One True Love

One True Love is a Filipino drama series created and written by Suzette Doctolero and produced by GMA Network. The series bannered Alden Richards and Louise delos Reyes as the lead protagonists. The series premiered on June 11, 2012 replacing My Beloved on GMA Telebabad block and June 12, 2012 worldwide via GMA Pinoy TV. The series ended on October 5, 2012 and replaced by Coffee Prince. The series ran for seventeen weeks with total of eighty-five episodes.

The series is also one of the three new primetime shows of the network for the second quarter of 2012, along with Luna Blanca and Makapiling Kang Muli.

This television series is the first major primetime series for Alden-Louise tandem to play the lead characters. The pair have earned and built a fan base via the top-rated afternoon dramas such as Alakdana, Reel Love presents: Tween Hearts and to the primetime series My Beloved as they played supporting characters. This is also the first television project of actress  Agot Isidro after she transferred to GMA Network.

This series is set mostly in a fictional port district where the forbidden love story of the two main characters Ellen (played by Garcia) and Carlos (played by Bagatsing) started, and where the lead character Tisoy (played by Richards) lives and works.

The series follows the intertwined lives and loves of Tisoy and Elize (played by Delos Reyes) and how they fight for their one true love despite the odds.

The pilot week of the series posted high numbers according to data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, gathering 38.4% share points (overnight household data recorded in Mega Manila from June 11 to 15, 2012) as compare to its counterpart program 35.2% and 10% from ABS-CBN and TV5 respectively. While its finale episode garnered 28.2% ratings (AGB Nielsen Philippines, October 5, 2012, Mega Manila Household overnight ratings), made it as the most-watched primetime show that date. Starting August 18, 2014 GMA Life TV airs its English-dubbed version worldwide.

Synopsis
The series opens up with Ellen, a lowly and hardworking waitress who falls in love with Carlos, a successful seaman/businessman who is already married to Leila. Unknown to Ellen, Carlos is not serious about their whirlwind romance and only becomes aware of his true feelings after finding out that she is pregnant.

Ellen tries to end her ties with Carlos after Leila starts attacking her. But Carlos wants to raise their child and tells Ellen that their child would have a better future with him. Ellen agrees with Carlos but unfortunately, Leila vehemently opposes this idea. She resents raising her husband's illegitimate child so she plots a scheme to switch the child with someone else's.

When Ellen gives birth, Leila is present to "help" out but in truth, she uses this opportunity to switch Ellen's son with another newborn baby girl in the hospital. The moment Ellen sees her child, she immediately falls in love with her baby and tries to back out from the deal she made with Carlos. Furious, Carlos gets Ellen arrested for a fabricated crime so he can get full custody of their child. Helpless and powerless, Ellen swears vengeance on Carlos and Leila.

Meanwhile, Carlos showers his daughter Elize with love and attention not knowing that Leila switched Elize with his real child. His orphaned son grows up in the docks through the kindness shown by the people in the port district. Because of his mestizo and charming looks, he is given the moniker Tisoy. And by some weird twist of fate, Tisoy ends up working in the port owned by his real father Carlos.

Everything seems to be in place and going well for Tisoy and his adoptive grandmother Lola Tilda until one fateful night when he crosses paths with Elize, the rich daughter of Carlos. Tisoy is completely smitten with Elize's beauty and she finds him charming too. Soon, the two became lovers and kept their romance a secret from Elize's disapproving parents. And their forbidden romance as well as the odds unfolded from that point.

Main characters

 * Tisoy Bulaong - initially played by Nathaniel Britt as the young version of the character, then later by Alden Richards as the grown up Tisoy. He is the progeny of the forbidden love between Carlos Samonte and Ellen Balute. His fate alters when Carlos' scheming wife Leila, switches the Baby Tisoy for another baby in order to fulfill her evil desire to avenge her husband and his mistress. Separated from his mother at an early age, Tisoy grows up under the loving wing of Matilda, a poor vendor at the port who happily raises him as her own grandchild. Years later... by a startling twist of fate, Tisoy ends up in a shipping company, unaware that the company he works for is actually owned by his biological father, Carlos. There, he also meets Elize, Carlos' daughter. They eventually fall in love for each other, but their blossoming romance will be opposed by many and dark secrets from the past threaten to turn their world upside down and make them question their identities.


 * Elize Samonte - initially played by Edelweiss Tuzon as the young version of the character, and later Louise delos Reyes as the grown up Elize. She is actually the daughter of a lowly servant but her fate changes because of Leila's conspiracies and deception. She grows up living a plentiful life with the Samontes, not knowing that the family she had always known was not hers. Being the only "princess", Carlos showers her with love, care and material things, making him the greatest father in Elize's eyes. These leave Leila to harbor grudge and jealousy to the adopted daughter whom she believes have taken Carlos' love away from her. Destiny brings Elize to crosses paths with Tisoy and instantly falls for his charm and personality. However, their flourishing romance is suddenly jeopardized when Carlos and Leila intervened and strongly opposed their relationship. And when finally love gives them the opportunity to savor their love for each other, the secrets of the past, which connecting to their real identities, come back to haunt them.


 * Leila Samonte - actress Agot Isidro played the main antagonist in the series. Leila is a doctor who disowned by her parents when she decides to marry Carlos, the man she loves the most. But the true conflict starts when Carlos discovered that she's unable to give him a child, which leads him to womanizing. Leila endures all the agonies and even loses herself and gets blinded by her love for Carlos. She founds out Carlos' extra-marital affair with a peasant girl named Ellen. What infuriates Leila more is the fact that Ellen was impregnated by her husband. Everybody has their limit, so when Leila reaches hers, she plots evil schemes to get even with Carlos, Ellen and their baby. She switches Ellen's baby for someone else's child.


 * Carlos Samonte - portrayed by Raymond Bagatsing. Carlos is the husband of Leila. He is a former sailor turned businessman. Handsome, arrogant and a certified playboy. Only he knows how many women he has played with. But he doesn't care. He has run from each and every one of these women. One of his victims is Ellen. He promised her the world and treated her like a queen, only to dump her in the end. He tells her that he only wants to have a child and their relationship is just purely lust. He offers her that he will take the responsibility to take care and raise their baby. Unbeknownst to him, Leila discreetly manipulates and started plotting evil schemes against him, Ellen and their baby.


 * Ellen Balute-Sandoval - played by actress Jean Garcia. Ellen is a naive, beautiful peasant who lives and works at the port of Manila as a waitress in her aunt’s mini restaurant. Here she meets the handsome Carlos Samonte, a mariner, a falls madly in love with him. Things go astray when she gets pregnant and discovered that the man she loves is already committed. The remorseless Carlos and his wife, Leila offered Ellen that they will take the responsibility to raise the baby. Feared to be disown by her mother, Ellen agrees and surrenders her baby to the Samontes with the consolation of knowing that they will give the child a better life and future. Only at the last minute, Ellen changes her mind and refuses to give away her baby. Devastated about Ellen’s decision and in order to take the baby, Carlos plots an evil scheme which sends Ellen behind bars. After years in prison, Ellen returns. Despite all the pains and sufferings, she raises herself in hopeful dreams of better things to come. Plot thickens when she meets Henry Sandoval, the town’s chieftain who instantly charmed by her beauty. Under the protective wing of Henry, she begins to plot her revenge on those who made her life miserable and to reclaim her daughter, as well. Not knowing that the child she had always longed for is not hers.


 * Dyna - played by Ana Capri. She is Tisoy's teacher during his pre-school years. She guided him on how to read, write, and how to battle Tisoy's dyslexia. She is one of the witnesses of Tisoy's hardships, perseverance, and success. She herself knows that she is the biological mother of Elize.


 * Mayor Henry Sandoval - portrayed by character actor, Bembol Roco. Henry is the chieftain of the town who is also a wealthy widower and has a son—Troy Sandoval. He falls in love at first sight with Ellen and determined to make her his wife. Ellen, on the other hand, gladly accepted Henry's love and married. She sees this as a great opportunity for her, not only to take her life out of poverty, but also a chance to finally take her sweet revenge against Carlos and Leila and able to be with her daughter again. With Henry's power and influence, Ellen is ready to settle the score.


 * Lola Matilda Bulaong - played by veteran actress, Caridad Sanchez. Matilda or "Lola Tilda Maganda" (beautiful Grandma Tilda in English) as she fondly called her self, is the adoptive grandmother of Tisoy. Lola Tilda is actually a widow abandoned by her children. She sells cigarettes and candies in the street to earn a living. She is a soft-spoken woman who lacks everything but is blessed with a kind heart and tries to keep a positive outlook despite all of life's hardships. She always tell Tisoy that... "dreams can come true if you wish for them strongly and strive to make them happen.".


 * Marla - Wynwyn Marquez played this villain character. Marla is the adopted sister of Leila Samonte. She is an insecure and spiteful young lady whose business is to torment Elize. But in reality, Marla envies Elize for all she is and has, even Troy Sandoval, Elize's avid suitor. Marla is secretly in love with Troy but hesitant to show her true feelings because she knows, in the first place, that she has no chance for Troy, especially when Carlos and Leila started arranging Elize and Troy to be a couple. Marla’s bitterness and grudging desire to catch Troy’s love and attention will drive her to destroy Elize in every way possible.


 * Troy Sandoval – character played by Lucho Ayala. Troy is the one and only son of Mayor Henry Sandoval. Handsome, spoiled and haughty. He is madly, deeply in love with Elize and strives to be the type of guy Elize’s likes but just appears trying hard in the process. Elize called him bubuyog (lit. bee), not only because he is always chasing the former, but also in Elize’s eyes, he looks like a bug. Troy will use his power and influence to get Elize and destroy Tisoy.


 * Violy Balute - portrayed by singer/actress Frencheska Farr. Violy is the younger sister of Ellen Balute. She sacrificed her youth to taking care of her mother, who started become sickly after Ellen's imprisonment. She even gave up her own education and ambitions because she had to work hard to earn her mother's medication. Violy is such a kind-hearted person and a loving sister to Ellen. She will served to be her sister's conscience when Ellen started her vengeance against the Samontes.


 * Yaya Brittany - the character is played by veteran comedienne Tia Pusit. Yaya Brittany or simply Yaya Brit (as Carlos and Leila fondly called her) is the ever loyal nanny (and somewhat a mother figure) of Leila, who witnessed how the latter fought her love for Carlos, to the extent that her parents disowned her. Yaya Brittany also knows the truth about Elize's real identity.


 * Douglas - the character that adds humor to the story is played by comedian, Benjie Paras. Douglas is the gossip and clumsy bestfriend (and somewhat an older brother and a second father) of Tisoy. He also works at the shipping company owned by Carlos Samonte. He knows everything about Carlos, most specially his arrogant boss' "extra curricular activities".

Other characters
As the story progressed, some notable characters were introduced. Candice Buenafe which was played by Carlene Aguilar, the equally scheming bestfriend of Leila Samonte; Rita Iringan portrayed Douglas' comical daughter, Mavic; Odette Khan played Sioneng Balute, Ellen and Violy's agonizing mother; Ana Abad Santos played Vivi, Leila's friend and Dyna's former employer; Paolo O'Hara played Teban, Tisoy's wicked adoptive father; Mayton Eugenio played Iza, Elize's bestfriend; Jhoana Marie Tan played Aireen, Marla's buddy; Ping Medina and Nomer Limatog, Jr. portrayed Jun Manabat and Zeus Pajarillo, respectively, Tisoy's best buddies and confidants; Annicka Dolonius played Carla Cabrera, Tisoy's college classmate and newfound friend; Robin Da Roza portrayed Johnny, Leila's newfound love.

Production
On May 18, 2012 at the end of the network's flagship national news broadcast, 24 Oras, the series was formally announced via a cinema plug. The said cinema plug, with the title "Pushing Drama Beyond Limits", contains the three new primetime shows of the network for the second quarter of the year, which are One True Love, Luna Blanca and Makapiling Kang Muli. The full trailer of the series was launched on June 8, 2012, three days before its premiere telecast.

Early production of the series started in May 29, 2012, with Suzette Doctolero (who had recently written and finally aired on the show Hiram Na Puso) working as the creator, and at the same time, the head writer of the series, executive producer Nieva Sabit, creative director Jun Lana, director Andoy Ranay and Lilybeth Rasonable headed as the overall in-charge of the production. The series films in part in Lipa, Batangas and Manila. It is set in a fictional docks and port terminal, where the Shipping company of Carlos Samonte, the character portrayed by Raymond Bagatsing, and where the lead character Tisoy, is located.

On July 24, 2012, the lead star Alden Richards happily announces that the series is extended into 15 weeks. It is originally slated to air for just 8 weeks, and considered only as a filler [for the timeslot] for the next television series of the network. But because of the positive feedback and consistent high ratings, the network decided to extend One True Love for another 7 weeks.

On August 17, 2012, director, Ranay announced during the series' thanksgiving/victory party, that the network has decided to extend One True Love for another week. The 8 weeks [as originally planned] were doubled and, all in all, they will run for 16 weeks. Ranay also assured viewers that the story will not suffer because of the extensions. "Our headwriter made sure that the story is "thick" from the start and everything remains the same", he added.

Casting
Late April 2012, GMA Network announces that they will give Alden Richards and Louise delos Reyes their own drama series, as the network pushes the love team into full stardom. The Alden-Louise tandem started gaining popularity and huge fan base after their first ever project together, the drama-fantasy series, Alakdana, which was a hit. It followed by several hit series, such as, the popular teeny-bop series Tween Hearts and its movie version Tween Academy: Class of 2012, and the recently concluded primetime series My Beloved, a Dingdong Dantes-Marian Rivera starrer, which they played supporting characters. In one of his interviews, Richards said that he is overwhelmed with the network's support for the love team. He further stated:

""I’m sure there were a lot of meetings before the network arrived at this big decision to give Louise and myself the opportunity to lead an evening drama, so I'm really hopeful that the fans who supported our tandems in the afternoon would be there for our biggest project yet—and I'm also hopeful that we win new fans as well.""

On the other hand, Delos Reyes finds this drama series as a dream come true. She stated... "I'm fine with whatever project that is offered to me. I did horror last year [referring to the horror flick The Road], this time, I'm into drama. They told me they see depth in my acting. I cannot pass up projects that have been given to me, like One True Love because of its interesting characters and engaging plotline."

This television series also marks Agot Isidro's first plunge into GMA Drama after she transferred and inked two-year exclusive contract with the network. In one of her interviews, the actress stated that her decision to switched network rooted on her cravings to work in a different environment, work with some old folks again, and try something new and more challenging roles.

The production people also cast versatile actors, Jean Garcia and Raymond Bagatsing, both of them had recently completed Alice Bungisngis and Her Wonder Walis and The Good Daughter. Prior to this series, Garcia and Bagatsing paired in the so-called "dancerye" Time of My Life in 2011. In an interview, Garcia said that she is grateful in doing both damsel-in-distress and anti-hero roles for she is able to show her versatility as an actress.

Themes
One True Love consists of various themes, such as love, family, friendships, rivalries, betrayal, and vengeance and explores the reasons behind them. The creator and head writer, Suzette Doctolero explained that the series is a fresh and absorbing drama, more on about enduring power of love between two people from two different walks of life.

Music
The series' producer uses an original Filipino music (and somewhat a classic), which is "Pangarap Ko Ang Ibigin Ka" (lit. My Dream is to Love You) as the theme song. It was composed by the award-winning singer/songwriter Ogie Alcasid, re-arranged by Mon Faustino for the series, and interpreted by all-female trio La Diva. The song's lyrics tell of a woman confessing and expressing her secret feelings to someone she loves the most and wishing that person feels the same way too.

Prior to One True Love, the song has been used several times in the soundtracks for film and television series. Originally sung by Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, "Pangarap Ko Ang Ibigin Ka" was first used as the theme song of the 2003 romantic comedy flick with the same title, which starred Velasquez opposite Christopher de Leon and Dingdong Dantes, directed by Louie Ignacio and produced by VIVA Films. The song was also included in Velasquez's album Regine: Silver Series, the singer's 25th year anniversary album, released by VIVA Records on August 29, 2006. The said album reached platinum status. Because of its popularity, the song became one of Velasquez's trademark songs. The same year, singer/actress Sharon Cuneta did her own version of the song for her Sharon sings Alcasid album under Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The same year,  2006, GMA Network used that version of the song as the theme for Korean series My 19 Year Old Sister-in-Law. The following year, 2007, singer Sarah Geronimo did her own version of the song for her television series Pangarap na Bituin. Two years later, GMA Network uses the song once again, this time as one of the soundtracks of their 2009 primetime series Totoy Bato which also starred Regine Velasquez and Robin Padilla in the title role.

Reception
Based on overnight household data recorded in Mega Manila of Nielsen TV Audience Measurement from June 11 to 15, the series scored 38.4 share points, ahead of its counterpart programs form ABS-CBN’s Dahil Sa Pag-ibig's 35.2 points and TV5’s Runaway's 10 points. Mega Manila comprises 58 percent of total television households nationwide.

Critics and viewers also praised the ensemble's acting. Ricky L. Calderon, resident writer of Cebu based newspaper, The Freeman, stated that the series is getting very good feedback in terms of the acting being dished out by the lead casts, especially Alden Richards, giving credence to the observation that the young man has the makings of a potential matinee idol.

While Jerry Donato of The Philippine Star, finds One True Love as the melodramatic version of that Shakespearean tragedy and possesses the charm of Hollywood's Love Story. "It is not surprising why One True Love is doing well in the ratings' game. This can be attributed to Alden and Louise's chemistry as perennial onscreen partners", he added.

Originally slated to air for just eight weeks, One True Love was awarded seven weeks extensions because of the positive feedback and its successive victory on the ratings game. According to the most widely recognized ratings service provider, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, the series kept its lead in TV ratings in Mega Manila which comprises 59.5% of total television households nationwide. Based on average overnight household data recorded in viewer-rich Mega Manila [from July 9–13, 2012], it remains matchless with 39.4 share points, versus its counterpart program in ABS-CBN which posted 33.3 points.

Meanwhile, based on household data surveyed in National Urban Television Audience Measurement or NUTAM [Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, from July 23–31, 2012], the show gathered 37.1% rating versus its counterpart program ABS-CBN's Kahit Puso'y Masugatan with 27% rating.

Its finale episode garnered 28.2% ratings in AGB Nielsen Philippines [overnight household television ratings], made it as the most-watched show that date, while its counterpart programs Walang Hanggan, Lorenzo's Time and Artista Academy got 26.5%, 23.8% and 3.7%, respectively.

The series not only dominated its timeslot with high numbers but also became one of the most popular and well-loved dramas of the network.

Awards and Nominations

 * 2013 Golden Screen TV Awards


 * Outstanding Original Drama Series Nomination


 * Outstanding Supporting Actor Nominee: Raymond Bagatsing


 * Outstanding Supporting Actress Nominee: Ana Capri


 * Outstanding Supporting Actress Nominee: Jean Garcia


 * Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series Nominee: Alden Richards