On Thursday, May 5, newbie director John “Sweet” Lapus expressed his appreciation to the producers of GMA Network’s Jose & Maria’s Bonggang Villa for believing in his filmmaking capabilities.
Apparently, the co-producers and lead stars of the show, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, and APT Entertainment insisted on having Lapus be its director.
“Kasi I’m pretty sure ang GMA maraming mga in-house directors. Siyempre yun ang priority. Thankful din ako na pumayag ang GMA and nag-agree naman sa APT at sa mag-asawang ito na sa akin ibigay ang project na ito,” he said during the sitcom’s press conference.
The director added, “Technically, this is my comeback sa GMA after 10 years din. So 10 years ago ang huli kong show.”
Lapus promised to exert his best efforts not to disappoint Dantes and Rivera.
“I was still so thankful na lalo nang nalaman ko na ‘Ha?! Si Marian at si Dingdong?!’ ‘Ah okay! Nakakaloka!’ This is it ganoon. So kaya nakakahiyang hindi magbigay nang best effort, nakakahiyang hindi galingan.”
His seamless transition between ABS-CBN and GMA Network was due to his respect for his employers.
Lapus stressed that it is important to “never burn bridges.”
“Noong kinuha ako ng GMA noong 2006 after so many years in ABS, nagpaalam ako sa ABS. Noong bumalik ako noong 2012 sa ABS, nagpaalam ako sa GMA. Magsasabi ka lang, magpapaalam ka lang.
“Yung mga artista or mga direktor na naririnig natin na sumasama ang loob itong network? Kasi hindi nagpapaalam. Nagugulat na lang na nalalaman na lang sa diyaryo, sa magazine, or sa Twitter na lumipat na pala.
“Importanteng magpapaalam kasi yung respeto na dapat mong ibigay doon sa mga taong nagbigay sa’yo ng trabaho prior to anther network you are doing another job with. Importanteng-importante sa akin iyon both as an artista and as a director, and even as a writer.”
Jose & Maria’s Bonggang Villa also includes Pekto, Benjie Paras, Shamaine Beuncamino, and Pinky Amador, among others.
It will premiere on Saturday, May 14, at 7:15 p.m.
