Case in point is Wawel and Mila Mercado, a couple who refused to let a heavy blow to their family bring them to their knees. Six years ago, Mila became comatose after giving birth.
Doctors told Wawel his wife only had a one percent chance of waking up again. But Wawel refused to give up. Even as he prayed for a miracle, he silently vowed to share his experience to others should God grant his wish to revive his wife.
Two weeks after he prayed, Mila suddenly woke up. And Wawel knew it was time to start fulfilling his vow. Since he narrated his story to Magpakailanman, the people’s icy stares wherever they go have melted into expressions of sympathy.
Mila was no longer treated as a mere object of curiosity. People understood, and reached out to the Mercados.
There’s more: 75-year-old Tatay Nick, who finished secondary education at the La Salle Greenhills adult school, an Aeta teenager who wants to become a lawyer, a kidney transplant patient who walks and talks as if no "foreign object" is embedded in her body.
Even the usually jolly Parañaque Mayor Joey Marquez turned dead serious when he saw the episode on his father, the late Artemio Marquez. "I realized how much I love my dad," the S-Files host relates.
Mel admits these and other stories keep the tears flowing, not only for her but for the staff as well. This spontaneous form of catharsis extends to the viewers, whose thumbs-up response is seen in the overwhelming feedback.
Mel herself couldn’t believe she’ll be doing something her idol the late Helen Vela has become famous for.
"I was impressed the minute I listened to her," Mel shifts to fan mode in an instant.
"I’ve been praying, ‘Lord make me an instrument of Your peace," recalls Mel. And He did, and how !
In this business, getting a bad case of swell-headedness is so easy. Magpakailanman keeps my feet firmly planted on the ground," she admits.
The program, now on its second season and new timeslot (Thursdays, 9 p.m. starting April 3), also shatters myths.
"Good will always triumph over evil, ‘’ Mel shares.
She cites the case of her friend Ricky Reyes, whose rags-to-riches story was one of the featured episodes she has a soft spot for.
Ricky describes its impact on the viewers: ‘’ The effect was positive. Now, more parents of gays are realizing how their children can be productive members of society.’’
There’s more coming. On April 3, Magpakailanman will feature the stirring story of Janet Clemente, the first Filipina to be sentenced to death in the country. Amazingly, Janet has been saved from the terrifying sentence and has lived to tell her inspiring story.
Yes, Virginia. Hope still springs eternal. Magpakailanman sees to that.