Filipinos lamented the announcement that Asia’s longest-running drama anthology “Maalaala Mo Kaya” (MMK) will end in December.
On Monday, November 21, “MMK” host Charo Santos-Concio expressed her gratitude to the public for supporting the show.
“Hindi na po mabilang ang nasalaysay na kuwento dito sa ‘MMK’ — mga kuwentong totoo, mga salamin ng sarili ninyong buhay na nagbigay ng aral at ng panibagong pag-asa,” she said.
“Kami po ay tagapaghatid lang ng mga kuwento. Kung mauulit man ang lahat, hindi po ako magdadalawang isip na piliin muli ang role na ito. Kulang po ang tatlumpu’t isang taon para magpasalamat sa inyo,” she continued.
“Gusto ko pong magbigay-pugay sa lahat ng nagpadala ng sulat, sa aming mga direktor, writers, researchers, production staff, at sa lahat ng naging bahagi ng aming programa,” the ABS-CBN executive said.
“Sa mga artistang gumanap, maraming, maraming salamat. Sa management ng ABS-CBN, sa aming mga sponsors at higit sa lahat sa inyong mga tagapanood, kayo po ang nagsabing makahulugan sa inyo ang aming ginagawa,” she added.
“Salamat po sa lahat ng nakaraan at sa anumang paraan na maaaring pa tayong muling magkita. Ito po si Charo Santos, ang inyong tagahanga at taga-pagkuwento,” the host concluded.
MMK legacy
People online said that the 31-year-old show had been part of Filipino culture and served as bonding time for households.
“My fondest memory with the program is that when we were still living with my lola, my siblings and cousins always watched this together. Sad that it’d end,” an online user wrote.
“I still remember crying every single week at night with my siblings watching it. Then we guess what is the name of the episode at the end before they reveal and txt MMK to 2366 for a chance to win prizes,” a Twitter user said.
“This gave me the Filipino culture and values as one child of an OFW who resided abroad, grabe the roles of Eula Valdez, Vilma Santos, Maja Salvador, and Gina Pareño,” a social media user said.
“Mas nakakaiyak pala to kesa sa mga episodes niyo. Simula bata hanggang pagtanda, halos ka-edad ko ang MMK,” a Twitter user wrote with sad emoji.
“11 yrs old pa lng ako may MMK na. Nakakalungkot naman. Lahat yata ng magagaling na actors napanood dito. Tska yung iba dito nagkaroon ng breakthrough sa acting. Sana may ipalit na may kapupulutan din ng aral ng viewers, a social media user hopingly said on Twitter.
“The end of an era. MMK stories inspired me, broke my heart, frightened me as a kid, and made me look at life differently as an adult,” ABS-CBN‘s resident meteorologist Ariel Rojas said.
“Deep gratitude and profound sadness. Thank you, MMK. Thanks, CSC (Charo Santos-Concio) and everyone involved, especially those behind the camera,” he added.
“End of an era but what a huge accomplishment! Congrats to the team for telling stories powerfully,” a Twitter user wrote.
Some people online also recalled the “most memorable” episode of the show.
Okay might as well. Let's do a thread of some of the most memorable MMK episodes because why is the show ending 😭😭😭 #MaalaalaMoKaya #MMK pic.twitter.com/vZ5KseKGO9
— Nicol (@nikowl) November 21, 2022
Actors and filmmakers also turned to Twitter to express their thoughts about the show’s end.
“MMK is such a major thing in the industry. For an ABS director or star, entrusting you with an episode means you’ve made it. Kind of got misty-eyed watching this. Thanks Ma’am Charo and team for this Pinoy pop culture legacy,” filmmaker Quark Henares wrote.
“Maraming salamat po @MMKOfficial and Ma’am Charo. I will forever be grateful,” actress Dawn Chang said.
Actress Maja Salvador, who has portrayed several roles in MMK, expressed her sadness with three broken heart emojis.
“MMK” will air a three-part episode starting November 26 to mark its 31st anniversary until its last episode on December 10.
RELATED: ‘Nagmamahal, Charo’: ‘MMK’ bids farewell after 31 years, to air in 41 African countries
