MMK letter-senders from Visayas in memorable reunion

CEBU, Philippines - When someone has such a heavily dramatic life story, it’s been common among Filipinos to label such “pang-MMK.”

Indeed, MMK (ABS-CBN’s weekly anthology Maalala Mo Kaya) has been the unofficial national term for stories of the heart-rending sort, and a household habit that Philippine TV viewers look forward to every weekend for more than 20 years now. Mondays at school or back at the office were usually marked by conversations over that weekend’s poignant episode, and how much buckets of tears were spilt.

Years have passed, people grow up and turn jaded, and with episodes that have become too extraordinary to have actually happened in real life, time was when it crossed one’s mind that these letters couldn’t have possibly come from real people. These were stuff that could have only sprouted from a soap opera scriptwriter’s imagination.

But a recent MMK event in Cebu reminded us, that there still are real subjects behind these weekly cry fests. Letter-senders from Cebu, Bohol and Dumaguete City were gathered in a night of recollection and celebration at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, attended by MMK host herself, Charo Santos-Concio.

The ABS-CBN president and CEO said this was their way of expressing gratitude “to the letter-senders who have boldly imparted to the Filipino people the stories oftheir lives, in the fervent hope of touching and changing the lives of others, too. For more than 20 years, MMK has gathered thousands of real stories of real people that have touched the lives of millions of Filipinos worldwide through tales of hope, survival, perseverance, sacrifice and love.”

The entertainment press folk of Cebu happened to occupy a table where a former child hero and his mom were already seated. Remember Keybird Padilla of the 2004 MMK episode “Police Car”? He was the 11-year-old who ran after a snatcher in Barangay Ermita back in 2003, a brave feat that landed him in the local headlines. The incident also landed him in the 2004 list of Reader’s Digest Everyday Heroes. He was a third grader then at the City Central Elementary School.

For his heroism, his mother Rowena was also given a job at the Cebu City Hall, which she has maintained for the past ten years.

The 11-year-old hero is now 21 years old, and a shy, quiet boy who dreams of becoming a policeman. He said his first dream was to become a priest, but that changed after the incident.  He lives in Barangay Day-as now with his mother. Keybird also shared that he is a sophomore at the Asian College of Technology taking up Information Technology, care of a scholarship from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.

It was heartwarming to meet such a boy who was doing his best in life to rise above adversity and poverty, to achieve something in life. Remarkable too was how he managed to steer off temptations from peers to get into drugs, crime and other vices.

Also present during the Cebu MMK reunion was the present mayor of Panglao City, Bohol whose life was featured in an episode titled “Resort.”

The subjects behind these following episodes were also in attendance: Diary, Harmonica, Basilica, Cellphone, Toy Car, Kamison, Police Uniform, T-Shirt, Board Game, Wedding Booth, Patalim, Bangkang Papel, Langis, Marriage Contract, Leather Shoes, Salamin, Ensaymada, and Bimpo. (FREEMAN)