Luis, Enzo, Gab, and Chuchay were the four protagonists of the series. They came from different backgrounds, but were connected by the same infection. Enzo created Pete’s Corner group chat for people who were HIV positive—“mga poz” as they were nicknamed—to serve as a support group. However, out of its many members, only the four showed up when he suggested that they meet up for coffee. Their coffee meet-up became sort of a mission when they found out that Enzo’s friend RJ was intentionally trying to infect other men in Baguio. Hence began a road trip where their lives became more exposed and more interconnected with each other than they planned to.
Each main character was given an episode for their story to be told, much like the book where it was divided in four parts with a prologue and an epilogue. It began with Fino Herrera’s Luis, a Filipino-Chinese boy from a traditional and filthy rich family. His episode was a great start as he portrayed the role magnificently. Herrera, who is more known as a model than an actor, was brilliant. I most especially enjoyed how natural his mannerisms and gestures were, especially when sharing a scene with a big personality that was Awra. However, in this episode, another actor stole the spotlight from Herrera: Marina Benipayo who portrayed Luis’ mom, alongside real-life and on-screen partner Ricardo Cepeda. Her depiction of a mother’s anguish over her sons was heartbreaking to watch.
Next up was Paolo Gumabao’s character Enzo who served as the glue of the group. Sporting fake buckteeth and glasses, Enzo was the typical caricature of an unattractive person. Enzo’s story mainly revolved around his looks (paired with his Ugly Betty-esque appearance were a ripped body and an above-average-sized appendage between his legs which became famous over Twitter’s Alter World) and his love over a partnered guy who was also his on-camera fuck buddy. Nevertheless, Gumabao’s performance elevated the romantic bore of a character. While the protagonists of the series were mostly new ones, the supporting cast was made-up of some of the biggest household names in Philippine showbiz. This time it’s Yayo Aguila and Bobby Andrews who portrayed Enzo’s parents.
I am already familiar with Mark Neumann. Aside from Awra Briguela, he was the other one among the four who has been part of mainstream television and who has starred in TV shows. I was excited to see him portray Gab, whose story was my favorite in the novel, and he did not disappoint. I was captivated by Neumann’s eyes which were able to tell more of the pain than his character could even say. One of the most memorable moments from the book was the Gab twist. When I first read it, I was so shocked I threw the book away. It was a great twist no one saw coming. I imagined how they would translate the scene on-screen and was almost sure Gracio and Martinez would scrap the whole thing off. But when it was shown the way I visualized it would be—through flashbacks and altered snippets—I cried. It was such an incredible sequence. Name check on the supporting cast this episode? Gardo Versoza and Rita Avila—who looks elegant with the dresses she wore as the mayor’s wife—portrayed Gab’s parents.
Many would argue that his was the best episode of the series and that he was the best actor among the bunch, and they would be right. Awra Briguela’s role as Chuchay was fearless. Chuchay was the most different among the four; he was the most effeminate and he came from a poverty-stricken life. His story began with his family moving inside the cemetery (they were living beside it, prior his father’s demolition of their own home). His parents were none other than Irma Adlawan and Soliman Cruz who provided the humor at this episode. Chuchay’s story not only tackled HIV, but also gave a look at poverty and how it affected a person. Briguela was a star and taking on such a controversial part cemented his path as one of the next biggest things in Philippine showbiz. Only those with a heart of stone would not find themselves crying during that emotionally charged scene between Awra’s character Chuchay and his best friend, Ginalyn, depicted by Eunice Lagusad.
While the series was almost faithful to the source novel, some changes were added but it only elevated the material. The book ends with the quartet arriving at Baguio and confronting RJ and his partner Romer. What happened next was left to the imaginations of the readers. However, in the series, Gracio concluded the main plot much concretely and efficiently. The series still left with an open-ended question, inviting the audience to discuss. It feels cruel to make the viewer doubt that the beautiful ending shown could actually be unreal. As confirmed by direction Chris Martinez, it was wishful thinking versus the reality the four would soon face; sort of like (500) Days of Summer’s Expectation vs. Reality, but in which the Reality panel is not presented. But that is life: we can only hope and wish that everything would turn out right. Maybe it will happen the way we wished it would or maybe not. We can only move forward (actually in the case of the four, they could only drive on). The second and most important is the conclusion to Chuchay’s story. It was violent and brutal. But in Chuchay’s life and environment, that was the closest thing they could get to justice.
Mga Batang Poz was a great adaptation of an already unforgettable book. I cried, I laughed, and I sacrificed an eight-hour worth of sleep because I was truly engrossed with their stories. But more than these, the series made me more aware about HIV and the people living with it. That’s the main purpose of the show, after all: to break the stigma. Just like with the series, I am caught in scene of wishful thinking vs. reality, where I can only hope that we can live in a reality where stigma against HIV or the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t exist. But just like how Luis, Chuchay, Gab, and Enzo drove on back to the lives they left on pause, we can only move forward, hope for the best, and actually do our part in breaking the stigma.
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