Pregnancy is no easy feat, as many women already know. During this time, they need all the support they could get from their partners because growing a baby inside their womb takes all their mental and physical strength.
One common wish among pregnant women is to share their struggles with their partners so they can feel what it’s like to carry another human being.
GMA-7 turned this notion into a possibility—at least on the small screen—with the new rom-com series False Positive, starring Xian Lim and Glaiza de Castro.
“The concept is meron naman in the past—may lalaking nabuntis—pero ang difference ngayon is ‘yong relatability niya sa Philippine audience. That’s number one. Number two, ‘yong gender equality na underlying theme ng istorya,” Renato Custodio, the head writer for the series, said during an online media conference for the primetime progam.
Custodio added that the concept for the series was already in his vault of ideas even before the pandemic. He later sought the help of Dode Cruz, the series’ creative consultant, to turn the story into something suitable for television viewing.
“Noong na-receive ko ‘yong concept na ito, I found it very interesting, especially for primetime audience. Hindi pa kami nagkaroon ng ganitong klaseng show wherein we can tackle gender equality,” Cruz expalined.
He added that the story behind the series doesn’t merely revolve around the husband getting pregnant just because he’s male. They inserted the issue of gender equality because they wanted to show viewers that society shouldn’t hold men in a higher position than women, especially in relationships, and vice versa.
Like in any relationship, whether heterosexual or not, the two partners involved should consider themselves equal and learn to give and take.
“Medyo comedy ‘yong approach namin…pero mayroon siyang deeper layer na gusto naming ipaabot sa audience at turuan na rin in a way kung paano dapat natin alagaan ang mga asawa, lalo na pag buntis, paano natin hindi dapat binabalewala ang babae,” Cruz shared.
At the same time, False Positive also highlights the realization that men also play a significant role than being the provider in creating a symbiotic relationship for any couple.
Joining Xian and Glaiza in the series are Nova Villa, Tonton Gutierrez, Rochelle Pangilinan, Dominic Roco, Luis Hontiveros, and Yvette Sanchez.
Nova returns to the small screen once again as a grandmother in the new series. Although she played the role of the elderly matriarch in other shows, Nova admitted that she thoroughly enjoyed working on the new series because it has a different approach by being a dramedy.
“Ako nag-alaga kay Xian dahil buntis siya. ‘Yong atake ko doon ay kakaiba dahil this is the first time na ganitong klaseng storya ‘yong gagampanan ko. Isipin mo lalaki ‘yong mabubuntis at ako pa ‘yong lola ni Glaiza pero ako ang nag-alaga sa asawa niya,” the veteran actress said.
On the other hand, Tonton plays Xian’s father, who has a male chauvinist stance and encourages Xian to avoid being dominated by his wife. Unknown to many, he has an experience that makes him that way.
There’s more for audiences to watch as False Positive premieres today on GMA. But they can expect that the series challenges gender norms while showing the proper approach to fostering equality in a relationship through a comedic yet dramatic take.
Love, drama, heaps of laughter, and valuable life lessons await viewers in this original drama airing right after First Lady on GMA Telebabad.