The Dragon Lady

Carlo J. Caparas’ Kamandag has been consistently doing well in the ratings game since it started airing in November. The show’s interesting characters and fascinating story keep the viewers glued to the boob tube during the primetime telebabad block of GMA. But wait there is more! New characters have been introduced to the show to make the plot more riveting, including the fire-breathing lady – Ragona. Discover who this character is and what role she plays in Kamandag’s journey. Text by Loretta G. Ramirez, Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio Portraying the half-human, half-reptile Ragona, Sunshine Dizon, gives life to the Dragon Lady. Sunshine gives iGMA an account of who Ragona is and where she comes from. The Origin of Ragona Sunshine admits that her part in Kamandag came as a pleasant surprise for her. She was taking her break after two successful primetime shows – Bakekang and Impostora, when GMA executives told her that she had a new project. "Hindi ko nga ini-expect na mabibigyan kaagad ako ng trabaho kasi naka-focus na ako sa pagte-take up ko ng Culinary Arts.” She admits that she is glad to be included in the show and welcomes the new challenge amidst her busy schedule in school. “I was currently enrolled in my A.I.C.A.( Academy for International Culinary Arts) for my culinary nga, tapos wala lang out of the blue they just decided that they wanted to create another character because Direk Mark felt na parang kulang daw, parang nakukulangan sila ng “magical realm” because the Ambogs doesn’t have any powers.” After talking with the writers and the production, the character of Ragona was born. A character patterned after Pirena, Ragona surprised everybody and took the show another notch higher. Ragona vs. Pirena Loyal viewers of GMA will definitely agree that Ragona and Pirena have uncanny similarities. Both have the ability to conjure up fire and both are strong-willed ladies who will fight for what they believe in. “Actually kasi when they were developing the new character, Direk Mark was thinking of actually putting Pirena in the show, but then baka daw ma-confuse 'yung audience so they twisted it a little,” Sunshine explained while she was being prepped for her character during the taping of Kamandag. She conceded that they have basically the same power and both characters are bordering on the dark side. “Nagiging masama sya kasi may ipinaglalaban sya. She wanted to get her child back kaya sya masama sa mga Ambog.” And indeed viewers have seen how vengeful Ragona can be. Though evil in some ways, like Pirena, the dragon lady has a redeeming side – her tenacity to find and protect her child. Find out what will happen to Ragona’s quest for her child and what role will she play in Kamandag’s journey in discovering who he really is in the magical realm of Ambograw. Watch Carlo J. Caparas’ Kamandag weeknights right after Joaquin Bordado only on GMA. Tell us what you think of Ragona, join the iGMA Forums. Feel the Fun with Sunshine! Text SUNSHINE and send to 4627. Each Fanatxt message costs P2.50 for GLOBE, SMART and TALK N TEXT, and P2.00 for SUN subscribers. This service is available only in the Philippines. For more features about Kamandag, click on the following links: Richard’s Kamandag A Peek at Kamandag Welcome to the World of Kamandag