SPO1 Ricardo Dalisay by day and Paloma at night.
Actor Coco Martin stunned, or delighted rather, millions of Filipinos after he transformed for the first time into a seductive woman in ABS-CBN’s primetime series “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.”
Coco, who plays the leading character “Cardo”, is now on the prowl investigating the abduction of his sister-in-law Carmen (Bela Padilla) by a prostitution syndicate led by Olga (Gina Pareño).
To solve the crime, Cardo the police officer had to disguise as an alluring lady named Paloma so he could trace leads about the series of abductions and arrest its masterminds.
Coco revealed he was the one who pitched the storyline to Dreamscape Entertainment, the production unit behind the series.
“Para sa akin dream role ‘yan eh. ‘Yun ‘yung mga bagay na hindi mo lagi magagawa sa bawat proyekto na ihahain sayo,” Coco told reporters on Thursday in a thanksgiving event for the success both of his series and his latest Metro Manila Film Festival movie “Beauty and the Bestie.”
Reacting to netizen’s comments on social media about his unexpected transformation, he said: “Actually, mas madami pa ang nagandahan sa akin kaysa nagwapuhan (More find me beautiful than handsome).”
Coco shared he has done everything to prepare himself for the new role. “Inaral ko…pinoproseso ko siya. Pinag-aaralan ko kung paano gumalaw ang isang babae.”
(I studied it, processed it. I studied how a woman behaves.)
“Ang hirap pala maging babae (It’s hard to play a woman),” he said, after admitting that getting dolled up as a woman is as challenging as dancing in the middle of Edsa to direct traffic, a role he also played in the series.
“Yung sabi ko ‘yung pagme-make up at pagdadamit two hours pala ‘yun. Tapos kami kapag nakikipagdate, sandali lang (mag-handa). Hindi namin naa-appreciate na sobra pala nila pinaghihirapan ‘yun,” he added.
(Like what I’ve said, [the process of] putting a make-up and dressing up, all would take two hours. Then us [males] when going to a date, it takes a short while to prepare. We failed to appreciate how hard for them to prepare [for a date].)
Coco Martin as Paloma. INSTAGRAM PHOTO/Eric John Salut
Coco wasn’t also spared from the pain caused by wearing high heels. “At ‘yung pagsusuot ng takong sobrang hirap.. Ang sakit pala nun..totoo pala talaga ung sinasabi ng mga babae na ‘tiis ganda.’”
(Wearing high heels is really hard. It’s painful. Now I know when women say “suffer for beauty”.)
He said he came to appreciate the long hours and hardwork women are putting in just to glam up themselves.
“’Pag nabigyan ako ng pagkakataon na makipagdate. Tapos nakita ko ganun kaganda at kaayos, sasabihin ko “Tatagalan ko to,” he said in jest.
(If I’d be given the chance to go on a date, then I see my date so beautiful and orderly, I’d tell myself, ‘I’d date her for a longer perido.)
“FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano”, which currently dominates TV ratings since it aired last year, continues to draw millions of viewers because of its excellent depiction of policemen in service and its discussion of social issues like extortion, prostitution and drug trafficking.
Only words of gratitude could be read on Coco’s lips for all the support and praises he’s been receiving from the followers of his series whose run will be extended until July.
“Sa ginagawa ko, hindi ko iniisip ang sarili ko. Ang iniisip ko ay paano ko mapapaligaya ang mga manonood…paano ko sila mae-entertain at paano ko maishe-share sa kanila ‘yung mga experience na mapapanood nila sa ‘Probinsyano’,” he said.
(With what I’m doing, I am not thinking about myself. I think of how to make our viewers happy, how I am going to entertain them and how I am going to share my experiences from what they are going to see in ‘Probinsyano’.) TVJ
Originally posted: 12:32 AM, January 15th, 2016