‘MMK’ returns with timely stories of hope and triumph

Charo Santos-Concio

You want your heart to flutter. You crave to experience that happy and light feeling. Even just for an hour and a half, you want to feel the kilig,” said actress-TV host Charo Santos-Concio as to the kind of audience we Filipinos have become, now that we’re battling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inquirer Entertainment asked her opinion on whether or not “Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK),” the drama anthology she has been hosting for 29 years, should now feature happy love stories, instead of those that make the audience cry.

Charo said the program “recognizes that the audience is looking for relief. We’re cognizant of that, so we try to balance the choices of stories that we air.”

Interestingly, people never stopped sending letters to the program. This was why, Charo said, the MMK team still managed to find stories of hope while the nation is full of despair. “What our country is experiencing is not an isolated case. This is a phenomenon that the universe sends us once in a while. We’re given a new normal to help us realize what’s really important in our lives. I think hope is something that we all have. It’s what makes life a lot more meaningful and helps us see things from a positive perspective,” she pointed out.

After having encountered different kinds of love stories for 29 years, Charo observed that they all have common elements. “First is respect for each other’s personality and interests. The second is patience, which you need to have a lot of because you’re two different people. Lastly, it’s forgiveness. We’re human beings. We commit mistakes. This is also important for true love to prosper,” she pointed out.

After airing reruns during the lockdown, MMK has returned to feature new stories of hope and triumph. Its first new episode is a two-part special directed by Dado Lumibao, featuring the story of Dr. El Bactol (Arjo Atayde), an emergency room doctor who helped treat COVID-19 patients, but eventually succumbed to it. Arjo acted alongside his mother, Sylvia Sanchez, and rising actress Jane de Leon. The two-part story aired on Nov. 28 and Dec. 5.

Meanwhile, Joshua Garcia headlines a father-and-son feature with veteran actor, Nonie Buencamino on Dec. 12. Directed by Nuel Naval, the episode talks about the life of Layot, (Nonie), a fisherman, and his son Maro (Joshua), who have different aspirations in life, but will try to pursue them with the help of one another.

In January, Angel Aquino portrays overseas Filipino worker Vagelyn Tumbaga-Pacio in the inspiring story of a single mother who became the most successful Filipino HR director of a famous hotel in Dubai.

During a recent media gathering, Charo disclosed that she was thrilled to have gone back to work after a long break. “I felt grateful to be able to return to it, especially when I saw the crew setting up the lights, and the production team fixing the set. Iba ang energy ko!”

As to how she made the last eight months on quarantine pass, Charo, who is also a former president and CEO of ABS-CBN, said: “I downloaded easy piano pieces. I was able to study a simple piano piece—‘Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.’

“I also took care of my plants. I grew up in the province, so I’ve already been exposed to taking care of plants at a very young age. I remember that my mother had a green thumb,” recalled Charo. “I also had more time to read books. I rediscovered Korean dramas. These days, I also get to see projects that were produced by other countries.”

Of course, Charo said she also spent a lot of meaningful time with her family, “since gatherings now are very small and intimate,” she explained. “You have more time to talk. I’m OK. I think it becomes challenging if you experience fear and anxiety. You worry for the members of your family. But for me, it’s a matter of looking at it from a positive perspective. If not, you will surely get depressed.” INQ