'Simula sa Gitna' cast members, including lead actress Maris Racal (left), pose for photos while on set at the Manila Post Office in April. Instagram: @khalilramos
MANILA — The cast members of the upcoming series "Simula sa Gitna" were among those who expressed sadness over the fire that engulfed and caused extensive damage to the historic Manila Post Office.
"Simula sa Gitna," a spin-off of the 2018 film "Hintayan ng Langit," is similarly set in purgatory or "Kalagitnaan."
The "in-between" realm is depicted to have classical interiors, in this case the structure of the iconic Manila Post Office.
As news of the building catching fire broke on Monday, "Simula sa Gitna" lead stars Maris Racal and Khalil Ramos — who had just wrapped filming on location in April — reacted through social media updates.
"So sad to see Manila Post Office like this," Racal wrote on Instagram Stories with a heartbreak emoji.
Ramos, meanwhile, shared a photo he had taken of the structure's facade before the fire, captioned only with a sad-face emoji.
Producer Project 8 Projects, led by filmmakers Antoinette Jadaone and Dan Villegas, has been sharing behind-the-scenes footage of the project's April shooting at Manila Post Office. Several videos show the expansive lobby, which is now razed by the fire.
'A way to rebuild?'
Aside from the cast of "Simula sa Gitna," other celebrities who shared their sentiments on the destructive fire include music icon Lea Salonga.
"Seeing pictures of the Post Office building breaks my heart. Will there be a way to rebuild?" she wrote on Facebook.
Celebrity photographer Shaira Luna, meanwhile, shared photos from a pictorial she did in 2018, featuring members of the pop group BoyBandPH.
The photo shoot featured the performers posing with the recognizable interiors of Manila Post Office in the background — images which now serve as a reminder of what once was before the fire.
Originally built in 1926, the post office was once considered the "grandest building" in Manila, according to its website. It was destroyed in World War II as US forces recaptured the capital from Japanese occupation forces, and rebuilt in 1946.
The Philippine National Museum declared the building an "important cultural property" in 2018.
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