Showcasing Manila sans politics

MANILA, Philippines - Back in 1999, GMA executive Joey Abacan initially thought their blocktimer Maynila was a political propaganda. It is independently produced by Maynilad Golden Production, Inc. and hosted by Lito Atienza who was the Manila mayor then. After several months of airing, Joey realized that Maynila is not only a showcase of different attractions of the country’s capital city but it also aims to illustrate the problems and issues of growing up while injecting Filipino values in its every story and plot.

“Maynila is something to be proud of,” Joey says. “It shows something about Manila without politicking. I even asked Tatay Lito if the show will continue after his term (as mayor)ended and he told me na tuloy-tuloy lang.”

Fast forward to 2012, Maynila continues to give televiewers a “tour” to the city’s attractions while imparting values and lessons that can be applied in our day-to-day life. With its young followers giving comments on its every episode through the show’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, people working behind the show have endlessly gained excellent ideas to make the show more endearing. Truth is, Maynila was awarded the Anak TV seal. It also enjoys a consistent high rating for 13 years now.

“As of Jan. 7, we have gained a 4.6 percent (viewership share) based on People Rating against (competition’s) 1.6 percent,” Lito proudly declares.  

According to executive producer Lani Atienza, Maynila has evolved into a more “in” approach. They did some “addition and subtraction” to enhance the show. One welcome addition is an MTV of a song relevant to the story of each episode. It usually appears in the show’s middle part.

“Our target market are the teenagers who love watching light drama and romance but you wouldn’t see anything na malaswa,” Lani says. “Yes, we show the natural thing like falling in love yet we are very careful with the touch — walang kissing scene, kung meron man, peck on the cheek lang. Young people also enjoy MTV so we decided to put one in each episode para mas ma-enjoy nila.”

Another change is that host Lito is no longer doing spiels at the beginning, middle and end part of the show. He now guests in cameo roles in each episode portraying various characters as a father, lawyer, car mechanic, uncle, priest, etc.

“I give advices to the young viewers based on the story we presented to them. Our young people can learn a lesson or two through watching the show, some Filipino values and the different cultures of Manila,” says the former mayor who is not yet decided in joining the political race in 2013.

“It’s not true that I’m running in any position. But I still have my projects in Manila like caring for the babies, I have the Sayawit scholars, the Mahal Ko Si Lolo Mahal Ko Si Lola Foundation and a group that cares for the environment Kababaihan Sa Kalikasan,” reveals Lito.

With Maynila, Lito is doing his part of helping boost Manila’s tourism by showcasing the culture and historical places of the city.

 Asked what is Maynila’s edge over the other TV shows, Lani replies, “Its sensitivity to the televiewers. We always try to know what are appealing to televiewers and what are the concerns of parents or ano ba yung mga krisis sa panahon, yun ang ipapasok namin sa show.”

(As Maynila marks its 13th year, televiewers will be treated to heartwarming episodes in the coming weeks. Bea Binene and Derrick Monasterio headline Heart Spikes tomorrow, Jan. 21. Louise delos Reyes and Kean Cipriano will tickle young hearts on Jan. 28 via Labsyu Pards. On Feb. 4, Kris Bernal and Mark Herras topbill Sweethearts Life while YouTube sensation Jamich star in In Love We Trust on Feb. 11.)