I'LL NEVER SAY GOODBYE/MAGPAHANGGANG-WAKAS takes on Africa: ABS Uganda, KTN Kenya, MyTV Africa for the rest of Subsaharan Africa

Magpahanggang-Wakas is heaven-sent to ABS-CBN this year. Christmas is near (meaning, the year is almost through) but the supposed country's biggest TV network has only sold one 2017-produced teleserye this year. That doesn't mean however that it doesn't lord over the current teleserye domination of Africa. The continent is awash with the rerun of successful pre-2017 teleseryes from the station: hits like Dolce Amore, Doble Kara, The Promise, On The Wings of Love (this one will take over shortly  the slot of I'll Never Say Goodbye on My TV Africa), etc.

I am sure, the ABS-CBN bigwigs will be studying the success of GMA in selling more new teleseryes abroad this year. It turned out a high domestic rating is not a guarantee of international success. This teleserye is a case in point. Who would have thought that unlike the 2017 blockbusters, it would eventually be the  only one to be sold  abroad?

Meanwhile, teleserye celebrates its current reign in Africa...

Қоштасқым келмейді/MAGPAHANGGANG-WAKAS on 31Kanal Kazakhstan

Magpahanggang-Wakas might have been unceremoniously taken prematurely off the air in Indonesia but it has become the savior of ABS-CBN's puri in the light of the steady international resurgence of new GMA teleseryes from Africa to Asia to South America. This Arci Muñoz-Jericho Rosales starrer is the only 2017-produced ABS-CBN teleserye to be sold this year internationally. After its hasty disappearance from Indonesian small screens, it emerged thankfully in Africa (there is a deluge of other ABS-CBN teleseryes in Africa- in fact, Pinoy teleseryes are dominant there now-  but they are mostly reruns of older successful teleseryes like Pangako Sa Yo, Dolce Amore, Doble Kara, etc. GMA teleseryes being shown there, just like everywhere else,  are newer).

There must be a tidal wave of gasps of relief at ABS-CBN nowadays. The dominating GMA international profile must have kept them at edge through most of the year. I could imagine the gigantic whoops of joy. They were able to sell it to Kazakhstan too!

Lucky Kazakhs, they will still get to watch the formerly beautiful sexy face of Arci Muñoz. They might not recognize her the next time.

10 PM Kazakh time, Monday to Friday. 31Kanal. Dubbed in Kazakh, Subtitles in Russian.

CAUTIVA/HANGGANG MAKITA KANG MULI opens today on OROMAR TV Ecuador: Canal 26 GYE, 33 UIO, DIRECTV 190, CNT 3 & TVCABLE70

The streak of GMA continues in Latin America. One of its not really pretty starlets  mysteriously won as the representative of the country for the Reina Hispanoamericana Beauty Pageant in Bolivia, but the streak of GMA teleseryes in the said continent is not a mystery at all. It's old reliable storytelling, & surprisingly GMA writers have been adept in concocting plots lately. Cautiva is one of the 3 teleseryes currently showing in Latin America. All from GMA.

My friends joke our Reina Hispanoamericana representative has some semblance to the Bolivian President Evo Morales in some angles, so she might just create more mysteries there. We might become the laughing stock yet in our first appearance in the said pageant. It's good,  GMA teleseryes are providing the distraction. Beautiful things too, like teleseryes, come from the Philippines.

Cautiva stars Derrick Monasterio & Bea Binene. It airs at 6:45 PM Tuesday, Ecuador time (7:45 AM Manila time, Wednesday).

UNA NUEVA OPORTUNIDAD/SECOND CHANCES opens today Panamericana TV in Peru

In a virtual monopoly of Pinoy teleseryes being shown in South America, the GMA teleserye Second Chances joins another GMA teleserye, Someone To Watch Over Me, on the Peruvian small screen. All the Pinoy teleseryes playing in South America come from the GMA production studios: Cautiva, the most successful Asian telenovela to be shown in Peru, will open next week in Ecuador.

Una nueva oportunidad (the Spanish version title)stars Jennilyn Mercado.

CAUTIVA/HANGGANG MAKITA KANG MULI opens on September 11 at 6:45 PM OROMARTV Ecuador

There are two places in Latin America which I'm planning to visit but still haven't gotten around to fulfilling it. Quito in Ecuador & Valparaiso in Chile, mainly for their historical areas. But I've long started enjoying them through their cuisines. Ecuadorian & Chilean cuisine might not be familiar in Asia but I whip up my own versions, and that's often because there are no restos offering them here. I've long used avocado as a bread spread the Chilean way (palta) & instead of silogs, I often prepare bistec a lo pobre (a beef, fried egg, potato fries & onions ensemble, a dish Chile has in common with Peru), besides many of its humongous parriladas. But my favorites are the plaintain dishes of Ecuador. They come as dumplings, soup, empanadas, etc. I haven't tasted the originals but I so loved my versions (taken from the internet) that the few times I find time to cook, I cook them 50% of the time. 

Now, Cautiva will be shown in Ecuador. I can see they will be slurping Caldo de bolas de verde or Sango de verde while watching it because it will be shown at 6:45 PM, just in time for dinner. Starting September 11.

Cautiva stars Derrick Monasterio & Bea Binene.