How Maika Rivera’s views on love differ from Carlota’s in “The Loyalty Game”

One of the cunning and feisty loyalty testers in the drama series “The Loyalty Game: Level Up” is Carlota Aberin, portrayed by Maika Rivera. Beneath her tough exterior, Carlota has a soft spot for her boyfriend, Mark (Elyson de Dios), and is willing to do whatever it takes to provide for him—even resorting to deception in her work as a loyalty tester, all in the name of love and money. 

But how do Carlota’s views on love compare with Maika Rivera’s own perspective in real life? In a candid conversation with her fellow “The Loyalty Game: Level Up” stars Janine Gutierrez (Ana), Carmina Villarroel (Imelda), Kira Balinger (Angel), Elisse Joson (Bridgette), Yen Santos (Diane), and Sofia Andres (Beth), Maika opens up about her personal views on love, loyalty, and heartbreak in “The Loyalty Session.” 

Maika picked a question from a bowl that asked whether loyalty is something you earn or something you give freely. She chose the latter, explaining, “It’s something that you give to someone. If you meet the person, it’s expecting or hoping na sana tama ‘yung judgment mo.” 

For Maika, loyalty is something you give from the start, while earning and maintaining that trust depends on the other person. Ultimately, it comes down to trusting your instincts and hoping you made the right choice in placing your trust in someone. 

In “The Loyalty Game: Level Up,” Carlota devises various schemes as part of her work as a loyalty tester. While her tactics help uncover the truth for her clients, Maika admits that she would never resort to such manipulative behavior in real life. “’Yung pagiging manipulative, I have to [do it], but at the same time, I understand as though why we do the things that we do.” 

Still, Maika believes that loyalty tests can sometimes put innocent people in difficult situations. As she pointed out, “Kawawa din naman kasi ‘pag binigyan mo ng opportunity ‘yung isang tao, minsan kakagat, but what if ‘di naman s’ya masamang tao.” 

“The Loyalty Game: Level Up” explores different forms of love, offering viewers plenty of thought-provoking lessons. When asked what she hopes audiences will take away from the series, Maika shared a relatable perspective. Echoing Carmina Villarroel’s view that love is a form of acceptance, she added that love is also imperfect, making it all the more important to choose carefully whom you share it with.

For Maika, love is about choosing that person every single day, no matter the circumstances. “It’s a matter of choosing that person every day regardless of the situation. Pipiliin mo ‘yung taong ‘yon na ready ka kahit masaktan ka,” she said, emphasizing that loving someone also means accepting the possibility of getting hurt. 

Follow Carlota’s journey as she faces the consequences of love and loyalty in the expanded story of “The Loyalty Game: Level Up,” weekdays 9:30 PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, A2Z and Kapamilya Online Live (KOL) on Facebook and YouTube. The series will also be available on TFC, while iWant viewers can stream episodes seven days ahead of their television airing.