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Ordinary things inspire wonderful stories

she would follow in their footsteps and host what is now one of the longest-running drama anthologies on Philippine television?

“I was a big fan of theirs. In a way, I guess you could say that they inspired me,” says Charo, now ABS-CBN Vice-President for Entertainment and host of the long-running Maalaala Mo Kaya, which is celebrating its 16th anniversary this month.

The truth is that Charo never thought the show would last this long. The only other show that has lasted longer than Maalaala Mo Kaya is Nora Aunor’s variety show Superstar, which ran for almost 20 years. When asked how she accounts for the show’s longevity, Charo says she thinks it has a lot to do with the fact that the show deals with real-life problems of real people. These are not situations created by writers from out of thin air. They are based on actual letters sent in by viewers or, in some cases, on stories of famous people.

“Everyone can relate [to what we show],” says Charo. “Add to that the fact that the show serves as a reminder that no matter what you are going through, there is someone out there who is going through, or who has been, through something worse. That way, you realise that your problems aren’t as bad as you think they are. It also encourages viewers to hang in there and keep on hoping that one day, things will get better.”

Because the stories are based on human experience, they never want for material. Charo recalls that when the show began, they would receive whole sackfuls of letters dealing with all sorts of problems. There were so many of them that at one point, the staff had to hire a psychologist to help them process the emotions they would feel after reading through the letters.

Another thing that is unique about Maalaala Mo Kaya is that even the most ordinary things can inspire wonderful stories.

In fact, that’s how the show began. “At the time that Olive [Lamasan] and I pitched it, we were asked what the concept of the show was going to be. That’s when I saw a paper clip on the desk. I picked it up and said, ‘Paper clip’—this could be a simple thing, but there could be a deeper story behind it. It could say a lot of things.”