would work during the day and look after Sylvia at night. There was also a time Berta defended the teenage Jane from a restaurant manager who abused her for labor. She found out Jane begged for a job to save money.
Back in the present time, Berta told Jane she will do everything to keep her alive and protect her from the bad guys. Then, they joked about Berta’s allowance. Smiling through tears, Berta relayed how much she is willing to do for Jane and Monmon who she loves as her own.
Don’t miss an episode of Love In 40 Days, weeknights, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z and iWantTFC.