LIST: Pinoy teleserye kontrabidas we love to hate through the years
What makes a teleserye worth watching? It's usually a protagonist to root for, a relatable storyline, and an antagonist the viewers would love to hate.
It's not easy to commit to a series, but once you're hooked, it's hard not to watch an episode as soon as it's out. It's been the same with our favorite locally produced soap operas on television through the years.
While the bidas are usually the favorites, there are villains that capture the viewers' hearts and make some shows memorable with their well-written lines and the brilliance of the actors who portray them.
Here are some of the teleserye kontrabidas that ended up becoming crowd favorites in their own (some even unserious) ways.
Gladys Reyes as Clara in Mara Clara
For a lot of millennials, Gladys Reyes is the Kontrabida Princess.
Mara Clara is an iconic teleserye that changed the lives of Pinoy viewers forever. Starting out as an afternoon drama series, the show skyrocketed in the ratings game so it was later moved to a primetime slot.
What made Mara Clara work? It offered almost all of the tropes you could think of: baby switching, catfights, teen romance, and revenge. Judy Ann Santos is definitely a good actress, but she was able to give her all with the big help of "Primera Kontrabida" Gladys Reyes who served as her nemesis in the series. Clara is a self-entitled brat who loathes poor Mara to death. She gets more agitated when she finds out that Mara is the real Del Valle heir. Clara is ruthless and resorts to violence and emotional blackmail whenever she gets the chance.
The Judy Ann-Gladys tandem in Mara Clara was so iconic that the teleserye had its own movie version and it birthed a number of teen drama movies starring the two, including Sana Naman and Kung Alam Mo Lang.
Princess Punzalan as Selina in Mula Sa Puso
Ask 90s kids which teleserye kontrabida triggered their nightmares and the evil Selina played by Princess Punzalan of Mula sa Puso would come to mind.
There's at least one aunt that you're afraid of, right? A lot of kids wouldn't wish to have a relative as evil and as scheming as Selina. She's not only physically, mentally, and verbally abusive—she's also a greedy manipulator and a psychopath. Imagine blowing up a bus full of innocent passengers just to kill your niece? Selina's terrifying laugh from the TV and movie version of the bus blow-up scene remains iconic up to this day.
When the show had an extended run, Selina got her scorching karma and boy was it satisfying to watch.
Jean Garcia as Madam Claudia in Pangako Sa’Yo
Jean Garcia remains as one of the most active and in-demand bida-kontrabidas until now. She chose the right comeback project after living in Japan when she played the role of Madam Claudia in Pangako Sa’Yo.
Coming from a rich political family, Madam Claudia is used to getting everything she wants. She is greedy and obsessed with power and Eduardo’s (Ian Veneracion) love. She loathes Eduardo’s first love Amor (Eula Valdez), who is often a victim of her evil plans. Madam Claudia is sophisticated and is the type of mother-in-law or enemy you wouldn’t want to have.
Garcia continues to play antagonist roles—the most recent one was in Lolong.
Sunshine Dizon as Pirena in Encantadia
Sunshine Dizon is already an established bida-kontrabida in GMA-7 when she was chosen to play the role of Pirena, one of the sang'gres in Encantadia. She's the eldest among four sisters and is the the guardian of the flame of fire (brilyante ng apoy). Just like fire, she is hot-tempered yet very feisty, smart, and reliable. Growing up, she thinks that her mother Reyna Mine-a loves her younger sister Amihan more.
Driven by grudge and hate, Pirena ends up betraying Lireo (diwatas). Despite being a "bida-kontrabida," the viewers can relate to Pirena's struggles. Some of us just want to feel loved and be recognized, too. Sunshine's intense portrayal made Pirena unforgettable.
Katrina Halili as Angelika Santibanez in Marimar
Katrina Halili also earned the moniker "Primera Kontrabida" after portraying some villain roles for GMA-7. Her stint as Black Darna was followed by her standout version of Angelika Santibanez in the first Philippine adaptation of Marimar (2007).
Angelika Santibanez is a seductress and is the girlfriend of Sergio (Dingdong Dantes). As a certified "ambisyosa," she decides to seduce Sergio's father Renato (Richard Gomez) and gets jealous upon learning that Sergio is in love with poor girl Marimar (Marian Rivera).
The scene where Angelika humiliates Marimar by asking her to pick up a bracelet using her mouth in the mud after asking her to kiss her feet was diabolical. Another trending scene was when Angelika shoves Marimar's face into a wedding cake, and the latter fights back and does the same to her, too.
Ryza Cenon as Georgia in Ika-6 na Utos
Ika-6 na Utos was a hit afternoon series of GMA-7. Lead actress Sunshine Dizon, being one of the most famous versatile actresses, needed an equally good actress to play her husband's seductive and fierce mistress Georgia (Ryza Cenon).
Though some of the viewers doubted Ryza when it was first announced that she would be playing the role, the Starstruck 2 Ultimate Female Survivor was able to prove her haters wrong. Georgia is a domineering and eccentric woman who won’t let go of Rome (Gabby Concepcion). Starting as a serious drama, Ika-6 na Utos became viral and popular with its meme-worthy antics with Georgia as the subject. From cake wars to catfights in a running elevator to all the teleserye tropes you could possibly think of, Georgia is able to endure it all. Georgia’s best weapon of choice? The nerf gun.
Due to its high ratings, Ika-6 na Utos became the first GMA Afternoon Prime show to air from Mondays to Saturdays.
Aiko Melendez as Emilia Ardiente in Wildflower
When you think of revenge dramas, Wildflower automatically comes to mind. Why? It didn’t only have a fierce and competent lead character who would never ever back down on her plans (Maja Salvador as Ivy Aguas). Her nemesis—Emilia Ardiente (Aiko Melendez)—is just as good at doing evil things.
Emilia is a force to be reckoned with. In the engaging series with a good mix of politics, love, and family issues, she is a spoiled brat who resorts to violence if you get in her way. During the show’s run, Ivy and Emilia had a lot of intense confrontation scenes, including a catfight where Maja even accidentally scratched Aiko's right eye for real.
Dimples Romana as Daniela Mondragon-Bartolome in Kadenang Ginto
Rich heiress? Check. Spoiled? Check. Ambitious? Check. Bratinella? Check. Runway walk in the slums in red gown and high heels? Check.
Dimples Romana is already known as a versatile actress, but it was through her portrayal of the entitled rich brat Daniela Mondragon that led her to becoming a household name. Daniela is the typical rich antagonist who would do anything to get rid of her father’s new wife (Beauty Gonzalez), who is younger than her. Daniela not only belittles her father’s lover—she also manipulates her daughter Marga (Andrea Brillantes) to do the same. With the show’s extended run, the viewers were able to witness Daniela’s rise—and eventual downfall.
Pinky Amador as Moira Tanyag in Abot Kamay na Pangarap
What if the main villain is the legal wife?
Moira, played by Pinky Amador, is the legal wife of RJ (Richard Yap)—and she's a monster. First, she manipulates RJ by making him believe that he's the father of Zoey (Kazel Kinouchi). She also belittles RJ's daughter Analyn (Jillian Ward) with her poor mother Lyneth (Carmina Villaroel).
The show started as a medical drama with serious family issues, but as it got extended, it added more campy fight scenes that made Moira a meme-worthy character. It reached the point that Moira supposedly died and adapted a new persona as Morgana Go, who grew up in a farm and is supposedly good in wushu. She even went to prison where she was berated by fellow inmates. Hate her or love her, you can’t deny Moira’s desperate antics saved this show.
Camille Prats as Olive in Mommy Dearest
Last but not the least is Camille Prats as Olive in the ongoing drama series Mommy Dearest.
You might be wondering why Camille—our beloved Princess Sarah—is on this list. Well, for a change, she was cast in an antagonist role as Olive, a manipulative woman who kidnaps a baby and raises it as her own.
The catch? She raises her adoptive daughter Mookie (Shayne Sava) as a "sick" child with special needs. Her traumatic childhood causes her to control everyone around her, including Mookie, so she will be forever dependent on her. What makes this show special is how eerily scary Camille is as Olive and Jade whenever she has hallucinations—and maybe it's because we're used to seeing her as the good girl on TV.
Katrina Halili, who, for the longest time, has been known for her kontrabida roles, plays the protagonist in this series as Emma. The (toy) sword fight between them became a trending topic on social media.
Who among the Pinoy teleserye villains above did you love to hate the most?
