Isabel, Sugo ng Birhen (lost Filipino drama series; 1991-1992)
Newspaper clipping of the show.
Status: Lost
Isabel, Sugo ng Birhen (lit. Isabel, Messenger of the Virgin), is a Filipino drama series created and directed by the late Marcos Navarro Sacol, who is also the creator of Flordeluna, Manok ni San Pedro, and among other regional drama series and produced by Rey Arong. It stars Maricris Sumarago in the title role. The series aired during afternoon blocks at 4pm on ABS-CBN from 1991 to 1992 and was considered to be the very first Cebuano produced drama aired in Tagalog speaking audiences.[1] Despite the cast and crew members are composed of Cebuanos, the dialogue was entirely spoken in Tagalog.
Premise
The series follows a young girl named Isabel. After her mother's death, she suffered cruel treatment from her own father, Masyong, and her stepmother, Marites. She gained the ability to heal the sick and revive the dead after seeing an apparition of the Virgin Mary (which was later revealed in a plot twist wherein the apparition that she saw was her late mother in the finale) while facing under the scrutiny of the Devil worshippers, Mayor Leon Coga and his brother, Gordon (Leon himself eventually turned into one in the finale as well).
Isabel has few friends, a bibingka vendor named Mang Tomas, Gorio the comedian (others claimed that he was a beggar), and Arlene, who is the daughter of a rich family.
Cast
These are only the confirmed cast members of the drama. Other cast members are unknown.
- Maricris Sumarago as Isabel
- Romy Ylaya as Masyong
- Felipe Tarriman as Dodong
- Eda Enriquez as Marites
- Angelica Ymbong
Availability
No clips or full episodes resurfaced into the internet. Douglas Siento, known by his screen name Felipe Tarriman and a former ABS-CBN talent, confirmed that the copies were unfortunately destroyed in a fire. However, some of the copies are currently being held by the grandchild of the founder of Johanna Productions, the production company behind the drama. It is currently unknown if they still have copies of the drama series. Other information about the series itself and its actors are unknown (only Sumarago, Angelica Ymbong, Eda Enriquez, Romy Ylaya and Felipe Tarriman[2] are confirmed to be the actors in the drama). However, the theme song sung by Manilyn Reynes is available online. A reddit user claimed that there may have been a Cebuano version of the theme song.[3]