MMK Dec. 24 Episode: Claudine Barretto, Dominic Ochoa As Yolanda Victims In ‘Luneta Park’
In its Christmas Eve episode, “Maalaala Mo Kaya” took on the story of Muñez family, one of the thousands of families badly hit by Typhoon Yolanda a.k.a. Haiyan in Tacloban, Leyte in 2013. Claudine Barretto returns to ABS-CBN in this holiday special.
The #MMKTillWeMeetAgain tells the story of a couple who had no one but each other. Norberto or “Papang” only reached Grade 4 in school. Lorena or “Mamang” studied a vocational course. He was a pedicab driver. Her brother said she should be with someone else. Against all odds, the two stayed together, and Mamang eventually gave birth to four kids. They sought opportunities in many places until they wound up in Leyte.
‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’ Dec. 24 Episode Recap: Luneta Park in #MMKTillWeMeetAgain
In the MMK episode, Papang and Mamang learned Yolanda could cause a storm surge. It was Nov. 6, 2013. By Nov. 8 past midnight, Yolanda started raging. Each of the kids fastened a huge water container around their body. This kept them safe through the storm surge.
Despite surviving Yolanda, the Muñez family was split in half. Mamang reunited with the third and the youngest child, while Papang were reunited to the two others. Soon after the height of Yolanda, for fear of another storm surge, Mamang joined evacuees going to Manila. They got on board a truck determined to be in a safer place.
Papang decided to stay with the firstborn and the second child. Both parents knew they wouldn’t stop looking for each other; they’d just have to keep looking. Through resilience and faith, Norberto and Lorena were able to find each other after over a year.
Joining Claudine Barretto in #MMKTillWeMeetAgain cast are Dominic Ochoa as Papang, Maris Racal, Louise Abuel, Marc Santiago, Alfonso Yñigo, Neil Coleta, Claire Ruiz, Justin Cuyugan and John Vincent Servilla.
Claudine delighted many avid fans in her latest television portrayal on MMK. Maris Racal, who played the role of Maymay (eldest kid of Papang and Mamang), was also a favorite among many netizens tweeting about the Christmas episode.
#MMKTillWeMeetAgain was written by Akeem Jordan D. del Rosario and Arah Jell G. Badayos, and directed by Raz de la Torre. Interested televiewers who missed the episode may watch “Luneta Park” on iWanTv.