MANILA — The apparent death of John Prats’ character in “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” surprised viewers on Tuesday, prompting many to ask whether the actor is departing the primetime series for good.

In the episode titled “Saklolo,” a restless Jerome (Prats) found himself strolling in the dead of night, as he contemplated about his future with Task Force Agila and his longing for his family.

He, however, was soon ambushed by a group of men, whom Agila earlier had friction with. Outmatched, Jerome was shot in the head, and appeared to die just outside the doorstep of Agila’s hideout.

The sudden death of Jerome shocked fans of “Ang Probinsyano,” going by the flood of comments on its Kapamilya Online Live broadcast.

• John Prats on directing ‘Showtime,’ 5 years with ‘Probinsyano,’ and his newfound purpose

Some speculated that Jerome’s death may be a dream sequence. After all, they recalled, Cardo (Coco Martin) has had his share of onscreen deaths, only to be revealed belatedly as a nightmare.

Others, however, were convinced that Prats is due to leave “Ang Probinsyano,” or may soon do, pointing out his concurrent stint as director of the daily noontime program “It’s Showtime.”

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Prats previously told ABS-CBN News, in a July interview, that he was uncertain as to the fate of Jerome in the series, saying it was up to management whether to retain him as a cast member.

“We’ll see kung ano ‘yung magiging decision ng management kung anuman. Kasi, kami naman, kung saan kami ilagay, we will just do our best,” he said at the time.

• Now he’s director of ‘It’s Showtime,’ will John Prats leave ‘Ang Probinsyano’?

Prats also acknowledged that he sees the prospect of concurrent roles in two major ABS-CBN programs as “really hard.”

“I have to balance not just ‘Ang Probinsyano’ and ‘Showtime,’ but also my time for my family,” he said, noting his third child with wife Isabel Oli has just turned a year old.

In that interview, Prats only laughed when asked on the possibility of Jerome exiting “Ang Probinsyano” by being killed off: “Wala pa namang sinasabing ganoon!”

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