Will she still be using bodies of water like the sea and lakes as the background of her spiels like before?
“No, siempre iibahin naman namin,” she says. “This time, I want it to be more intimate. Yung parang ini-invite ko lang ang viewers na tumuloy po kayo sa bahay ko at magkuwentuhan tayo. This time, we also want to bring some investigative elements into it. We’ll show not just what happened but also examine some aspects as why such a story can happen, how can it be prevented from happening again. I told the staff that they should put my own persona in the show as journalist and public servant to give it its own distinct mark.”
The main objective is still to make the stories inspiring and uplifting, but they have to be provocative, exceptional, arresting and even sometimes sensational. Mel’s spiels and interviews will bring all these elements together.
Entertainment TV's AVP for Drama Redgie Acuña-Magno says Mel remains to be the ideal host of the well-loved drama anthology. "There is really no one better to host the show except Mel. ‘Magpakailanman’ is Mel and Mel is ‘Magpakailanman’. Don’t miss it every Saturday at 8:30 PM starting November 17.”
Among the episodes lined up are the stories of Katrina Halili, Alden Richards, Zendee Rose, and the chef with no hands, Maricel Apatan, to be played by Barbie Forteza as a teener and later by Maxene Magalona. The theme song will have a new arrangement and will be a duet with Wency Cornejo (who composed it) and Kyla.
