Donbelle takes one last ride with ‘tayo sa wakas’ as loveteam parts ways for now

MANILA, Philippines, May 11 ------ Kapamilya stars Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano are taking their love team to the next level as they return to the big screen with “Tayo Sa Wakas,” directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana. With a promise to be a roller coaster of emotions in a relationship, the film will also take viewers on DonBelle’s last ride for now, as they recently decided to part ways.

Donny and Belle take us through the process of accepting the project “Tayo Sa Wakas” and what led them to decide to take a pause and focus on their solo careers.

Hit pause

“Tayo Sa Wakas” follows the romantic relationship between Cisco (Donny) and Cheska (Belle) tested by the challenges of time. From their honeymoon phase at work to facing decisions for their career milestones, their love will be tested if it is still worth fighting for. When the project was presented to them, Donny admitted that it felt like it was the right film for them to signal their pause as a love team.

“It’s not something that we thought of overnight. Si Belle kasi isa sa kakampi ko rito, siyempre, sa showbiz. And we’re very, very open with each other. So, I think it just had to get to a point where tama ‘yung material para sa ganitong klaseng transition. So, we would talk about it project after project. Kailan kaya tayo magkakaroon ng ganitong klaseng transition or phase to a different direction or when would we pause?” the actor said in a presscon.

When we were presented with this material, nag-meet lang kami and sabi namin sa isa’t isa, I thought this was the best time. It’s very timely, and it’s the one that will showcase different sides of us. It’s a mixture of all our characters and more. It just felt like the right time,” he added. Belle echoed his sentiments, stressing how the film will show their growth since their pairing started in the TV series titled “He’s Into Her” in 2020. “Before entering the love team naman, sabi ko, I wanna be a great actress, ‘yun naman talaga, and Donny and I have been vocal naman na we just don’t want to be DonBelle. We also wanna be Donny and Belle,” the actress said. “I feel like this project is the perfect project for it since it shows so much growth and maturity. And it required so much authenticity from both of us,” she added.

For Emilio Daez, many people from Generation Z can learn from this film. “May push and pull between love, career, and prioritizing yourself. I think maraming matututunan ang ating mga viewers and lahat ng manonood ng film about themselves, their partners, their future partners, their careers. I’m super excited for them to see that.” Joross Gamboa echoed Emilio’s sentiments, stressing how a relationship is about giving: “The greatest secret in love and in life is giving. Kapag papasok ka sa isang relationship, hindi dapat ‘you complete me’; kailangan kumpleto ka na at overflowing ka na. Love is about giving.” For her part, Belle said: “Ang daming layers nung character namin. Talagang it’s very real and very human and iba talaga siya sa (mga characters namin noon).”

Donny added that people will always have flaws, but couples will always learn to meet halfway and improve for the better. “We have a lot of flawed characteristics, sinasabi nila ngayon na ‘red flag,’ pero kasi you have to understand also where each character is coming from and what their background is,” he said. “Siguro ‘yung experiences ng bawat isa and just being together for so long, I think that does something to you as an individual and as a couple and as people who go through life together but are finding out if it’s meant to go through together or finding yourself first in the process,” he added.

Press forward

For Donny, “Tayo Sa Wakas” felt like a culmination of all of their previous characters since their pairing for “He’s Into Her” in 2020. After the first season of “He’s Into Her,” DonBelle paired up in the film “Love Is Color Blind” and the show’s season in 2022.

The tandem returned to the big screen with “An Inconvenient Love” in 2022, followed by the series “Can’t Buy Me Love” from 2023 to 2024 and “How To Spot A Red Flag” in 2025. “Kasi ano siya, eh, different stages of a relationship. So, if you go through all of that in a journey, you’ll start with the kilig. You’ll start with the honeymoon phase, and you’ll go through the realization, and you’ll become familiar to each other,” Donny said. “Tas doon na ‘yung mga problems na mag-a-arise. It’s a combination of all our characters in different stages of their life,” he added.

Donny shared a lesson of doing things together: “Give yourself some slack. Hindi madali ‘yung ginagawa naming pelikula, but the fact that we get to do it with each other, I think, made it so much more worthy of doing this craft. And we’re so passionate because we know that everyone wants what’s best for it.” “I think the lesson is as long as you do things together, no matter where you are, no matter what your mindset is, basta nandun kayo, aligned kayo, parang ang sarap lang sa pakiramdam because you know na magkakampi kayo,” he added.

As they move forward with their careers, Belle hopes to try new things beyond their pairing: “Ang dami ko pang gustong ma-try. Basta, it’s a good material. I’m all for it.” Donny, however, doesn’t know yet what’s next for him. “I think the best thing here is that I don’t know talaga what’s next, and I think it’s okay to not know.” As they part ways for now, Donny stressed how proud he is of Belle’s growth, and he was glad to spend the past years with her. “I know that we may not be working with each other in the near future, but I’ll always be here and sobrang proud ako sa’yo. I’ve really seen you grow since Day 1, since we’ve met. I will always look up to you, and I’m just so, so blessed to have spent these last years with you. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank you,” he said.

Belle became emotional and expressed his respect towards Donny, thanking him for the support throughout their journey. “Thank you so much for the journey, for just being there, for the support. I respect you so much, and ngayon, ang layo mo na, pero malayo ka pa. I’m just so proud of you, and I’m just so proud of the man that you are now,” he said.

Seeing their emotional fans, Donny assured their followers that they will stay as a family despite parting ways for now as they pursue their solo careers. “I just wanna say thank you to our supporters. You guys mean the world to us. I know that a lot of you are hurting, a lot of you are sad, but please know that me and Belle we’re in a great place,” he said. “And this is what’s best for everyone, and we’re gonna continue to support each other through this. But truly, thank you. This family will always stay. We may not be doing project after project together, but this family will always stay,” he added.

Source: philstar.com