"No unnecessary extension for Judy Ann's soap"

Primetime series was 'meant to be short,' says Sam

MANILA -- "Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala" aims to keep up its pace and end on a high note, leading man Sam Milby said on Tuesday, as the primetime series starring Judy Ann Santos counts down to its finale next week.

Amid speculation that the ABS-CBN program is ending "abruptly" due to its performance in ratings, the 29-year-old actor clarified this is not the case, saying the cast and crew are in fact happy with the series' strong viewership and critical feedback.

"Sobrang happy kami. I mean, yeah, matatapos na, but lahat ng feedback namin, ratings namin, ang taas. Lahat-lahat sobrang happy kami," he told ABS-CBN News.

Airing after "Muling Buksan ang Puso" during ABS-CBN's Primetime Bida block, "Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala" maintained its lead in national TV ratings over its rival shows in the second week of August.

According to the latest TV ratings data of multi-national market research group Kantar Media, the Kapamilya series continued its winning streak in nationwide ratings against GMA-7's "My Husband's Lover" on August 8 (27% vs 14%), August 9 (27.5% vs 14%), and August 12 (25.5% vs 13.6%).

Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,609 urban and rural homes, representing 100% of the total Philippine TV viewing population.

Two-month run

"Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala" premiered on ABS-CBN's Primetime Bida block on June 17. It will run for one last week, before airing its final episode on August 23.

Addressing the relatively short run of the series, Milby said, "Fast-paced talaga 'yung kwento namin... Hindi naman dapat mahaba 'yung kwento namin. It was supposed to be short. It's a short story naman eh."

The actor echoed a previous statement by ABS-CBN TV Production Head Laurenti Dyogi, who explained that the soap's relatively short run reflects the "actual length of the story."

"It was as planned by the creators of the soap. Short but powerful story... What the creators don't want to happen is to extend the story unnecessarily. ['Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala'] is one of the best crafted soaps of [ABS-CBN]," Dyogi said last week.

In the latest episodes of "Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala," Anessa (Santos) and Alexis' (KC COncepcion) escalating tiff drags their respective sons with Eros (Milby) in harm's way.

Recent promotional teasers for the soap are now counting down to its finale's airing.

"Ang dami talagang matinding mangyayari, 'yung mga revelations, 'yung mga ilalantad sa story, marami talaga," Milby said. "I'm so excited kung anong magiging reaction ng mga tao rin. It's an exciting ending. We're going to finish on a high note."


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http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/08/14/13/no-unnecessary-extension-judy-anns-soap