Ken Chan with baby Angelo
I think I’m ready to be a parent,” quipped actor Ken Chan, who actually plays a young father in the GMA 7 soap series, “My Special Tatay.”
In real life, Filipino-Chinese Ken Steven Angeles Chan is the family breadwinner. He would effectively budget his earnings between household expenses and the medical expenses of his father, who is suffering from esophageal cancer.
“It’s difficult [to have a sick family member]. I try not to worry about the expenses anymore. I just send money to make sure that my father is given everything he needs. I’m doing all I can so he’d get better,” Ken told reporters during a recent luncheon organized by GMA 7.
Since the series premiered on Sept. 3, Ken said he has been receiving positive comments about the story and his performance. He reported that the audience felt more involved with the series when his character Boyet’s son, Baby Angelo, was introduced.
“I would read comments about the father-and-son relationship. They said that Boyet, despite his mental condition, is a better father than most men. He loves Baby Angelo so much, unlike some men without disabilities who would abandon or neglect their children,” Ken shared with reporters.
He observed that, through the show, people became more respectful of people with disabilities. “We’re happy because that’s our goal—to make them understand what people with mental disability like Boyet are going through,” he stressed.
What Boyet has is called “mild intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder,” which as explained by Ken, has three kinds—mild, moderate and severe.
“According to psychologists, the mild kind is close to normal. You’d just think that the person is acting weird,” he pointed out. “That’s why it’s difficult to portray Boyet. We have to make people understand the difference, or else, we’ll end up getting bashed.”
Ken and Arra San Agustin
“So far, so good,” said Ken when asked about the audience’s reaction to his portrayal. “Of the 700 comments in a video that we posted, only three or five are negative. I’m glad they like what they see, and they understand.”
Ken only has good things to say about leading lady Arra San Agustin, who plays Carol, Boyet’s love interest in the show.
“Arra has both beauty and brains. I also admire her because she is very independent. Her family lives a comfortable life, but she doesn’t depend on her parents,” he said. “Like me, she wants to prove that she’s capable of taking care of herself. I’m also amazed at the amount of chocolates she consumes, but she never gets fat.”
The afternoon series, directed by LA Madridejos, also stars Jestoni Alarcon, Teresa Loyzaga and Jillian Ward.