After a not so lengthy hiatus, Sarap Di Ba?, hosted by Carmina Villaroel and kids Cassy and Mavy Legaspi, is returning on the boob tube with brand new episodes exclusively shot and produced in their residence. And while the show promises an entirely different setup and segments, the biggest revelation is that Zoren Legaspi is now on board. He is the director of the show.
“Directing a TV program is not new to me. I’ve done a few directorial jobs in the past and I grew up, when we were still in Chicago, doing work behind the camera, including fixing cables and lights,” Zoren told Manila Standard in an online interview on Tuesday.
As a way to recognize him being at the helm, Carmina and the twins even call him Director Z, which makes him smile from ear to ear whenever his children and wife mention the moniker, even in passing.
“I’m just so glad that I have my entire family supporting me perform my job and when you do something that you love, you can’t really consider it work because our taping is also a bonding moment for our family,” the actor added.
For twins Mavy and Cassy, working from home with their parents is nothing unusual. They’re very comfortable being on the same frame, and without any crew to help them mount the show, it’s also a learning experience for both teens.
“We still have our own call time, Direct Z has a call time. But in reality, we can start taping anytime we want. Before, we were very comfortable doing the show in a studio, this time it gives a different vibe. It’s a homey feeling,” Mavy shared.
The 19-year-old heartthrob explained that they treat the show’s crew and production members like their own family, but doing the show on their own, gives the show a different treatment.
“It’s more authentic,” Mavy pointed out. “It’s just us doing our regular activities with the camera. Probably the only disadvantage I see is that Director Z is doing almost all the work.”
They also wanted to give back since they have not given their audience new content, and they owe it to their viewers which is why they are doing their “best” to share with their viewers the kind of program they deserved.
“We don’t have to travel anymore, everything seems so faster for us, well not for Tatay because he has to do the setup,” Cassy butted in. “But this is something that we love. As a family, we are very close, so it doesn’t feel work for us at all.”
For Carmina, as the main host of the program, it helps that they are now homebound because it works in her favor. Not only that she has more time to take care of her family, cook for them every day, as a mother, her being with her children 24/7 validates her being an effective parent.
“Our children are very obedient. They follow our protocols, so everything is so easy. I’m not saying this because they are my children but it feels like we’ve done something good as parents because our kids are so obedient. They listen and understand the whole situation we are currently in,” Carmina shared.
“They’re also very patient, work-wise. Even when we have to reshoot because our director wasn’t satisfied with the finished product,” she added.
Explaining how the show is any different from the original Sarap Di Ba? pre-quarantine, Zoren said that the show, which entails a lot of work on his part, has evolved into a sitcom and a reality series-like cooking show and that they are featuring not just celebrities but ordinary people as well.
“I was trained at a young age to do this. The only disadvantage is that my body is no longer that cooperative,” Zoren ended in jest.
Sarap Di Ba?: Bahay Edition will have its premiere telecast on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. on GMA.