Tabi Po airing on Cignal’s Sari Sari
A neophyte aswang. A ladylove who is a friar’s sex slave. Two senior aswang trying to chart the course the life of a young aswang who is struggling to find his true nature.
All these are part of the unique formula for the miniseries Tabi Po that started to thrill audiences of Sari Sari Channel on Cignal TV.
Tabi Po tells the story of Elias, a neophyte aswang. Born from a balete tree during the country’s Spanish era, Elias embarks on a journey with two older aswang, Tasyo and Sabel, in the quest to understand their true nature. Set in the backdrop of a rising revolution, Elias is forced to face his own battles — his love for Salome versus his hunger for flesh, the growing rift between himself and Tasyo, the society’s stigma with aswang, and the battle with his own inner demons.
Unlike anything on TV now, Tabi Po shows love and beauty amidst the horrific lives of aswang. Where did they come from? What is their purpose? Is there more to the massive killing, gore and bloodshed typically associated with them? Know the untold stories behind aswang in the new TV masterpiece.
The series is a TV adaptation of Mervin Malonzo’s best-selling graphic novel series with the same title that won the National Book Awards for Graphic Lit- erature. Directed by Paul Basinilio, Tabi Po stars Luis Alandy as Tasyo, Phoebe Walker as Sabel, Jourdanne Castillo as Salome and AJ Muhlach as Elias.
Paul is thankful to Cignal and Sari Sari for allowing a series as bold and daring as Tabi Po to see the light of day. During the press preview, he lauded the passion and dedication of the production team and the cast. “We really searched for ideal locations, pinaghandaan at pinagbutihan ang production, madugo talaga in terms of content and effort,” he said.
Some scenes were shot right at the foothills of mystical Mount Makiling to add to the inspiration and ambience of the movie. Tabi Po also boasts of its graphics and special effects, creatively executed, impressive and captivating without going overboard with goriness.
The stars also underwent rigorous training, especially in preparation for the fight scenes. Under a martial arts specialist, the artists plunged into martial art training that was difficult because it was different from the usual street fighting.
Tabi Po creator Mervin Malonzo admitted that he had initial misgivings about allowing his prized graphic novel turned into a TV series. But after a series of passionate creative discussions with the director and the production team, he felt that the Tabi Po team shared his passion and vision. He is thankful for the patience, professionalism and camaraderie shared with the entire team.
Period setting, special effects and gripping action sequences, steaming sexy scenes are just some of the things to watch out for in Tabi Po. It is more than just a mini-series telling the tale of an aswang in search for meaning. It feels like one move after another, a testament to the storyteller image of Cignal as it drives to actualize and provide its viewers content to its highest form.
Tabi Po airs Friday nights at 8 until Dec. 1.