On The Wings of Love TV Complete

Probably one of the best shows ever to air on Philippine Television, On The Wings of Love tells the story of Leah (Nadine Lustre) as she embarks on a journey of securing her green card in the United States of America. With the help of Tita Jack (Cherry Pie Picache), she arranges a marriage with Filipino-American Clark (James Reid) to help her easily get the green card she needs to be able to work legally in the US. Conflicts arise when Leah and Clark started falling in love with each other. For one, Leah’s father does not know of the arranged marriage. More importantly, Clark and Leah promised Tita Jack they would never fall in love as the latter’s son, Jigs (Albie Casino), who is Leah’s ex-boyfriend and Clark’s cousin, is still in love with Leah.



The immense and affirmative reception of the Filipino audience to the first primetime starring of Reid and Lustre is partially attributed to the American dream most Filipinos have. This dream is a way of escaping poverty in the Philippines, as living in the US has long been believed to be a way to provide better lives for people. Almost instantaneously, many would argue that the popularity of the show is largely attributed to the chemistry of JaDine. But while it is true that the kilig brought about by JaDine is undeniable and heartfelt, it must be considered that every hit television show has deep socio-political connotations that realistically reflects a certain epoch in our history and society.



In the case of On The Wings of Love, the creators of the show masterfully touch the issue of the Filipino Diaspora, which is the Filipino “movement or migration of a group of people, such as those sharing a national and/or ethnic identity, away from an established or ancestral homeland (mtholyoke.edu, und.).”



According to the Migration Policy Institute, as of July 2014, approximately 2.9 million Filipinos live in the United States. This significant number already creates what Jonathan Okamura of the University of Hawaii says as the “Global Filipino Diaspora as the Imagined Community.” Following Benedict Anderson’s concept of the Imagined Community, Okamura re-argues this by saying it is imagined “because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion.”



In On The Wings of Love, the help from the Filipino community in the States is very evident in the attainment of the aspirations of the lead characters. Moreover, it explains the hardships of the Filipinos just to be able to provide good lives for their families back in the Philippines.



Family-orientedness has always been a central trait of the Filipinos. As in the case of On The Wings of Love, this is the primary driving force of each character. Leah wants to find the grave of her supposedly departed mother and at the same time work for her family’s benefit back in Ilocos; Clark works double – or even triple – just to provide for the needs of his siblings in the Philippines; Tita Jack also works more than usual to give Jigs the best life possible to compensate her physical absence as a mother.



Most certainly, the source of kilig and depth of the series comes from the arranged marriage of Leah and Clark. Though cinematically phenomenal and romantically magical, it also creates the strongest sociological analysis of the show. In reality, any form of arranged marriages just to secure a green card is a strong kind of desperation that drives people to do things even out of their will. Of the 2.9 million Filipinos living in the United States, it is without a doubt that not many would end up happily like Leah and Clark. In the most practical reasons, their situation is guided by their economic conditions. However, it is still not sufficient to justify such desperation especially in cases when it could have been avoided if only the government lives up to its mandate of serving for the benefit of the people.



It is not to say though that it is the fault of the persons involved in such arrangements, as they only resorted to desperation to counter the hazardous conditions provided by the Philippine government. The labor export policy in the country, which started during the Marcos regime to counter the rampant economic insecurity in the country, forces people to work abroad since our country cannot provide enough jobs that would substantially provide for the populations’ most basic needs.



At the end of the day, the central undertone of On The Wings of Love is a critique of the existing labor export policy that unfairly pushes the Filipino people to work away from their families. It also explains the difficulties each Overseas Filipino Worker has to endure to be able to provide for their families back home.



Of course, On The Wings of Love is staged in the lightest and most romantic manner possible. However, it is not always rainbows and butterflies for each worker abroad. Take for example the case of Mary Jane Veloso and the countless nameless Filipinos who suffered ill fates while abroad trying to provide for their loved ones. Take also for example our fellow Filipinos who had to work as domestic helpers and eventually suffered from the hands of abusive employers. It is really fascinating to dream that we would end up happily and satisfied abroad, and even find true love while away from our families. However, we have to face the fact that it’s not always the case.



I am a truly big fan of On The Wings of Love that I am one with the many youths who bought the show’s official scrapbook. But I also take the time to critique the present system of labor migration and the current labor export policy while enjoying the show. In behalf of everybody who had to work overseas, I challenge the people to demand from the government sufficient livelihood opportunities in the Philippines so that Filipinos would not have to be forced to work abroad. I hope there would come a time that families would not have to be separated because of inadequate opportunities in the country.



At the end of it all, I would ultimately blame this system and the government for every Filipino who would suffer a tragic fate while trying to provide for their families needs. Let’s face it. We would not all be Leahs and Clarks. But, we have the capacity to unite and force the government to let us be Leah and Clark, not abroad, but in our own country.