In the newest chapter of Alden Richards’ and Maine Mendoza’s showbiz journey, they are whisked away by Mega magazine to faraway Morocco for a reinvention that is sure to cast a love spell on their fans.Imagine the country’s biggest love team and the country’s premiere style glossy working together to produce a blockbuster October issue in an exotic, dreamy location. You get MEGA Nation in Morocco with AlDub.

“AlDub is the pair that has brought a nation to a complete standstill at lunch time. That’s why they were the only option to punctuate this campaign,” declares Angelo Ramirez de Cartagena, assistant editor of MEGA magazine.

He would go on to say, “Why Alden and Maine? I don’t think there’s anyone else who could live up to that MEGA Nation catchphrase. Kasi sila naman ‘yung naging phenomenal team-up na lumabasfrom out of nowhere last year.”True enough, the phenomenal love team would prove their popularity from the streets of Manila to the souks of Morocco. AlDub’s star quality would manifest its magnetic pull even abroad, in the arresting, magical locales of Casablanca and Marrakech. Angelo relates, “Even people in Morocco found Maine interesting. We had an editorial shoot for MEGA Man and we had a Portuguese model. So while we were shooting Maine, and the model was just waiting for his transfer to the airport, andun siya lingering with us. He was like ‘Who’s that girl? Is she a model also? Is she from the Philippines?’ Even this Portuguese model who had zero idea who she was found her charming and enchanting. I guess kasi tinignan niya and then nagkulitan pa nga sila at some point. I’m surenagandahan siya. Kasi si Maine may super quirky moments talaga.”Jeb Fronda, associate fashion editor of MEGA magazine who was tasked in taking care of AlDub’s style transformation reveals, “People were following us in Morocco. These were the Filipino fans of Alden and Maine. We didn’t even announce it at all. Andun kami sa isang restaurant tapos biglang may lumapit na mga Filipino fans. Doon ko lang naintindihan na iba talaga ‘yung sakop ng AlDub. I cannot even explain the devotion of the fans abroad. I think it’s their connection to our culture.”

Angelo recounts, “The moment we landed, nilapitan na agad kami ng people who work in the airport who were Filipinos and they were like ‘Kasama niyo ba si Maine at si Alden? Day-off koactually today pero nakipagpalit ako kasi alam kong kasama niyo sila.’ As in solid sila. ‘Yun daw ‘yung outlet nila.”Mike Carandang, head of One Mega Group’s TV 100 who directs the fashion film that revolves around the production of the October issue in the famed African country claims the same thing. “There were fans in Casablanca. There were Filipinos. She was not just recognized! They knew that we were coming. There were three groups. The first one involved me, Suki Salvador, Peewee Reyes-Isidro, the team, Mark Nicdao. The second one was Maine, her mom, Miss Sari Yap. The third group was Alden and his team. When we landed, there was a group of Filipinos who knew we were coming. They even figured out which hotel we were staying at.”Mike adds another recollection that struck him: “On the way to Casablanca from Marrakech, there was a fan that had been waiting since midnight. It happened that we were leaving at six in the morning and he had been there all night. He had photos and magazines for her to sign—para kayAlden at kay Maine. And then when we went to the tourist spots there, so many fans waiting for them. Grabe. Even on social media, grabe ‘yung response ng mga fans nila.”According to Mike, “What would be fun for AlDub fans is to see how Alden and Maine transformed into fashion models. Especially for Maine. Alden has been told most of his life that he’s good-looking. He knows his angles. He knows his poses. This is very new to Maine—being on the cover of a fashion magazine. She’s done a lot of endorsements. But when you do endorsements, they are hiring you for you. But because it is MEGA, Maine has to personify the MEGA woman so I think that’s what’s interesting—because she becomes a model. She becomes a fierce model. She transforms.”

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