Yam Concepcion as Jade, the ‘mistress’ we all love to hate

Yam Concepcion (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN)

ONCE again a new teleserye character playing the “other woman” has Filipino viewers gritting their teeth and clenching their fists as they curse her existence and damn her soul. 

“Homewrecker,” “flirt,” “snake” are just a few of the nicknames they throw at her. She’s the perfect villain to any fairytale. Because, nobody is hated more than a two-timing, gold-digging, discontented and scheming wife who goes by name of “Jade Bartolome.”     

Jade Bartolome is the character played by Yam Concepcion, opposite Jericho Rosales who plays the role of Lino (Jade’s husband) in ABS-CBN’s teleserye, “Halik.”

The story’s boiling point was when Lino found out that his wife was having an affair with Ace Corpuz who is played by Sam Milby in this heart-tugging and blood-boiling drama series that has Filipino viewers glued to their TV screens just to witness the rollercoaster happenings and daring scenes the series is known for.

“Halik” is one of ABS-CBN’s most scorching shows at the moment and has been causing quite the stir amongst the Filipino audience because of their intense and frustrating scenes that’ll make you want to pull your hair and scream profanities just to get it out of your system.

 With the show’s ratings, it has proven – yet again – that media outlets have the power to rally the masses against a single character or in situations that are 100 percent hashtag #relatable.

Take for example the scene when Lino caught Jade and Ace! The brutal confrontation that had everyone at the edge of their seats. And need I mention how our hearts melt over that emotional scene where Lino broke down after finding out for himself that his wife was engaging in an affair with his enemy?

Another one of the many trending episodes was when Jade attacks the very kind Jacky (played by Yen Santos) publicly. Oh no, she didn’t! I know, right? The nerve to go after the wife of the man you are having an affair with? I mean, you must be completely callous, self-absorbed, and thick-faced to play victim considering the circumstances. But that’s the irony we face nowadays. 

Gone are the insecure, underappreciated, scared and timid mistresses who wait by the window counting the hours until her lover could sneak out from his precious family to come home to her. 

Now the world is filled with “Jades.” They are the mistresses who would overstep and go way beyond the boundaries of being the “third party.” They have convinced themselves that they are entitled and they hold their ground no matter how inconsiderate and immoral that is. They unbelievably confident to a fault. And we all love to hate on a woman like that, don’t we?

But that’s how we get hooked and somehow stressed out by the mistress-character Yam plays. 

Plus, the series is jam-packed with cheating escapades, betrayal scenes, confrontations, and embarrassing public spectacles. 

 Kudos to the writers of the show who seem to have perfectly concocted the “most hated” person on Philippine TV. 

In an interview, Yam, who plays this iconic role shared about how she has been bashed on social media and has received hate messages for playing Jade. In fairness to Yam, she has pulled of this role really well — so well that sometimes people forget that she is just playing a role. And while she is not loving the hurtful messages and personal attacks on her sometimes, she is still thankful that people recognize her performance – and are reacting to it in the most dramatic way possible. 

Fortunately, her efforts had not gone unnoticed as she recently received her first acting award after being in show business for over six years. In her Instagram account she thanked the organization, “Philippine Social Media Awards” who has chosen her as the receiver of the star achiever trending teleserye actress for her role as Jade.

 For those who are unaware, Yam Concepcion who is Lorraine May Concepcion in real life, has been in the showbiz industry since 2012 when a talent scout discovered her in one of the music videos of OPM band Mayonnaise. She started off by playing supporting roles in a few movies and starring in the Erik Matti-helmed adult thriller flick, Rigodon.

A Multimedia Arts graduate from De La Salle – College of St. Benilde, Yam ventured in doing teleseryes and, in 2013, landed a spot in the television adaptation of the classic action movie Dugong Buhay as Sandy de Guzman. She played deceitful and traitor best friend Kayla to Diane (Alex Gonzaga) in the 2014 drama “Pure Love,” the Filipino adaptation of the Korean series 49 Days. 

That same year, Yam once more flaunted her sexy image when she portrayed the supporting role of Michelle, the ex-girlfriend to Patrick Garcia’s character, Albert Medrano, in the Pinoy version of the hit K-Drama “Two Wives.” Yam portrayed kontrabida again that same year when she took on the role of Bianca in the Kapamilya Gold soap opera “All Of Me.”

Yam’s biggest break came in 2016 in the daytime family series “Langit Lupa,” wherein she scored her first-ever leading role on TV. From drama, the seasoned actress was able to try her flair in action when she got included in the top-rating primetime series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and played the role of Lena, whose character proved to have a thrilling connection to the Coco Martin’s titular character. Reportedly, her supposed two-month stint in the show got extended to six months because of the audiences’ positive response. 

Yam is the testament of how one iconic role can change her life forever. Albeit, a not-so-loveable role, but one that has the power hold every living fan invested enough to turn them into “haters.” 

I love that we hate the antagonist that Jade Bartolome embodies because it turned our attention to Yam Concepcion. She is purely talented and I could not imagine a much better Jade but her. 

To Yam: Congratulations. I love you as much as I hate Jade Bartolome. Keep it up!

Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at [email protected]

Monet Lu

Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at [email protected].

The Filipino-American Community Newspaper. Your News. Your Community. Your Journal. Since 1991.

Copyright © 1991-2024 Asian Journal Media Group.
All Rights Reserved.