Coco Martin's "MMK" episode wins in Seoul int'l drama awards 2012

CEBU, Philippines - Asia’s longest-running drama anthology, "Maalaala Mo Kaya" recently earned international recognitions from two of the most coveted award-giving bodies for television namely Seoul International Drama Awards 2012 and Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Prize.

ABS-CBN’s "MMK: Kamao" episode (with international title "Remembering: Fist") topbilled by multi-awarded actor Coco Martin, bagged the special prize in the recently concluded 7th Seoul International Drama Awards.

According to “MMK” business unit head Malou Santos, the latest recognition from Seoul International Drama Awards is an accolade they dedicate to the Filipino people whose inspiring tales are immortalized in the two-decade-old drama anthology.

"We share this honor to the Filipino people who continue to awe us with their stories of hope and resilience,” shared Malou. “This is also a tribute not only to the artistry of the people behind 'MMK' but more so to the nobility and strength of the ordinary people whose life stories inspire us the most."

Led by highly acclaimed director Dado Lumibao, the episode was based from a true story of a war freak underground boxer named Ramon (Coco) who experienced pain in many forms since childhood. Together with Coco in “MMK: Kamao” are Jodi Sta. Maria, Philip Nolasco, BJ Forbes, Celine Lim, Veyda Innoval, Michael Roy Jornales, Carlos Morales, Levi Ignacio, Andrei Garcia, Aleck Bovick, and Mike Lloren. It was researched by Alex Martin and written by Benson Logronio.

Meanwhile, another well-renowned international award-giving body Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Prize named "MMK: T-Shirt" episode, starred by former child actress Sharlene San Pedro, as one of the finalists under the Television Special Jury Prizes category. The finals of ABU Prize will be held in Seoul on October 16.

“MMK: T-Shirt” shared the life story of a young girl named Gigi (Sharlene) who was raped repeatedly by his employer and eventually braved the struggles of being a young mother. The said episode was chosen to compete with other five entries from Bhutan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka. The 2012 ABU Prize finalists were chosen from 166 entries from 18 countries and 25 organizations.

Together with Sharlene in the “MMK: T-Shirt” episode are Dante Rivero, Justin Cuyugan, Cherry Lou, Joy So, Chienna Roseph Filomeno, and Edrilyn Ocampo. It was researched by Akeem del Rosario, written by Marie Ann Dimaculangan-Fampulme, and directed by Don Cuaresma.

Don’t miss “Maalaala Mo Kaya” (MMK) every Saturday night, after “Wansapanataym” on ABS-CBN.