Be Careful With My Heart

Synopsis

Maya dela Rosa (Jodi Sta. Maria), her older sister Cristina, and Cristina's son Cho are introduced as tour guides in their hometown of San Nicolas, with their mother running a souvenir shop. They often make less than what their living expenses and household repairs require. Cristina hopes to work at sea, while Maya dreams of becoming a flight attendant. One rainy night after trying to fix the roof, Cristina breaks her leg and cannot complete her schooling to become a seafarer. With a large medical bill, Maya decides to work overseas for two years to help her family. Upon arrival in Manila, she discovers that the woman who offered her a job abroad swindles her. Maya is stuck in Manila with no money or place to go. Relentless, she allows no one to stop her, not even the handsome, wealthy widower Richard Lim (Richard Yap), who reminds her of her shortcomings.

Ironically, Richard is her last hope because of his influence in the airline industry. He offers Maya a temporary job as his youngest daughter's (who has selective mutism) nanny in exchange for his help. Maya agrees to become his maid and nanny. Upon entering the Lim home, she gets involved in the private lives of Richard and his three problematic children: Luke (Jerome Ponce), Nikki (Janella Salvador) and Abby (Mutya Orquia).

Maya realizes that since Richard's wife died, the family's joy died with her, hence their problems. Maya is tasked bringing Richard closer to his children and eventually rebuilding the family. However, in repairing their broken hearts, Maya encounters bigger challenges that test her determination and, more importantly, her heart. While doing her job, she falls in love with the children and their father.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Jodi Sta. Maria as Maya dela Paz dela Rosa-Lim – At 25, Maya is a simple, idealistic provincial girl who dreams of becoming a flight attendant but in a twist of events ends up becoming a nanny for a wealthy family in Manila. She took the job in exchange of an educational scholarship from her boss, Richard Lim. She is very family-oriented and will do everything to make her family's life in the province comfortable. She has an innocent charm, yet confident, and has a very positive attitude in life. Later in the series, she marries Richard and together they had twins Sky and Sunshine.

Richard Yap as Richard "Sir Chief" Lim – He is the owner and president of the famous Lim Aviation Services, an aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul business. Known for being a cold, harsh and strict boss, he has one son and two daughters namely: Luke, Nikki and Abby. A widower of five years since losing his wife Alexandra in a plane crash, he hires Maya to take care of his youngest daughter after she rescues Abby from an incident at the airport. Maya endearingly calls him "Ser Chief." He later becomes a father again to the twins Sky and Sunshine upon marrying Maya.

Mutya Orquia as Abigail Ruth "Abby" Lim – The youngest of the three, Abby had difficulty expressing herself when her mother died. Richard has spoiled Abby and she has become overly sensitive when she hears fights and arguments in the family. Richard ultimately decided to have her home schooled because they are afraid of Abby's condition. The Lim family hired many nannies in the past and no one lasted even a week because of Abby's difficult ways. But when Maya saves her from an accident at the airport, Abby finds an instant ally in the simple girl from Mindoro.

Janella Salvador as Nikki Grace "Nik-Nik" Lim – She is the middle child and the spitting-image of her mother. After the death of her mom, Nikki tries to overcompensate for her loss and tries to take charge of her siblings. She always yearns for her father's attention and at first, she has taken a dislike for Maya, Abby's noisy, new nanny. Eventually, she warms up to Maya. She often speaks in Taglish. Later in the series, she develops a crush on her brother's best friend, Nicolo.

Jerome Ponce as Luke Andrew Lim – When his mom died, Luke became the silent and rebellious eldest child. Aloof as he may seem, he cares for the welfare of his sisters but he tries to hide it if he can.

Supporting cast

Aiza Seguerra as Cristina Rose "Kute" dela Rosa – Maya's sister, Teresita and Arturo's daughter and Cho's mother; called Kute – derived from "Kuya" and "Ate". Together with Jeff, they own the Little Pards Chibugan.

Sylvia Sanchez as Teresita dela Paz-dela Rosa – Maya and Kute's mother, Mamang's daughter, Arturo's wife and Cho's grandmother.

Lito Pimentel as Arturo dela Rosa – Maya and Kute's father, Teresita's husband, Mamang's son-in-law and Cho's grandfather.

Gloria Sevilla as Felicidad "Manang Fe" Marcelo-Alejo – Richard's nanny when he was young and the head maid of the household. Later married to Mang Anastacio.

Divina Valencia as Conchita "Mamang" dela Paz – Kute and Maya's loving grandmother, Teresita's mother, Arturo's mother-in-law and Cho's great-grandmother.

Rosario "Tart" Carlos as Dorina "Doris" Malasig – Sabel's close friend and a maid; later Abby's nanny in the Lim family.

Viveika Ravanes as Isabel "Sabel" Fortuna-Lumaque – Doris' close friend and a cook/maid in the Lim family. Later married Gerry the Security Guard.

Joan Marie Bugcat as Yaya Lea – A newly added nanny/maid for the Lim Family.

Karen Aiza Alimagno as Magda Dominguez – Kute's childhood best friend.

JM Ibañez as Pocholo "Cho" dela Rosa – Jeff and Kute's son.

Micah Muñoz as Jose Mari "Joma" Adriano – The driver of the Lim family.

Nathan Lopez as Emmanuel "Emman" Castro – Maya's friend/roommate.

Recurring cast

Noel Trinidad as Don Roberto Lim – Richard's father and grandfather to the Lim children.

Marissa Delgado as Doña Esmeralda Lim – Richard's mother and grandmother to the Lim children.

Carlos "Rusty" Salazar as Mang Anastacio Alejo – Manang Fe's love interest; later became her husband.

Tom Rodriguez as Jeffrey "Jeff" D. Macavinta – Kute's friend and Cho's father; he later left the series (following his transfer to GMA for his role on the then-upcoming drama, My Husband's Lover.)

Maricar Reyes as Rafaella "Rafi" Alcantara – Richard's best friend.

Assunta De Rossi as Katrina "Ina" Ruiz – Maya's boss who has a crush on Richard.

Kalila Aguilos as Liza – Richard's former secretary.

Johan Santos as Wilson de Juan – Maya's classmate.

Diamond Shen as Jonah – Maya's classmate.

Robert Ortega as Fred – Richard's assistant that moved and work to another company.

Ya Chang as Engineer Yamaguchi – Richard's employee.

Jerico Redrico as Lloyd

Pinky Amador as Zenaida Belmonte – Maya's teacher.

Cris Villanueva as Atty. Ryan Molina – Richard's friend and attorney.

Terence Baylon as Elmer – Driver of a neighboring house near the Lim household. Sabel and Doris have a crush on him.

Guest cast

Nick Lizaso as Don Julio Demornay

Sunshine Garcia as Stephanie

Joyce So as Anna Martinez

Dionne Monsanto as Teacher Emy – Abby's home-school teacher.

Jed Montero as Teacher May Anne

Joy Viado† as Senyang

Melai Cantiveros as Yaya Gemma

Karen Leslie Dematera as Gina

Princess Manzon as Karisa

Agatha Tapan as Yaya Melinda

Bianca Saldua as Monica – Maya's friend.

Cai Cortez as Luisa

Meg Imperial as Sarah

Andre Tiangco as Airline Purser

Jomari Umpa as Pao

Yanna Asistio as Angge

Elisse Joson as Cheska

John Arcilla as Wedding Priest

Jose Mari Chan as Wedding Singer

Jenine Desiderio as Wedding Singer

Bodjie Pascua as Ramon Francisco

Lollie Mara as Norma Melendez

Irma Adlawan as Victoria Reyes

Production

Development

Prior to the series, standard television dramas in the Philippines were almost exclusively reserved for evening primetime. To test whether a non-primetime drama could build an audience, ABS-CBN introduced the show as an experimental morning or pre-noontime series, offering viewers a light, positive, and "feel-good" alternative before lunch. Promotional teasers and trailers began airing across the network in late June 2012.

During a press conference in July 2012 to officially announce the series, the production team revealed that while they utilized the classic rich-and-poor dynamic, they consciously chose to present it in an uplifting light. Unlike traditional TV soap operas, the show intentionally avoided heavy villainy, intense rivalries, and severe family dysfunction.

Casting

For the main cast, Jodi Sta. Maria revealed in interviews that she was not the initial choice for the role of Maya Dela Rosa. The project marked a major shift for her, transitioning from her usual heavy dramatic roles to romantic comedy. Similarly, before Richard Yap was cast as Ser Chief in his first lead role, the creative team had approached several other actors. Faced with tight production deadlines and actor rejections, they turned to Yap following his breakthrough performance as Papa Chen in My Binondo Girl. The pairing proved to be a success, as their on-screen chemistry unexpectedly exploded in popularity. Meanwhile, the young actors portraying the Lim siblings were assembled through a process of auditions.

Release

Be Careful With My Heart aired on the ABS-CBN's Prime Tanghali line up and worldwide on TFC from July 9, 2012 to November 28, 2014. 618 episodes of the series aired over two years, becoming one of the longest-running morning drama series in Philippine television history. After ABS-CBN launched exclusive behind-the-scenes channels for Walang Hanggan and Princess and I, the series also featured its own exclusive interviews of the cast and crew in the network's website. Initially planned for a single 13-week season, the show was extended multiple times due to overwhelming popularity and high ratings.

Reruns

Due to insistent public demand, Be Careful With My Heart Sabado Rewind premiered on September 15, 2012 at 10:30 AM, as the first Philippine weekday TV show to air a weekly replay. It aired every Saturday before It's Showtime until November 16, 2013, when it was replaced by live NBA broadcasts.

Be Careful with My Heart has enjoyed multiple reruns on the cable channel Jeepney TV since its original ABS-CBN run ended. These aired on October 17, 2016, December 22, 2017, and August 20, 2018. The 2018 rerun was temporarily halted on February 1, 2019, due to election-related restrictions involving a cast member running in the midterm elections. Broadcasts resumed on May 19, 2019, with Sunday airings at 5:00 PM and weekday episodes at 6:00 PM beginning May 20, 2019.

Be Careful with My Heart re-aired for its 10th anniversary celebration on Kapamilya Channel's Kapamilya Mornings programming block, Kapamilya Online Live and A2Z on July 18, 2022, on at 9:00 AM replacing Flower Crew: Dating Agency. On August 8, the rerun's timeslot was changed to 10:00 AM (same timeslot on its former Saturday Recap block) in exchange with Magandang Buhay until October 20, 2023.

Other Media

The series received an extensive home media release from ABS-CBN, spanning over 50 DVD volumes. Each set included Tagalog audio, English subtitles, and exclusive bonus content, such as The Making of Be Careful With My Heart. Special standalone releases were produced, including the Be Careful With My Heart Fairy Tale Wedding DVD.

In partnership with ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc., several tie-in souvenir magazines were also released. These included The Fairytale, which featured exclusive photos and behind-the-scenes articles detailing Maya and Ser Chief's wedding, as well as Maya's Baby Book, published to commemorate the arrival of the Lim family's twins. Capitalizing on the show's immense popularity, ABS-CBN produced a wide variety of merchandise, including apparel, character-themed items, signature colognes, and autographed teddy bears.

International broadcasts

Kenya — NTV

Malaysia — Media Prima (TV3)

Nigeria — Televista TV (DStv Channel 194 and GOtv Channel 15) and ONTV Nigeria (UHF 41)

Tanzania — StarTV Africa

Uganda — Bukedde TV

Vietnam — TodayTV VTC7

Soundtrack

The Be Careful With My Heart original soundtrack features popular romantic tracks performed by the show's lead stars and notable OPM artists, along with minus-one versions for sing-along use. The primary soundtrack released in 2012 includes the drama's main theme song with the same title performed by lead stars Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap, as well as an alternate version by Juris and Sam Milby, it is later utilized as the official and main theme song for the 2026 beauty pageant-themed satirical comedy and surivival thriller film, Red Crown (produced by GMA Pictures). The album earned Gold certification from the Philippine Association of the Record Industry. In 2013, Richard and Maya (The Wedding Soundtrack) was released to mark the wedding storyline of the lead characters. This was followed in 2014 by Be Careful with My Heart (The Lullaby Album), which featured tracks such as "Brahms Lullaby" to complement the show's later family-oriented themes. A special promotional single, "Kapit Bisig," performed by the show's ensemble cast, was also released in 2014 in celebration of the series and its grand finale.

Reception

Ratings

The drama's pilot episode garnered a 15.2% nationwide rating, considerably high for a 'morning' drama, and dominated its competitor, GMA Network's Chef Boy Logro: Kusina Master which got 8.8% according to data released by Kantar Media. Be Careful with My Heart premiered strongly on July 9, 2012, on the pre-noontime block, and ended in 2014 with a final rating of 19.6%. Be Careful With My Heart's ratings peaked during one of its airings in January 2013, reaching 31.3% nationwide rating, marking the all-time highest rating on daytime Philippine television by any non-sports or non-live show.

Awards and nominations

As one of ABS-CBN's most successful and groundbreaking daytime series, it earned many awards from major local award-giving bodies—such as the Anak TV Seal Awards, Box Office Entertainment Awards, Catholic Mass Media Awards, Gawad Tanglaw Awards, Golden Dove Awards, and PMPC Star Awards for Television, winning categories like Best Drama Series and acting accolades for its lead stars Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap. It was also recognized internationally, winning honors at events like the Vietnam Green Star Awards.

Tours and concerts

Be Careful With My Heart World Tour

I Heart You 2: The 'Be Careful With My Heart' Anniversary Thanksgiving

Spin-offs

Cancelled Film

On June 18, 2013, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced the 8 entries competing for the 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which includes the Be Careful With My Heart movie. Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap will reprise their roles for the movie, which will premiere on December 25, 2013. The film is said to be the continuation of where the chapter of the series will end shortly before MMFF, by early December 2013. In several recent interviews and appearances, Yap and Sta. Maria also mentioned that the only time their show will not air on television is during the time that the MMFF movie is being shown in cinemas. The show would however be back on air after the movie to continue the story.

In September 2013, the Be Careful With My Heart movie entry was pulled out from the Metro Manila Film Festival due to schedule conflicts of Yap and Sta. Maria. The head of the MMFF wrote a letter to the producer of the show to bring back the movie and even gave them an extension for the submission of the film. But the production team declined and instead continued the series.