What ‘ConMom’ stars enjoyed about filming in Boljoon, Cebu

CEBU, Philippines —  At the May 20 premiere of Kaye Abad’s latest film “ConMom,” the cries from her sons, Joaquin and Iñigo, echoed throughout the theater during the confrontation scenes between Abad and Kit Thompson, who play Pinky and Anton, respectively, as their on-screen daughter Yana (played by Valerie Talion) is caught in the crossfire.

“My sons don’t like it when I am hurt, and they thought I was actually being hurt [in those scenes],” Abad shared during the post-screening Q&A at SM City Cebu. “They don’t like to see me sad, so they always ask if I am okay.”

The premiere took place three days after Abad’s 43rd birthday on May 17. Co-star Paolo Contis, who attended the event with Patrick Garcia, also 43, joked that holding the film’s debut in Cebu City — where Abad has been based since marrying Cebuano Paul Jake Castillo — was her birthday request.

“First, we shot the movie in Cebu. Now, a premiere in Cebu...all for Kaye,” Contis, 41, teased his longtime friend.

Abad shared that her real birthday wish was to go on an international trip with the whole family.

- The Ibong Adarna parallel -

To establish the strong bond between Pinky and Yana, Mavx Productions’ family comedy-drama that's now in cinemas, opens with the titular character playing Ibong Adarna in a street play alongside her friends Benok (Contis) and Jetboy (Empoy Marquez), to the delight of Yana who is in the audience.

After the play, Yana asks her mother why the story’s protagonist, Don Juan, would intentionally leave cuts on his arms and put calamansi (Philippine lime) on his wounds as protection against the hypnotizing bird. Pinky explains that it’s a testament to Don Juan’s dedication to capture the bird to heal his sickly father.

Touched by this, Yana tells her mom that she, too, would leave cuts on her arms and drizzle calamansi on her wounds if it meant protecting her. Pinky says she would do the same for Yana, highlighting their deep love for each other.

The parallel between Ibong Adarna and  “ConMom” sets the tone for the mother-daughter relationship, and how far Pinky would go for her child when Anton prevents her from seeing Yana after she leaves him upon discovering his pregnant mistress.

“In terms of dynamics, both the stories of Ibong Adarna and ConMom are about sacrifice. Those two stories are very related,” director Noah Tonga explained.

“I want our story to be close to our Filipino culture in the opening, which is why we used Ibong Adarna, as most of us were taught that story in school. As someone who hails from the province,  I feel close to these mythical stories,” he added.

When Pinky is forbidden from briefly entering Yana’s school to give her lunch, she and her friends draw on their theater experience and enlist the help of their director friend Oyet (Garcia) for a “Mrs. Doubtfire-esque” scheme. They disguise themselves in multiple costumes whenever Yana is out with Anton and her grandmother, Ingrid (Isay Alvarez).

These elaborate disguises include Pinky dressing as a heroine at a department store where Yana shops with Lola Ingrid; the gang disguised as balloon merchants outside a church and as a trio of elderly shoppers in a supermarket; and Benok as a merman with Pinky as a beachgoer wearing a wig during a family trip to Sumilon Island.

The ridiculous lengths Pinky has to go through just to spend time with her daughter resonated with Abad.

“People would discourage you [from doing these things] because it would be foolish. But it’s true. You would be foolish just for your child, and that’s where I can relate,” she said.

“Not saying that I am really this foolish in real life,” she said. “But this is something you would do — anything for your child and to save your family.”

Typically, a woman in a situation like Pinky’s would be aided by her female friends. But in “ConMom,” her male pals come to her rescue, mirroring Abad’s real-life friendships with her "Tabing Ilog" co-stars, Contis and Garcia.

“Before being based here in Cebu, I had a lot of male friends in Manila. Paolo was my best friend, and then I became close with Paul Jake and Jason Abalos, so I was really close with the boys. Here in Cebu is where I found my girlfriends, who are here at the premiere,” Abad shared.

The trio’s chemistry that began with ABS-CBN's youth drama series “Tabing Ilog” is reinforced in “ConMom,” following the success of their 2024 Netflix film “A Journey.”

“This is also a story about friendship. That’s why there were many references to their friendship. It’s important that 'ConMom' is a 50-50 story about a mother-daughter relationship and lifelong friendship,” Tonga explained.

Even if “A Journey” was intended to help build Netflix’s original Filipino offerings, the team wanted “ConMom” to be a theatrical experience to help revitalize the moviegoing experience in the Philippines.

“Since the movie is about a mother’s love and Mother’s Day falls in May, I feel like this is a great opportunity for people to watch this together in cinemas,” Contis said.

He added, “We are doing our best to get people to watch on the big screen. Of course, this will be on streaming, but we want to take the risk [of releasing this in cinemas] so that we can bring people back to theaters.”

While the actors are credited as producers, they said they didn’t feel the pressure of pulling double duty on set. “It was Mavx and CEO Erwin ‘Lucky’ Blanco carrying the pressure of budgeting and logistics. As actors, we didn’t feel the hassle or pressure of producing,” Garcia said.

- Warmth of Boljoon locals -

The film was shot over ten days in Boljoon, South of Cebu, with the assistance of Mayor Jojie Derama, who makes a cameo as Yana’s school principal.

“When I came into this project, it was already decided that Boljoon would be the backdrop. You can see why the location is perfect for the story,” Tonga said.

Derama told The FREEMAN: “I am thankful to Mavx because I’m confident that ‘ConMom’ will let viewers see how beautiful Boljoon is, and they’ll want to visit our hotspots like the church and the beaches. Once they watch it, they’ll be interested in experiencing what Boljoon has to offer.”

Abad and Garcia cited the ocean views and the warm hospitality of the Boljoon locals as their fondest memories from their nearly two-week shoot.

“I miss the mayor,” Contis said in jest. “But really, it’s the safety there, where I can walk around anywhere. Our set wasn’t so restrictive that outsiders couldn’t come in, but it was secure. The people there were very nice, and we spent a lot of time with them. Sobrang bait ng mga tao sa Boljoon.