Walang Hanggan (2012 TV series)


Walang Hanggan is a 2012 Philippine romantic melodrama television series featuring an ensemble cast headed by Coco Martin, Julia Montes, Dawn Zulueta and Richard Gomez. The story is loosely based on the 1991 Gomez-Zulueta starrer Hihintayin Kita sa Langit, a classic film based on the 1847 Emily Brontë novel Wuthering Heights. The series was aired on ABS-CBN's Primetime Bida evening block and worldwide via The Filipino Channel from 16 January 2012 to 26 October 2012, replacing Nasaan Ka, Elisa?.
The classic drama became a huge hit and maintains the top spot in viewer ratings for most of its run, with its finale episode on 26 October 2012 attaining the highest rating of 45.4% nationwide.

Plot summary

Cruz sisters Henya and Margaret live together with Joseph Montenegro in the fictional province of Olivarez. Henya sacrificed everything to give Margaret a better life. Around two decades later, Joseph and Margaret's son Marco Montenegro, the future heir of the Montenegro's wine business, develops feelings for Emily Cardenas, the daughter of an old worker in their hacienda. Marco gives Emily the Infinity Ring, which means "eternity", as a symbol of their love for each other. However, Margaret's schemes to ruin Emily's relationship with Marco prompts him to marry rich banker Jane Bonifacio, much to the detriment of Emily, who throws the ring away and vows revenge against the Montenegros. One night, Margaret and Henya had a heated misunderstanding about Joseph's love for Henya. Henya decides to leave the mansion so Margaret can live in peace.
Years after Joseph's death, laborer William Alcantara settle in Olivarez with his children Katerina, Onat and Tomas. When Onat died from a deadly flu and the Montenegros migrate to the United States, William adopts a street boy named Daniel into the hacienda Alcantara, where Henya assumes her role as Daniel's adoptive grandmother. Daniel and Katerina become best friends and they gradually develop a very close relationship over the next several years. Tomas remains very resentful towards Daniel and has an addiction to gambling. Margaret, Marco and Jane returns home with their children Nathan and Johanna, who are both becoming interested in Katerina and Daniel respectively. Unknown to everyone else, Emily returns to the country along with her assistant Miguel Ramos, as they begin investigating the Montenegros. After William dies of a severe heart attack, Tomas takes over the hacienda Alcantara with help from Margaret, and he succeeds in destroying Daniel's life, forcing Katerina to live with the Montenegros, and helping Nathan to marry Katerina. Daniel is fatally stabbed by Tomas and plunges down into the waterfalls, but is found alive by Emily and Miguel. Upon recovering, Daniel is heartbroken seeing Katerina and Nathan together and he agrees to live with Emily in Milan, Italy in order to become stronger. Emily tells Daniel about her life in Milan and she has flashbacks of working multiple jobs until she married a rich old man named Marcelo Guidotti.
Two years later, Emily and Daniel returns to the Philippines after learning that Nathan and Katerina are going to be married. However, Daniel fails to arrive in time to stop the wedding. The Guidottis eventually open their wine business to plan their own counter-strike against the Montenegros. Johanna learns the truth from Emily that she is adopted. Daniel and Katerina eventually realize that they still have feelings for each other, but Nathan is secretly watching over them. Henya tries to convince Marco and Emily that Daniel is their biological son. DNA testing confirmed positive results, but Miguel manipulates the results and secretly allies himself with Margaret. After the truth is eventually revealed, Daniel agrees to live in the Montenegro mansion to spend more time with Marco as his father, and Emily is reluctant to accept it. Margaret orders Miguel to separate Marco and Emily, but takes a nasty turn when Jane is seemingly killed in a plane bombing by Miguel's accomplice David Conde. With Margaret's reluctant help, Miguel manages to steal billions of money from the Guidotti Imports and the Bonifacio Bank to put into bankruptcy. Later on, Daniel and Miguel eventually confronts each other, but Miguel flees with the money he stole and hides from the authorities. Daniel decides to leave the Montenegro mansion to take care of Emily and Henya.
One year after losing the Guidotti Imports, Emily and Daniel work on their own jobs as Tomas and Nathan try to make their lives miserable. Jane's cousin Jean Bonifacio appears and takes over the Bonifacio Bank that figured in the collapse of Guidotti Imports. Under a cover identity named Black Lily, Jean secretly sends flowers and also meddles in Emily and Marco's relationship as the lovers are engaged. Jean has flashbacks that reveals she is actually Jane, who miraculously survived the plane crash and underwent plastic surgery. Tomas becomes the new president of Guidotti Imports by using the money from Miguel, who is driven by his obsession with Emily and continues to threaten Margaret. Katerina continues to suffer a miserable life with Nathan as his insanity gets too far. Daniel and Katerina attempts to elope together, but Katerina gets abducted by Tomas, and as Johanna discovers the hiding place and tells a depressed Nathan about the location, Nathan confronts and rapes Katerina. She becomes pregnant and runs away to hide in a far-off location, prompting Daniel to persevere in finding her. Whilst hiding from Nathan, Daniel and Katerina eventually reunite in the province of Albay and they discover that Katerina's mother Luisa is alive. Marco and Emily makes a surprise wedding night, but Jean stops them by unmasking her true identity as Jane. After she grants Marco's request for an annulment, Jane gets kidnapped by Miguel, and as Margaret attempts to rescue her, she failed as Miguel shoots Jane to death. Emily manages to lure Miguel into her trap so the authorities can arrest him. Daniel gets into a heated fistfight with Nathan, who stabs himself to frame up Daniel. To save Katerina and Henya's life from Nathan, Daniel surrenders himself to the police for frustrated murder, and reunites with Miguel in jail. Nathan still threatens Katerina, while Daniel is fatally stabbed by a prison mate, sending him into a coma.
After recovering at a hospital and was released from prison, Daniel vows to stop Nathan from taking Katerina away from him. A reformed Margaret admits that Katerina and Nathan's marriage is null and void because the wedding priest's license was already expired. Daniel finds Nathan and Katerina at the airport, and Johanna tells them the truth about Nathan's fake marriage. Margaret reconciles with Henya before surrendering herself to the police for all her crimes and her alliance with Miguel. Emily and Marco finally get married in the United States, while Miguel fakes his death at the Jones Bridge by getting multiple shots from a sniper by David and plunges down into the river. Margaret is finally forgiven by Emily, Marco and Daniel. Nathan tries hard to redeem himself for the better, but Tomas manipulates the whole situation by telling Nathan that Katerina and Daniel are going to be married. More confrontations ensued, Daniel admits that Nathan is the father of Katerina's child, and Katerina explains to everyone how she was raped by Nathan. Marco, Emily and Johanna talks about putting Nathan to a mental hospital, but Nathan overhears them and panics, and as he desperately kidnaps Katerina, Daniel chases after them. An all-out fistfight between Daniel and Nathan results in Katerina suffering a miscarriage. Marco and Emily commits Nathan to a psychiatric hospital, while a mourning Katerina angrily blames Tomas and Nathan for the death of her unborn child. Weeks later, everyone is preparing for Daniel and Katerina's wedding, and Emily learns that the Infinity Ring that Katerina holds for Daniel is the same ring that she had with Marco in the past. Tomas gets banned after a bomb threat in the Montenegro mansion, but Margaret is given a special permit to attend the wedding. Daniel and Katerina are finally married with a grand wedding in Intramuros. At the wedding reception, Margaret announces new positions for the Montenegro Corporation, including Emily as chief operating officer and Daniel as new president of the company. Daniel and Katerina spend their honeymoon at San Francisco. Afterwards, the couple returns home with a brand new wine that will be used in the company's relaunch. Tomas' business becomes bankrupt and Miguel wants his money back, while Daniel comes up with a plan bring down Tomas. In the Masquerade ball at Emily's birthday, Daniel gives her mother a surprise gift with the merge of Montenegro Corporation and Guidotti Imports and the return of Infinity Wine to the company, and Tomas gets very enraged at the Montenegros and Katerina. However, everyone realizes that Miguel is still alive.
Daniel eventually face off in a final showdown with Miguel and Tomas, who kidnaps Katerina and Emily respectively. However, Miguel fatally shoots Katerina and Daniel and the couple ends up in the hospital, but Marco arrives to rescue Emily and kills Miguel in self-defense. Katerina eventually dies at the hospital, and as Daniel mourns at her grave for so many days, Tomas blames him for his sister's death and kills him, much to the anguish of Emily and Henya. In the epilogue, the Montenegros now live together in the hacienda Alcantara, where Henya and Margaret are thinking about Daniel and Katerina being reunited in the afterlife. Emily and Marco have their own baby, named Daniel. Nathan is released from the psychiatric hospital and returns home with his family. Tomas is sentenced to life imprisonment and is visited by Luisa and Johanna. Several years later, new neighbors visits the hacienda Alcantara during a Christmas gathering where the young Daniel meets the couple's daughter named Catherine. The story ends with Daniel and Katerina live happily ever after in heaven.

Cast and characters

Main cast

;Very Special Roles
The drama's main theme song "Hanggang Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan", composed by songwriter George Canseco, is performed by Filipino singer Gary Valenciano. The song was originally covered by Richard Reynoso as a theme song for the 1991 film Hihintayin Kita Sa Langit, starring Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta. The song was also covered by Ayegee Paredes for the 2001 soap opera Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan, starring Claudine Barretto and Mylene Dizon.
A second album titled Walang Hanggan: The Official Soundtrack Volume 2 was released with new songs including "Pangako" by Martin Nievera, "Sana Maulit Muli" by Aiza Seguerra, and "Kahit Isang Saglit" by Juris. Another cover of the drama's theme song is sung by Nina.
Insert songs also include "Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos?" by Gary Valenciano and "Kastilyong Buhangin" by Regine Velasquez. For the final ten episodes, unreleased songs include the orchestral versions of "Dadalhin" by Bryan Termulo and "Hanggang Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan" by Gary Valenciano, both arranged by the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ateneo Chamber Singers.

Production

Marketing

The first full-length trailer was released on 17 December 2011 via the drama-anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya.
From 9 to 13 January 2012, the cast members of the series appeared via the morning talk show Kris TV where they promoted the series. First to make an appearance were Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta, followed by the artists of the Walang Hanggan: The Official Soundtrack album. On 11 January, Julia Montes, Melissa Ricks, Joem Bascon and Paulo Avelino promoted their latest drama. This was followed by a guest appearance of Helen Gamboa and Susan Roces on 12 January. By 13 January, Coco Martin, the series' lead actor who coincidentally is the talk show's most requested guest, gave a special appearance.
Gomez once again promoted the series by guesting in the noontime variety show Happy, Yipee, Yehey on 14 January, the same day of the series' advanced special screening held at SM Megamall, the screening was attended by many acclaimed artists and critics namely Gomez' wife Lucy Torres with Kris Aquino, Vice Ganda and Liz Uy. Also present in the said screening was My Binondo Girl's Richard Yap, Zulueta's husband Cong. Anton Lagdameo, and Garrie Concepcion.
On 15 January, the cast visited at SM North Skydome for a Grand Fans Day and for the release of the series' original soundtrack, they also guested in the musical variety show ASAP, followed by another appearance of Gomez in the late-night talk show Gandang Gabi, Vice! while Paulo Avelino guested in The Buzz.
After its successful premiere and the viewer's warm support, the cast launched Pagmamahalang Walang Hanggan: The Nationwide Mall Tour. In 5 February, the cast visited SM City Lucena followed by an appearance in 12 February at SM City Pampanga. In 18 February, the cast continued their appreciation stopping at Gaisano Capital Mall in Mactan, Cebu City. In 25 February, Coco Martin visited Koronadal, General Santos City as well as being part of the Fun Feb Night concert with Jed Madela and Juris to promote the drama. In 3 March, Martin, Ricks, Avelino, Bascon and Montes stopped by at Panagbenga Festival in Baguio. The cast continued the tour in Gaisano Mall of Davao Atrium in 17 March and was followed by a tour at Panaad Stadium Bacolod City in 14 April.
A thanksgiving concert entitled "Walang Hanggang Pasasalamat" was staged on 21 October 2012 at the Araneta Coliseum. The said concert was also broadcast live on the same date on ABS-CBN's Sunday Best. The concert coincided with the show's final week on the air.

Merchandising

ABS-CBN took advantage of the drama's popularity to partner with local jeweler Karat World to produce an "infinity ring," a special ring shaped like intertwined infinity loops. The rings are available in 14-karat solid yellow gold, 14-karat solid white gold, and silver 925. Each ring also has an "infinity marking" and a 585-stamping "to signify its gold purity." They also released infinity necklaces and earrings.

Reception

Ratings

The series' premiere drew in an impressive 32.1% in the 9:15 PM timeslot. Because of its consistent high ratings, the show was moved to an earlier timeslot at 8:15 PM where it continued to record stellar ratings. The series finale episode on 26 October 2012 drew in a record-breaking 45.4% nationwide audience share, topping its previous all-time highest rating of 44.7%. The drama also captivated the viewers and netizens on social networking sites, becoming the most talked-about topic online. The drama's title was the number one worldwide trending topic on Twitter during the airing of its final episode. According to a release from Kantar Media-TNS data, Walang Hanggan is the only Filipino drama of 2012 to have surpassed the 40% margin, registering a 41% ratings share on 23 May, followed by 41.4% on 15 June, and 44.7% on 29 June.

Awards and nominations

Reruns

of Walang Hanggan are broadcast through Jeepney TV.
On 18 March 2020, Dreamscape Entertainment announced that Walang Hanggan will have a rerun beginning 23 March 2020 on ABS-CBN's Kapamilya Gold afternoon block, weekdays at 2:30pm. It is part of ABS-CBN's temporary programming changes due to the enhanced community quarantine done to lower the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. However, this rerun abruptly ended after the National Telecommunications Commission issued a cease and desist order against ABS-CBN.