(from left) Patrick Garcia, Kaye Abad, and Paolo Contis in Tasmania, Australia. Image: Instagram/@onlypatrickgarcia
The upcoming reunion movie of “Tabing Ilog” co-stars Paolo Contis, Kaye Abad, and Patrick Garcia has commenced the Australian leg of its filming. They have yet to disclose the working title of the film.
The trio, along with the production team, arrived in Australia’s island state of Tasmania on Saturday, July 15, and were welcomed by the mayor of Tasmania’s Central Coast Council, Cheryl Fuller and by the Filipino community in the town of Penguin.
The production house at the helm of the film, Mavx Productions, Inc. shared, via Instagram on Sunday, behind-the-scenes snaps from their first day of filming in Australia.
In one photo, the former “Ang TV” stars posed with comedian and original “Eat Bulaga” host Jimmy Santos, who donned a penguin costume. No word has been uttered by the production studio whether Santos will have a participation in the film.
Garcia, on the same day, also posted on Instagram what seemed to be a candid shot of the three — all smiling as they look toward the sea. In his caption, the actor wittily described how their group moved “from tabing ilog to tabing dagat (from along the river to along the sea),” alluding to their youth-oriented series “Tabing Ilog,” which aired from 1999-2003.
On her Instagram Stories, Abad also shared a snap with her castmates, adding a moving graphic that says “Day 8.” Prior to leaving for Australia, the trio have already started filming in May.
Screenshot of Kaye Abad’s Instagram Story
Talking to the press — as seen in a video uploaded by the production house in April — Contis shared that their reunion project is a “friendship-based movie,” in which their characters are best friends who grew up together.
He further shared that his role will have him portray the husband of Abad’s character, and the personal assistant of Garcia’s character, who is a celebrity. He also mentioned a key detail of the movie’s plot, which involves a character getting sick.
The project not only marks the trio’s reunion on the big screen, but also the first movie project for Abad and Garcia in years. Both have not been active in the acting game since the pandemic, although Abad, in May, appeared as a guest star in the Kapuso series “Happy ToGetHer,” where she reunited with former love team John Lloyd Cruz, who incidentally was also an alum of the show. The longtime Star Magic artist is married to “Pinoy Big Brother” alum Paul Jake Castillo, with whom she has two sons.
Garcia’s most recent acting gig was the Kapamilya series “Playhouse,” which concluded in 2019. He is married to Nikka Martinez and they have four kids together. He also has a son, 14-year-old Alex Jazz, from his previous relationship with actress Jennylyn Mercado.
Contis, who is a mainstay in both “Bubble Gang” and the new “Eat Bulaga,” recently starred in the film “Ang Pangarap Kong Oskars,” which was produced by the same film studio in charge of their reunion movie. EDV