Throughout the decades that she has been in the entertainment industry, Irma Adlawan has arguably been a familiar face for many, for there seems to be not a year when we don't see her either in a teleserye or film or sometimes even both. At present, we've been seeing her on "Coco Martin's Sigabo," where she amuses and astounds us with her portrayal of Betchay, the domineering and spiteful stepmother of Coco Martin's character, Gabo.
As we look forward to seeing more of the veteran character actress in the upcoming episodes of the well-loved primetime action-drama series, let's revisit 10 of her remarkable scenes that indeed showcased her versatility and brilliance in this episode of Kapamilya Toplist!
Just on the first-ever appearance of Betchay, we immediately noticed how indifferent and scornful she was towards Gabo when their family and friends in Ginintuang Lupa welcomed him upon his return after getting incarcerated for eight years. We gradually saw her true colors as time went by, more so when Rudy (Joey Marquez)—her longtime partner and Gabo's father—got into a coma after being shot during attempted demolition of their residential community.
Viewers of "Sigabo" got to see the superb dramatic acting flair of Irma as Betchay for the first time in that scene wherein she and their family learned from the doctor who initially attended on Rudy the medicines and items they had to purchase in order for them to proceed with the operation. Realizing that they would need a huge amount and they had nobody to seek help from, Betchay couldn't help but break into tears as she lamented in utter despair, "Ang hirap naman maging mahirap! Wala kang makakapitan sa mga oras na ganito!"
For sure, many felt the pain and desperation of an oppressed person and a distraught wife like her, who only did not almost lose her home but also the love of her life, as she poured out her anguish during her first interview with Manila Telebalita reporter Salvador Manalo (Rey Campanilla).
Her deep desperation was also evident in that scene wherein she furiously confronted Gabo about his promise to find a way to earn money for the surgery of his father. When Gabo informed her that he already got a job, which promised him high compensation in exchange for searching for someone, Betchay instantly jumped into the conclusion that he would commit another heinous act again. She sarcastically prodded him to tell them right away if he would get in trouble anew for them to know if they would need to help him again—just like what they did before.
Irma surely amused viewers when she exhibited her "award-winning performance" in that scene where Betchay was being interviewed again by Salvador of Manila Telebalita—this time, at their house in Ginintuang Lupa. Since she initially lacked emotions, she was instructed by the producer to make herself appear more pitiful in order to gain the empathy of viewers. But Mameng suddenly caught the attention of the news team with her more convincing acting, so Betchay tried to take the spotlight back to her by taking her performance up a notch.
The impromptu interview eventually sparked a heated spat between the two women after the news team departed, as Betchay tried to dissuade Mameng from pursuing legal action against the person responsible for shooting Rudy. Questioning the sincerity of Betchay's love for her husband, Mameng confronted her over her reluctance to seek justice. Betchay, however, defended her stance, saying she was simply being realistic about the possibility that filing a case could only bring them more trouble, given the current state of the country's justice system.
When Mameng brought up Gabo's promise to help them, Betchay erupted in anger, convinced that he would never be able to make good on his word. Feeling utterly hopeless and helpless that nobody could help them in their current plight, she was resolved to step up again and do whatever it took to find a way out of their predicament.
We once again witnessed the lighthearted side of Irma in her scenes at BeerGin, the bar owned by Paquito (Rez Cortez), the notorious gang leader in Ginintuang Lupa, as she applied to work there as a hostess. From pleading with Paquito to give her a job to getting caught in a heated altercation with Paquito's wife Ibyang (Aleck Bovick), after she found the two drinking together, Betchay indeed delivered bits of entertaining moments.
The veteran actress also got us entertained through her character's funny interaction with Max (Arci Muñoz) when the latter paid them a visit, posing as a representative of a non-government organization who wished to extend help to Rudy and his family. Although Gabo already declined the financial aid she was offering and harshly drove her away, Betchay unabashedly approached her to ask for her help. Betchay didn't only ask for financial assistance for the hospital bills and medications of her husband, but also for their other expenses—to which Max willingly obliged.
And lastly, right after her amusing interaction with Max, we once again saw the spiteful facet of Betchay upon learning that Gabo was the one who took away the customer's motorcycle at Rudy's auto repair shop. Of course, this triggered Betchay's rage against Gabo, as he confirmed that he indeed used the motorcycle for work the day before and left it somewhere in Binondo. She berated him for fooling the customer that his motorcycle was still being repaired, as well as for being the reason why they couldn't collect payment from him yet, which they were supposed to use to cover the medical expenses of Rudy.
Watch out for the next amusing and astounding performances of Irma as Betchay on "Coco Martin's Sigabo," weeknights at 8:00 PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), or stream anytime on iWant!
LOOK: Unfiltered off-cam moments on the set of “Coco Martin’s Sigabo”
Sigabo: Gabo, desperado na para maisalba ang buhay ni Rudy | Episode 22
Sigabo: Gabo, emosyonal nang muling mag-agaw-buhay si Rudy | Episode 21
Sigabo: Betchay, tinalakan ang palpak na diskarte ni Gabo | Episode 19
Sigabo: Betchay at Mameng, nag-agawan ng eksena sa kanilang TV interview | Episode 11