The realistic portrayal of soldiers’ patriotism and perseverance in “A Soldier’s Heart” captivated more Filipinos as the newest ABS-CBN series constantly led its timeslot in its pilot week.

Viewers tuned in to the primetime series from Monday (Jan 20) to Friday (Jan 25), with its pilot episode hitting its highest national TV rating so far, with 19.8%, compared to “One of the Baes” (11.7%), according to data from Kantar Media.

Praises also poured in online as netizens expressed their admiration for the stories of aspiring soldiers Alex (Gerald Anderson), Elmer (Vin Abrenica), Benjie (Yves Flores), Abe (Carlo Aquino), Michael (Nash Aguas), Phil (Jerome Ponce), and Jethro (Elmo Magalona), who showed their dedication to serve the country.

“Thank you @RCDNarratives for creating this kind of show... there are a lot of lessons that you can learn and it also shows the sacrifices of our soliders, a relevent series,” said Twitter user @IMeowsYou. 

“All I can say is this is such a compelling teleserye. It took a while before it was aired because it went through thorough preparations. They researched and studied everything well,” @elmomags27 also tweeted.

“The story of ‘A Soldier’s Heart’ excites me. It shows the reasons for joining and struggles of every soldier. Very realistic. They went through real training,” @roanlangnaman commented.

Meanwhile, more revelations will come viewers’ way as Alex and his real brother Saal (Sid Lucero), who got separated when they were young, will finally reunite  — but as enemies as the military and the rebel group led by Saal combat in an armed battle.

Aside from “A Soldier’s Heart,” ABS-CBN also pays tribute to the country’s soldiers through its public service event “Saludo Sa Sundalong Pilipino” where Kapamilya stars visit military camps to thank soldiers for their bravery and sacrifices for the country.

Since 2017, a total of ten “Saludo Sa Sundalong Pilipino” events have been held, including in Nueva Ecija to as far as Cagayan De Oro. Last December, various stars led by Coco Martin, Gerald Anderson, and Regine Velasquez paid a visit at the camps of Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to honor our country’s heroes.