User:OnesimusUnbound/Agua Bendita

Agua Bendita (lit. "Holy Water") is a fantasy drama series on ABS-CBN in the Philippines starring Andi Eigenmann.

Comics
Agua Bendita was a comic created by Rod Santiago in the 1980s. It was published by Liwayway Comics and adapted on television through the series, Komiks.

Introduction
Marcial and Mercedes Cristi devotedly prayed for children of their own. After five years of being married, their prayers were answered when Mercedes become pregnant. However, she was diagnosed with a heart defect, making her pregnancy risky. Worried, Marcial goes to church praying for guidance. There he meets Criselda Barrameda who had an episode of epilepsy. As a doctor, he brought her to his clinic.

Resting in the clinic, Criselda tells Marcial of the tale of Father Guido, her uncle, who was a priest in her hometown. With his deep faith in God, he was able to perform miraculous healing. Despite of making it clear that the miracles came from God, people would not listen and instead began to worship him. Angered, Father Guido left the church, telling no one of his destination. It was speculated that he was staying in the mountains, where he finally found peace with God, although, from time to time, people claimed to have seen him in nearby towns. It was Padre Guido that Criselda whom she sought for healing.

A few months later, while at the church, the Mercedes begins to feel extremely thirsty. To satisfy her thirst, she ends up drinking from the jar of agua bendita (en. holy water). From then on, she starts to have an intense craving for stolen agua bendita. Further more, Marcial learned that Mercedes was carrying twins, one who inherited Mercedes' heart condition. Wanting to give her desire, he prayed to God for strength of will to steal some agua bendita, yet he was unable to do it.

One day, a group of men rush a weakened old man into Marcial's clinic, who was later revealed to be Father Guido. Nearing the end of his life, he asks Marcial to give a bottle of miraculous agua bendita to Criselda. The he told Marcial that the water came from a spring in the mountain that can heal all kinds of sickness.

That night, Mercedes almost had a miscarriage, Marcial gave her Father Guido's agua bendita in order to save her and their babies. While asleep, he dreamt of the late Father Guido, who asked him if he would not ask for Criselda's forgiveness, there will be consequence to his stealing. However, Marcial kept the incident from Criselda, hence the fate of his daugthers was sealed: Agua, the younger sister, was born in water form.

Synopsis
The whole show was divided into four seasons or "waves", which is as listed as follows:

Chapter One
Fearing for the safety of his fluid-like daughter, Marcial decides to hide her away even from her own family. He tells Mercedes that Agua is stillborn even though his assistant, Tonyang, is taking care of the baby. For a long time, only Marcial and Tonyang know that Agua is still alive and is being kept in a huge aquarium inside a hidden room in the Cristi's house.

In the meantime, Bendita grows up spoiled by her grandmother, Doña Amalia, whereas Agua becomes a sweet and passionate girl raised by Tonyang. At some time, Marcial decides to introduce Agua to her family. At first everyone was afraid of her, but eventually, Mercedes becomes attached to the child. Bendita and Doña Amalia, however, hate Agua, and usually punish her by asking her to do hard chores alongside her Nanny Tonyang. At one point, Amalia and Bendita even leave Agua alone and vulnerable in a park, intending to lose her. But Agua meets Tot, Criselda's crippled son. Her tears allow Tot to walk straight again, and so, the boy helps her reunite with her family.

After a few weeks, Criselda and her husband Baldo discovers Marcial's deed, and decided to take revenge on his family by kidnapping Bendita. After a series of events, the family travels to Manila to save Agua. Arriving there, Doña Amalia was forced to keep the family in her mansion. While there, Marcial meets Divina, who fell in love with him; while Agua and Bendita met Ronnie, their friendly but naughty neighbor. One time, Marcial discovers Agua's healing abilities, and uses it to cure patients. It received wide coverage, and the family had to move again by Doña Lisa's yacht. At the middle of the sea, Doña Amalia accidentally throws Agua overboard. The family thought she drowned, except for Marcial. Everyone was miserable, including Bendita, who showed worriness to her sister. Meanwhile, Criselda and Tot stayed at the Aguirre household to spy within the Cristis. At a nearby shore, Agua was kept by couple Ben and Rosy, who made Agua as their own daughter. After some time, they try to return Agua to his family, but learns that they already moved to United States; where Mercedes meets his colleague Luisito, who in turn offers her a job. Bendita once again feels loneliness to her family, and the couple decides to have their marriage annulled.

Chapter Two
Ten years later, Bendita becomes a sassy teen who gets what she wants, while Agua becomes a rural girl who only wants to be reunited to her family. While staying there, Agua made friends with Dolly, a dolphin, and Otep, her pet clownfish. During this time, a teenage Ronnie falls from his sailboat, causing his blindness, and is saved by Agua. The two became close friends, until Marcial's discovery of Agua. The family reunites, despite Marcial and Mercedes' divorce. After years in America and away from Agua, Bendita is not used on what Agua has lived. Soon enough, Bendita falls in love with Ronnie, who is still in love with Agua. Doña Amalia, on the other hand, struggles with her financial debts, and uses the wealth from the planned hotel of Solita, Ronnie's mother, for her own good. Meanwhile, Ronnie is reunited with Solita, and his blindness is treated. When he first saw Agua, he was shocked by her looks. This caused Agua to run away to a deserted island by herself.

In the island, Agua meets Paco (Tot), who immediately befriends her. After a while, Paco brings Agua to Criselda and Baldo, who are now working for Señor Lucas, a fake healer. The group uses Agua's healing powers to benefit themselves. Marcial discovers this, and again divorces with Mercedes.

Chapter Three
Through the help of Paco, Agua escapes. Meanwhile, Bendita injures Solita, causing a head trauma. Troubled by her dilemmas, she discovers the location of Padre Guido's spring, and drinks from it. The twins exchange appearances on different places; Agua turning normal at the seaport, while Bendita turns blue in the forest. Bendita tries to return to their household, but is kidnapped by Baldo, who thinks she's Agua. Agua, on the other hand, returns home. Due to her appearance as Bendita, no one believes her identity as Agua. This lead her to experience Bendita's life such as friendships, school, and other things which she hadn't had the chance to experience. Eventually, everyone believes her claims of identity, thanks to Rosy.

Meanwhile, Mercedes' relationship with Luisito ends. Solita discovers Doña Amalia's betrayal, and fires her from the company. Doña Amalia discovers the location of the true Bendita, and makes a truce with Criselda and Baldo in exchange of Bendita's life. The police catches the couple in act, leading to Baldo's escape and Criselda's imprisonment. Doña Amalia continues to hide Bendita in exchange for a truce with Luisito.

To learn Bendita's location, Mercedes agrees to be forcibly married to Luisito. Marcial tries to stop them, but Luisito had a change of heart and let Mercedes free.

Chapter Four
Solita files charges against Bendita, not knowing that Agua will actually take the blame. Ronnie helps her by faking a marriage contract, which will cause Solita to back off. The plan succeeds, and their relationship gets even stronger. Suddenly, Bendita arrives, and causes a stir in the community. Envious and mad at Agua, Bendita steals some agua bendita from Criselda, and uses it for herself to become a fake healer. After a series of events, Bendita was caught by Baldo, who traps her in a freezer.

That night, Agua celebrates her debut. The Cristis are waiting for Bendita's arrival, until suddenly, Doña Amalia's ice sculpture for Bendita arrives. Unknown to everyone, the ice sculpture was Bendita, who turned into solid ice. Later on, Paco and Agua discover what happened to Bendita, while Doña Amalia almost breaks Bendita's ice sculpture. Marcial, Ben, Ronnie, and Paco carry Bendita to the pool to melt the ice off her body. As Bendita continues to die, Agua finds a little amount of agua bendita, and drinks it to exchange with Bendita's appearance and to recover her healing abilities. Bendita melts from the ice, but as a punishment for her sins, she was still fluid-like, only brownish in color (Agua is a also fluid-like, but blue). Bendita blames Agua for what happened, and thus, making her sins worse. She began to experience vomiting, abdominal pain, nausea, and finally lung cancer. As Bendita continue to struggle with her sickness, the Cristi family begs for help to everyone they can, especially to Criselda and Baldo. They found some of Criselda and Baldo's agua bendita. Paco shoots her mom in the arm using a gun. They try to heal Bendita but it won't work. Then Agua heals Bendita and it worked. Before Marcial and Mercedes get married, Mercedes forgot her veil because Dona Amalia left it in the house. Dona Amalia orders Agua to get it and Agua agrees. Agua gets it and turns around seeing Ronnie. Agua rides her car but before, Baldo gets Agua and Baldo shots Mercedes using his gun. Mercedes is confined in the hospital. Baldo tells Agua to heal Criselda but she won't. That night, Padre Gido is in Agua's dream again. If she ever uses her tears to her mother then that will be the last tears. On the other hand, Bendita sees Dona Amalia speaking to Baldo in her phone. Dona Amalia goes somewhere and leaves her bag in the table. Bendita gets the phone and calls Baldo's number. She said that she will give the water in the spring to them and they will give Agua to her. Baldo agrees and meets up with Bendita. Bendita gives a fake water and runs with Agua when Baldo and Criselda recognize that it is fake. Agua and Bendita are in dead end in the river. So they jump in the river. Baldo jumps too and gets Bendita. Bendita tells Agua to go and she'll be all right because Mercedes needs Agua. Agua goes to the hospital and heals her mother, Then Dona Amalia makes her way to talk to Criselda and helps her escape by leaving a hair pin to unlock her handcuffs from the hospital bend, Meanwhile Baldo waits at the front of the hospital for Criselda but is seen by Marcial. Marcial chases Baldo and ends up fighting over the gun. While struggling the gun goes off and Baldo is shot by Marcial and Baldo dies.Paco goes to see his father's body in the hospital morgue and starts to feel anger. Criselda goes back to the hut and gets Bendita and brings her to Abo City Desert. While riding in the car Bendita texts Marcial the license plate number and the police chase Criselda's Car. Bendita is now left in the Abo City Desert while Ronnie, Agua, Paco go find Bendita in Abo City. Paco finds Bendita and they embrace. Paco and Ronnie talk while Agua and Bendita talk too. Bendita sees Marcial and hugs him. Then Agua goes to take revenge Amalia then she falls into water, as she cannot swim, Agua saves Doña Amalia's life. As Criselda shoots Agua, Doña Amalia and Agua are in worry, as the boat explodes. Then later, Criselda is sent to lifetime imprisonment for what she had committed many crimes. Then, Doña Amalia tries to plan to go to beauty salon to be beautiful. Unfortunately, but Mercedes and Bendita discover this, Doña Amalia looks her face on a mirror, having ugly and severe burns on her face as Doña Amalia begins to weep and she's going to having a cancer as Mercedes comforts her in pity, leaving them alone very sadly as they do want Doña Amalia anymore. For Agua and Bendita, they had a normal life, Agua loves Ronnie while Bendita loves Paco, for the end, Agua remained in water form forever.

Main cast

 * Andi Eigenmann / Xyriel Anne Manabat (young) as Agua Cristi and  Bendita Cristi
 * Matteo Guidicelli / Bugoy Cariño (young) as Ronnie Aguirre
 * Jason Abalos / Maliksi Morales (young) as Paculdo "Paco / Tod" Barrameda

Extended cast

 * Vina Morales as Mercedes Montenegro-Cristi
 * John Estrada as Dr. Marcial Cristi
 * Pilar Pilapil as Donya Amalia Montenegro
 * Dimples Romana as Criselda Barrameda
 * Carlos Agassi as Baldomero "Baldo" Barrameda
 * Malou Crisologo as Antonia "Tonyang"
 * Jason Gainza as Ben
 * Malou de Guzman as Rosy
 * Bing Loyzaga as Solita Aguirre
 * Zaijian Jaranilla as the voice of Otep - Agua's fish (clownfish) friend
 * Zoren Legaspi as Luisito
 * Kris Martinez as Kito - Paco's friend
 * Alessandra de Rossi as Divina Caguiat

Guest cast

 * Pen Medina as Padre Guido - the original owner of the miraculous Agua Bendita.
 * Neil Ryan Sese as Señor Lucas
 * Lollie Mara as Donya Caridad Montenegro - Amalia's sister.
 * Lyka Ugarte as Donya Lisa
 * Miguel de Guzman as Tod's friend
 * Angel Sy as Bimpy - Daughter of the Water Theme Park Owner.

Komiks adaptation
Serialized on Komiks, first aired in 2006 and again during Holy Week 2007, with two-part episodes in Season 1 starring Shaina Magdayao as Agua/Bendita and Rayver Cruz as Ronnie.

Komiks version cast

 * Shaina Magdayao as Agua/Bendita
 * Rayver Cruz as Ronnie
 * Jaclyn Jose as Celeste Cristi
 * Raymond Bagatsing as Dr. Rodrigo Cristi
 * Amy Perez as Solita
 * Lou Veloso as Ben
 * Beverly Salviejo as Rosy
 * Mosang as Tonyang
 * Joshua Dionisio as Young Ronnie
 * Kathryn Bernardo as Young Agua/Bendita

Launch
Agua Bendita was launched as one of the ABS-CBN's offerings for the 60th Celebration of Filipino Soap Opera ("Ika-60 taon ng Pinoy Soap Opera"), during the ABS-CBN Trade Launch for the first quarter of 2010, entitled "Bagong Simula" (New Beginning).

Theme song
The show uses "Malayo Pa Ang Umaga" as its theme song, originally composed and sung by Rey Valera. This was also the theme song of the 1988 primetime soap Ula: Ang Batang Gubat of IBC-13, starring Judy Ann Santos. The first version of the song used in Agua Bendita is sung by Aria Clemente and the second version is sung by Vina Morales.