By Nickie Wang
Public service television program Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko, known for helping indigent patients access medical treatment, is entering its 50th year, with its hosts and foundation marking the milestone as a time for reassessment and long-term planning.
The show first aired on Dec. 1, 1975 on GMA Network, during martial law, when most broadcast content was tightly controlled. It was one of the first independently produced programs allowed to air under government restrictions and focused on public health and medical assistance.
Its founding host, former senator and defense secretary Orly Mercado, said GMA decided to create a public health program after seeing long lines of patients outside the network’s building.
“We had the opportunity to raise awareness about diseases and raise money for patients who needed medicine,” said Mercado, who remains one of the show’s hosts and now serves as president of the Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko Foundation.
Mercado was joined at the time by actress Rosa Rosal and Dr. Antonio Talusan, the show’s first medical director. The program evolved into a clinic on the air and eventually led to the establishment of the foundation in 1976 to handle patient records, interviews, and case coordination.
to support young patients with medical needs
The foundation coordinated with volunteer doctors and partnered with other groups to extend services to more patients, including those the show could not feature due to airtime limits.
Among its earliest volunteers was Margo D. Mercado, now the foundation’s executive director. She joined the organization before the pandemic after working part-time and volunteering at various times. “I knew I wanted to help,” she said, adding that her father had reminded her that public service was not about profit.
Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko has featured several high-profile personalities as co-hosts over the decades, including Helen Vela, Cielito del Mundo, Nonoy Zuniga, Juan Flavier, and Tina Monzon-Palma. Actress Connie Angeles, who joined in 1983 and later served as vice mayor of Quezon City, currently co-hosts the program. She also serves as executive director for health and wellness programs of the SM Foundation, one of the foundation’s partner organizations.
One of the program’s key initiatives is Batang Kapwa (BK), launched in 1989, which supports children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The program offers financial, emotional, and psychosocial aid and focuses on developing critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and character among young patients.
As it approaches its 50th anniversary, the foundation is shifting focus from numbers to outcomes. “We go all the way. We want patients to become productive members of society,” said executive director Mercado.
The show continues to air on GMA Network and maintains its mission to provide medical and social support to underserved communities across the Philippines.
