Palos in Macau: On the fast & furious lane

MACAU — Living on the fast, furious and often ferocious lane is the kind of life Jake Cuenca’s character leads in his latest TV starrer titled Palos which premieres Jan. 28 on ABS-CBN. The action series is one of the Kapamilya network‘s banner shows for 2008 along with Lobo, Maging Sino Ka Man and Kung Fu Kids.

The Bernard Bonin movie-inspired TV series is Jake’s biggest project after the hit Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos? with girlfriend Roxanne Guinoo. Palos is also the Bench Body endorser’s most challenging assignment to date.

Also in the cast are Cesar Montano, Be Bench’s  Regine Angeles and Ron Morales, Valerie “Bangs” Garcia, Jay-R Siaboc and Sunshine Cruz and Roxanne Guinoo in cameo roles. Jake, Regine, Ron, Bangs and Jay-R play young agents.  

“In less than a year with ABS-CBN, many good things have happened in my professional life,” offers Jake as he counts his blessings for the past year. “I’m thankful that I’m part of this project (Palos). I think I haven’t proven anything yet in my career until perhaps my new show goes on air.”

As if a foreshadowing of what’s happening in his showbiz life, Jake’s agent role named Giancarlo is also on a big mission and that is to run after those big names and bad guys on Palos. His adventures and encounters with these men will test his character’s physical and mental endurance and so the actor in  Jake. That makes Palos reminiscent of James Bond movies and Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible.

However, Jake says, Palos remains Pinoy at heart in spite of its references of Hollywood.

A contrast to his stoic, heartless image, Giancarlo is in touch with his feelings and is set on an emotional roller coaster ride as the story progresses. The neophyte yet determined agent has a dark background and a chip on his shoulder that constantly haunt him or push him to chase his past.

Teeming with action scenes, Jake never fails to remind himself that his character is also an acting/drama role. This makes his new role extra challenging. The young actor has so far delivered.

Since Palos is also about chasing the moneyed and the influential, Macau, the Las Vegas of the East, is the perfect starting point for the latest action-drama program.

Its winding strip of colossal hotel casinos and European architecture make a picture perfect for the small screen. Macau’s well-kept plazas, avenidas and travassas are ideal for chasing sequences. With 11 degree celsius at this time of the year, actors and stuntmen can do flips, jumps and kicks without looking sweaty or oily on the screen.

The long bridges connecting the Portuguese colony’s major islands like Coloane, Taipa and Macau will make perfect playing fields for car chasing and gun shooting scenes.

It’s not surprising why the brains behind Palos like ABS-CBN VP for Variety and Drama Deo Endrinal singled out Macau as backdrop for the show and to start the story on the right foot.

Here’s how the Palos shooting goes in Macau that employs roughly 60,000 Pinoys in top hotel casinos like Sands, MGM Grand and Wynn.

Day 1. Lago de Senado, few meters away from the Ruins of St. Paul and a relic of Christianity in Macau, witnessed the first of the series of Palos’ intense chasing scenes. Here, the goons looked for and ran after young agents Jake and Bangs. The action was stretched to Holland Road, where Pinoys would gather during weekends.

When Jake shot his sequences there, our kababayan made a scene by swarming around the Kapamilya talent. Some even called him Andrew, his character on Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos?. The non-stop chasing scene continued in Coloane. Jake had fight scenes with men in black.The scenes were filmed near St. Francis Xavier Church where a painting of Madonna and a Child in Chinese interpretation is being kept.

Also in the scenes, some production people played bit roles. A table was crashed. Jake was in a harness showing his mix martial arts moves. His preparation for scenes like this included a training in Wushu. 

Day 2. From allies to enemies, Jake and Bangs had a battle of the sexes at the Barra Temple and A-Ma Temple. A-Ma, the name of the girl who was refused  to enter the boat bound to Canton by the rich people  and appeared as goddess after it was capsized, is where the name Macau was derived from.

Day 3. After their fight, Jake and Bangs were lovey-dovey as they took sweet moments at Casino Lisboa. Another perfect location for kilig scenes was The Venetian. Its river and gondolas recreate the drama and romance Venice, Italy is known for. Before shooting their scenes, some stars had a quick side trip to must-visited places like Ruins of St. Paul, Sto.  Domingo Church and Sta. Rosa de Miserecordia.

Day 4. Macau’s Fisherman’s Wharf was the last stop. Cesar took his running sequences at the hotel, dining area cum theme park. Jake and the rest of the cast had their light scenes taken at the boardwalk behind Rock Hotel. The hotel and the view showcasing the long stretch of Macau-Taipa bridge served as background.