Aris’s (Marc Santiago) heart and soul might have been broken after his biological mom, Joan (Cherry Pie Picache), out of desperation, opted to sell him off in exchange of a hefty amount that was used for his ill twin brother JC’s treatment and the promise of a brighter future for him. However, due to an unexpected turn of events, Aris ended up with Ulysses (Gardo Versoza) and his wife Cordelia (Vina Morales) who made him whole again with a new family.
Being the ‘partner-in-crime’ of a mafia leader, Cordelia was presumed to be as despicable and ruthless as her husband was. But as the exciting narrative of the afternoon soap opera Sandugo continues to unfold, were able to see that she’s actually endearing and doting, especially when it comes to her two beloved children.
Now that the action drama is now down to its last remaining episodes, let’s take a look back on the remarkable and heartwarming moments when she showed us that she could be the best mom for Leo even though they have no blood relation through this Kapamilya Toplist!
She was still grieving then with the tragic death of their firstborn Leon when Aris came into their lives. She used to not care about him when Ulysses first brought him, but upon the sight of his swollen and bloody face after her husband compelled him to participate in an underground fight, Cordelia’s heart seemed to melt.
As Aris showed them nothing but kindness and loyalty, they treated them as if he’s their own offspring and decided to legally adopt him. They had his name changed into Leo Balthazar and even sent him abroad in pursuit of providing him quality education since he’s expected to help his adoptive dad manage their business once he gets older.
Through the years, Cordelia has remained domineering in every aspect of Leo’s (currently played by Aljur Abrenica) life even though he’s already an adult. She’s always there whenever he needed him – from tending to his wounds and attending to his needs up to defending him from Ulysses and consoling him everytime he would feel dejected. Her mere presence has been enough for Leo to feel relaxed and secured that he’s gotten a constant ally in her.
Besides, she also wasn’t able to help herself from meddling with his love life as she did not only give him advice and warnings regarding his romance with Grace (Elisse Joson), but even paid her and her family a surprise visit at their residence to do some background checking. However, she failed to discourage him from dating her since he’s truly in love with her, thus Cordelia just vowed not to get into their relationship anymore and resorted on threatening Grace once it’s proven that she’s only playing with her son’s heart and she’s just after their wealth.
Nonetheless, the greatest thing that Cordelia has ever done for Leo was to hide the truth behind his real identity, especially to Ulysses. Unfortunately, his husband was able to find out about it and almost got Leo killed as a way of avenging the death of their demised son allegedly caused by Leo’s biological dad Eugene (Ariel Rivera). She immediately came to Leo’s rescue upon seeing the appalling sight and cautiously confessed that she already knew about it, then enduring Ulysses’ wrath since then.
She pleaded to her husband not to murder Leo because his existence in their lives gave her a reason to live again and healed the wounds and pain brought by the death of their son. It was Leo who made him whole and a mother anew.
Cordelia is a great attestation that consanguinity actually doesn’t matter in order for two or more people to call themselves as a family because often than not, it’s their unconditional love for one another that really defines their connection. Besides, nothing beats maternal affection indeed.
Will Leo and Cordelia’s strong familial connection last until the end? Will their unbeatable partnership continue to conquer everything that’s going to get in their way towards absolute success? Well, that’s for us to find out so make sure not to miss an episode of Sandugo, weekdays on Kapamilya Gold.