The Pearl of Manila

Set during the Commonwealth Period until World War II.

Ever since she was a child, feisty mestiza Catalina Velasquez has set her eyes on marrying Pepito Bancain, a poor boat-rower who earns his living on the Pasig River. But as life would have it, fate sent her from the rough seas of the Pacific to the wild and exciting continent of South America, where she gained fame in the Iberian colonies as an excellent flamenco artisan. Eight years later, she returns Las Islas Filipinas to win the heart of her childhood love, but she soon finds out that true love must not only survive but also prevail, above all, the changing times.