Carmina Villaroel Stars in MMK Mother’s Day Presentation

SiS co-host Carmina Villaroel is starring in Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) Mothers’ Day special presentation.

Co-starring with Carmina is Jodie Sta. Maria, another celebrity mom. The said episode is going to be shown on May 9, 2009.

When asked how she feels being chosen by the producers of Maalala Mo Kaya for the special episode, Carmina said:

"Indescribable ang aking feeling dahil sa lahat naman ng mga mommies or stars na ABS kami pa ni Jodie yung napunta dun sa Mothers’ Day episode ng MMK."

Carmina is currently hosting GMA’s morning program SiS together with Janice de Belen and Gelli de Belen. She is also seen in the Philippine version of All About Eve.

Her guesting in MMK is a one episode project only and it does not mean that she will transfer to the kapamilya network.

ABS-CBN Answers UPLB's Call to Correct Storyline of Angel Locsin's MMK Episode

ABS-CBN has just released a statement regarding the controversial "Blusa" episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK).

It will be remembered that ever since the episode was aired, alumni of University of the Philippines (UP) have reacted adversely to the said life story shown on MMK. In fact, officials of UP Los Baños (UPLB) issued a statement saying that they do not have an alumna that matches the life story presented by MMK. (Read related story here)

In response to the call of UPLB officials for ABS-CBN to "set the record straight," its Corporate Communications department has issued the following statement (published as is):

"Storytelling in Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) is always based on narratives sent to the program by people who want to share their stories. MMK decides to go into production of the chosen stories, ONLY after the letter sender has signed a waiver attesting to the authenticity of the story sent.

"MMK recognizes that a number of UPLB alumni are questioning the truthfulness of one letter sender who claims that her sister, the main character in 'Blusa' essayed by Ms. Angel Locsin, was indeed a UPLB BS AgriBusiness, summa cum laude graduate, who could not find a job and ended up as a stripper.

"When MMK found out about the adverse reactions, the MMK production group went back to the letter sender to inform her of the issue raised and to re-verify her account. She reiterated that she stands by her story.

"Be that as it may, and after careful deliberation, MMK realizes that its writing and research pool may have been remiss in one thing—verifying with UPLB the veracity of the indicated facts of the letter sender. Having said that, MMK sincerely apologizes for the oversight.

"MMK always aims for truth and excellence. This incident may have deviated from its tight norm, but rest assured that MMK will continue to serve its publics with utmost care and respect."

UPLB Reacted on Angel Locsin's Maalaala Mo Kaya Episode

University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) issued an official statement questioning Angel Locsin's episode on Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) last February 28, 2009.

In the "Blusa" episode of MMK, Angel portrayed a girl who is supposedly a summa cum laude graduate of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Her character had difficulty looking for a job so she resorted to being a night club dancer. Due to various problems, she lost her mind and became a vagrant (taong grasa).

Prof. Ma. Stella Tirol, Office of Public Relations Director of UP Los Baños, sent the official statement of UPLB regarding the said "Blusa" episode. It stated that UPLB does not have an alumna that matches the life story presented by the drama anthology show of ABS-CBN.

Through its statement, UPLB officials are asking ABS-CBN to set the record straight since the said MMK episode "affected the reputation of UPLB as an educational institution."

Here is the complete letter of UPLB (published as is):

"Our attention has been called by constituents and alumni to an episode featured in Maalaala Mo Kaya entitled Blusa, which was aired on ABS-CBN on Feb. 28 and on TFC recently. Our constituents and alumni were concerned whether the episode was based on truth.

The story was of a woman who allegedly graduated BS AgriBusiness, summa cum laude, from the University of the Philippines Los Baños or UPLB, who could not find a job, and ended up a stripper. We tried to find out who the subject was by tracking all 27 of our summa cum laude graduates from the time the University was established in 1909. We could not find anyone matching the subject as portrayed in Blusa.

Whether or not the subject was a UPLB graduate, we deeply sympathize with her and her family. However, in the interest of maintaining its reputation as a truthful storyteller, the MMK should have a mechanism to validate claims by letter senders especially those that require a stretch of imagination as to be believed.

While indeed touching and a perfect example of a human-interest story, Blusa regrettably affected the reputation of UPLB as an educational institution and its constituents and alumni. We therefore request ABS-CBN to set the record straight and correct the wrong impression that it created among its viewers. We also make an appeal to producers of similar programs to be more prudent in reporting stories with claims that would affect the reputation not only of a school but also of its alumni in the Philippines and abroad."