5 Reasons Why Filipinos Obsess About Love

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Prepare to be obsessed with a new short film about love, falling in love, falling out of love, and everything else in between as a new Filipino short indie film is soon to take over the internet.

When it comes to the idea of love, Filipinos seem to be quite addicted, with no cure in sight.  It is a mysterious drug that either injects feelings of euphoria or cuts sharply like a double-edged sword.  Oddly, the more it hurts, the more we are drawn to it.  And in between falling in love and getting hurt, Filipinos love a good “hugot.”

Jollibee has mastered the art of hugot with its series on love and heartbreak and love all over again.  On its heels is a new production by Blade Auto Center called 12 Days to Destiny.

So if the journey of a thousand miles, according to a Chinese proverb, begins with a simple step, the destiny to love can happen in only 12 days.  Indeed, love presents so many complications that some never make it to the end of that journey, and with that comes the bittersweet memories we sometimes hold on to.

And these #bitterness and #hugot moments told through the lens of director JC Santos is what makes the 12 Days to Destiny series an obsession.

Daniel, portrayed by Akihiro Blanco of the recent indie hit, Born Beautiful, will trigger your romantic desires while Kathryn, played by Mary Joy Apostol of Bird Shot, currently playing on Netflix, will flame your hidden passions.

12 Days starts off with boy meets girl, boy likes girl, and both go through a series of “kilig” moments and emotional rollercoasters.  Sounds like the typical story, right?  Well, almost all love stories begin like this, as we have seen in classics like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Titanic’s Rose and Jack, and dates even as far back to Samson and Delilah.

What makes 12 Days worth waiting for is that we have another glimpse of kilig moments and hugot factors reimagined in only 12 days.  Most of the scenes take place at Blade Auto Center where Daniel, a certified automobile enthusiast who works there,  meets Kathryn, a customer who was only looking for an item.  A love triangle ensues, personal goals become obstacles, and the characters must discover what is most important to them.

In short, 12 Days helps us understand why Filipinos have an obsession with everything about love.  We become so invested in emotions that we either want to feel loved or be loved in return.  So here are five things that Filipinos obsess about love:

• Hugot moments make us realize that we are still human.
• Kilig moments make us feel how exhilarating  it is to be in love.
• Bitter moments make us think that life has so much more to give.
• There-is-no-forever moments make us want to fall in love all over again.
• Forever moments make us realize that there is someone out there for us.

And that is what 12 Days to Destiny does to us.  It makes us love love even more.  Streaming soon on Youtube and Facebook, this gem of a short film also stars Xander Pineda, Carissa Viaje, Jansien Altamarino, and Tracy Thunder.  According to Robert S. Tan, founder of Blade Auto Center and the film’s producer, they will continue to make short films for everyone to enjoy and will select various actors that suit the roles.


Written by:

Christopher Delacruz
Co-founder of American Institute for English Proficiency - www.aiepro.com
Wealth Management Executive and Unit Manager - AXA Philippines - www.iamchrisdelacruz.com