Charo Santos-Concio is the one person viewers identify with the longest-running drama anthology, Maalaala Mo Kaya.

Due primarily to the current pandemic--its production had to have a brief hiatus, unable to air fresh episodes since March. But last Saturday, November 28--the show returned to feature new stories of hope and triumph over the crises in life.  Its two-part episode on the life of the hero doctor Israel Bactol, features the mother-and-son actors Sylvia Sanchez and Arjo Atayde. Its second part is set on Saturday, December 5.

In an Instagram post, Charo expressed the joy she felt with the return of MMK. "I am so happy that we are back... para po sa aming mga manonood na hindi po nagsawang maghintay na makapaghandog po muli ang 'MMK' ng mga bagong kwento na magdadala ng inspirasyon at pag-asa sa gitna po ng mga nangyayari sa mundo ngayon," she said in the caption of a video she shared presenting the first two episodes.

When Charo shared her impression of “Doctor Hero,” she said, "It's a story of a lot of Filipino families who dream for a better future."

In an exclusive interview, Charo said that while the story was mainly about the heroism and sacrifice of Dr. El Bactol, who succumbed to the growing menace of COVID-19 in March, it is also about the sense of meaning for the hero doctor’s Nanay Celestina (Sylvia), a teacher who raised and made a deep impact on her children’s lives. Arjo plays the late resident cardiologist El, while Hero Angeles portrays the eldest son Elijah, who would follow her mother’s footsteps as a teacher and later become a lawyer.

"She imbued in each of them the value of service to the marginalized sector of society. The storytelling is simple and straightforward. It has lots of heartwarming scenes, too. Both actors (the mother and son actors--Sylvia and Arjo) portrayed their characters with restraint and a lot of sensitivity."

As an empowered woman and with the many empowered women as portrayed in the show, Charo could think of her top three women-characters as her favorites. 

Those are two stories about mothers and an OFW.

"It's about the mother characters in Rehas and Regalo as portrayed by Gina Pareno and Vilma Santos, respectively. It made a great impact on me. Both are powerful stories about the sacrificial, unconditional love of a mother. It's about what a mother can do to save and protect their children. 
 
"The other character of Maricar Reyes in Bahay, which told the story and struggles of Vagelyn Tumbaga, an OFW who was belittled but managed to make a name for herself in Dubai. She became a multi-awarded HR director and started helping other OFWs since then. And next month, we will show another side of her story in MMK--her love story."

In a forthcoming MMK retelling of the story of Vangie, Angel Aquino will breathe life to the single mother who became the most successful Filipina HR Director of a famous hotel in Dubai. Watch how she rose above the many dire personal struggles that came along her way this January. 

During the virtual press conference of the show, Charo was asked if there's a possibility that she can act in one of its future episodes and the creative head said that there's an episode suited for her to assume a role.

 

 

She revealed that if she's to act in episodes of MMK, she wishes to work in the future, "I would love to work with Jericho Rosales, Raymond Bagatsing, and Alessandra De Rossi."

Despite the station's shutdown, she envisions the company to compete globally is to remain and will always remain to be in the service of the Filipino.  

"We continue to tell stories, create content, and provide inspiration in different media platforms to meet the needs of our various audiences and hopefully touch their lives."

Watch more inspiring new stories from MMK every Saturday, 8:45 PM on the Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z Channel 11.