MAALAALA MO KAYA : Backpack / Feb 27, 2016
AIRED: Feb 27, 2016
Stars : Aiko Melendez, Cris Villanueva, Rochelle Barrameda, John Spainhour
Plot : Tommy (17) grows up in Long Beach, California, to a Filipino family. His mother, Shirley (30s), is divorced to his father because of his abuse, but remarries a kind Filipino man, Eric. Shirley is protective and caring towards her children. However, as they grow up, she becomes stricter and harsher, wanting them not to be lead astray. Tommy becomes suffocated by Shirley’s way of disciplining. When he enters high school, he starts to reason out against Shirley, and their relationship is further strained. Tommy runs away because of the stress in the family, but continues to go to school to prove that he can be responsible for his life. Shirley is worried, but due to pride, she can only ask after Tommy from his brother. Tommy, on the other hand, realizes what he took for granted at home, as he takes shelter in the houses of his friends. Shirley eventually finds Tommy and they reconcile, coming to acknowledge the wrongs of each other. Tommy is given the chance to decide his own future and is supported in his decision to go back to the Philippines to become an actor. In the Philippines, he starts by becoming a model. He experiences several trials, almost wanting to give-up and go back. But he remembers the support of his mother and family, which keeps him going.
