Renewed hope in Wish Ko Lang!

MANILA, Philippines - A child that has come to be known as “Batang Manika,” a mother who carries her teenage son on her back all the way to his school, and a beloved former yaya are set to receive the gift of renewed hope from GMA 7’s Wish Ko Lang! tomorrow, Oct. 23, after Startalk.    

Host Vicky Morales meets Princess Angel who, it seems, is fated to look like a child for the rest of her life. She is already five years old but is severely underweight and much too small for her age. And with her fair skin, some people have come to call her “Batang Manika.” But Princess Angel has another serious condition aside from cerebral palsy and she needs to undergo a delicate surgery.   

Nanay Maria, from Benguet, carries her disabled 16-year-old son Harold on her back every school day just so he could attend his classes. She has done this before with Minerva, her eldest. Together, they trekked until Minerva got her high school diploma. And now, with Harold turning out to have the same disability as Minerva, Nanay Maria seems to face another test of her resolve and her love for her child. Every school day, Nanay Maria, with her beloved son on her back, walks the long, steep and often dangerous road to Ampusongan National High School, passing by several slippery roads and a rickety bridge. Harold’s classmates are witnesses to this daily sacrifice and they wrote to Wish Ko Lang! hoping that some help could be extended to Harold and Nanay Maria.

Former actress Patricia Javier considers herself lucky to have found Aling Gina who turned out to be a kind and trustworthy yaya. But when Patricia got married and decided to live abroad with her husband, she had to leave Aling Gina behind. She lost all communication with Aling Gina since then. So whenever Patricia is in the Philippines, she can’t help but think about her former yaya. Last she heard was that Aling Gina was seriously ill but was still working so she can pay for her children’s education. Patricia’s wish is to see Aling Gina again so that her former yaya can have the help she needs.