'Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko' celebrates 35th anniversary

At 35, the longest-running public service program on Philippine television will soon be making its presence felt online. Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko hosts Orly Mercado and Connie Angeles say that early next year, the program will be on Facebook and Twitter, and its recast webpage will feature podcast appeals. This will be a boon to the show, which reaches a limited audience due to its rather early time slot. The show was first aired at six in the morning as a regular public service program to replace the government's barely-watched "Pulong-pulong sa Kaunlaran." Since then, Mercado says KKMK has been "moved all over the spectrum." Angeles remembers when the show's slot was 3pm daily, rain or shine. Despite the odd timeslots, Mercado is thankful that the donations have kept coming in. "Through the years, 'di kami kinukulang," he says, remembering one particular donor who gave 1 million pesos to the program.

"We want to put it in the 21st century and utilize new media. KKMK today is going to strengthen its presence on the internet, utilizing social media. We are going to use that as our base. It's on the fringes. Kasama na sa buhay yan e, technology is really leap-frogging." He thinks that more than carrying the title of the first and longest running public service program, KKMK's goal should be to become as effective as possible. "The challenge at 35 is, you are not old but you are also not young. You have to push yourself to come up with something new, or a recast. The things that are good, we continue, but we also bring in the young people and think of something else," says Mercado who will be 65 next year. Mercado, who has spent more than half his life with the program, jokes, "It's not only paying back. Bayad-kasalanan 'yan e. I invest for future sins. Kidding aside, in public health your clinical assistance is limited. Treating individuals is fine, but public health is about treating communities, countries even. The role of KKMK is to use individual stories to be able to explain to people and help more," he says. Philippine National Red Cross Governor Orly Mercado and Rosa Rosal were the first hosts of the show, whose pilot program aired on December 1, 1975 on GMA 7 Network. Initially, the concept was a medical information program where the audience could consult doctors on air. The show became a bridge between indigent patients in urgent need of medical assistance and potential donors. KKMK grew with its doctor-affiliates to treat up to 200 indigent patients a day. Mercado, who later became Senator and Department of National Defense Secretary, continued the show's "panawagan" segment through the nineties with new co-hosts Mildred Ortega, Rose Clores, and Nonoy Zuniga. On the segment, patients would air their medical needs in the hopes of eliciting enough empathy from the viewers to gather donations. Angeles, who was invited by Mercado in 1983 to host from time to time, is very proud to say it's her 27th year in KKMK. "Pinch-hitter lang ako noon e. Na-hook ako, dahil nakita namin 'yung mga programa - linya-linya. Umuulan, mainit ang araw, andyan sila," she recalls, explaining that she was pinch-hitting so often she eventually became a mainstay on the program. "Na-realize ko na eto talaga yung gusto kong gawin. Pumasok ako sa politics, sa government, ngayon nasa private sector ako. But my heart will always be with KKMK," she says. "Iba 'yung fulfillment. 'Di mo kayang mapaliwanag o matumbasan 'yung pakiramdam na nakakatulong ka sa kapwa." "Once you start it, the important thing is to do it for the rest of your life," adds Mercado. Mercado says there have been quite a number of memorable moments in the program, but what he remembers more are the mistakes. He says KKMK began with a good idea, but lacked the mechanism. Eventually, they were able to put in the component of social work, which he says must be done professionally. "There are many powerful stories, but what stands out for us is how we morphed. We got involved in policy," he said, adding that in his early days in the Senate, he was the principal author of the generics act. Politics, however, is a closed chapter for both Mercado and Angeles. "Since 2004 I am out of it, I've done my share. I'm in the mentoring stage of my life. I want to teach the younger generation, how they can learn from our experiences," says Mercado. "A lot of work of KKMK became off the air. We had medical missions, a clinic, but we realized we were only replicating what public health institutions were already doing. We found out in a study done by the UP College of Public Health that when you parachute in bringing medicines, your impact is not as big as when you bring in surgery, for instance. Because there's no follow-through for most medical missions." Apart from facilitating medical assistance, KKMK has also been involved in disaster response. In 1991 when the Ormoc flood took thousands of lives, some KKMK volunteers stayed more than a year after the disaster to help the survivors by providing them with psychosocial counseling. The organization is also deeply involved with cancer kids who are placed in Batang K - Batang Kapwa or Batang may Kanser, the specialized program conceptualized by former Executive Director Susie Pineda-Mercado. Their ongoing project, Buhay na Makulay, helps children with Acute Lymphocytc Leukemia by providing them with chemotherapy medication until they come into full remission. Over the years, KKMK has maintained its original format, including a sign language interpreter for every episode, which is now popularly associated with the show. But while the format has stayed more or less the same, the program's title has changed somewhat. "Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko," which translates to "I am my brother's keeper" has evolved to carry a homosexual connotation. Literally - "I love those like myself." This doesn't bother Mercado at all, who in fact says this is even better. "Mas maigi nga yan e. I'm an equal opportunity employer, and have been an advocate of equal rights. As Ben Cervantes would say, 'and so?' I'm also a passionate advocate against bigotry in all forms. To me, that's the essence of public service. It's only when you have an open mind that you can claim you're doing the best you can." - GMANews.TV To learn more about Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko, visit http://kapwakomahalko.org.