Love-ingly yours

MANILA, Philippines - Love Añover no longer shakes, wiggles or prances around while giving traffic updates on GMA 7’s Unang Hirit. Her recent marriage to Jomar Lianko has nothing to do with it. In fact, Love a.k.a. Reyna ng Kalsada says, her husband is equally funny and as jovial as she is.

The change of image — from kikay to subtle — has something to do with her plan of joining in the network’s news department.

“I want the ‘old’ Love but I need a change. Aside from the traffic report, I also do weather (bulletin) at di naman tama na sumayaw sayaw ako baka anong mangyari sa balita,” she says with a hearty laughter.

But it doesn’t mean Love will also veer away from mingling with the kids the way she does on the Saturday kiddie show Happyland, retitled as Sunnyville which connotes the show’s entrance to another level of adventures and learning. Love remains to be the repairwoman and everyone’s big sister Ate Belle in the 30-minute show that aims to be “a school on TV.”

“(My being) Ate Belle and reporting differ in approach because here in Sunnyville I share information to kiddie televiewers in a manner that they will understand pag bata kasi ang gusto may laro, kanta at sayaw,” Love states. “And I love kids. They are nice company and you will really feel young playing with them.”  

The show, Love shares, has also become her training ground in dealing with the different characters of children and hopes to apply what she has learned as soon as she and Jomar are blessed with a bundle of joy.

In Sunnyville, Love still finds old neighbors in Happyland like Buboy (Jermaine Ulgasan), Anna (Patricia Gayod), Tita Auring (Joy Viado), the cat Ming Ming and the intelligent worm Bulatelino. New friends like Kiko and Kokoy and new puppets join them in their journey to the magical world called Labyrinth where the kids will find different adventures and new riddles to solve.

Each episode of Sunnyville is thematic and guided by curriculum-based topics that impart to kids lessons in ABCs, Filipino values and character education. Subjects like math, reading, science, social studies, health and hygiene are included for pre-schoolers to learn basic things prior to entering school.

Program manager Joy Madrigal adds the show will also tackle social issues like the reality of having OFW parents and how to cope with them. An educational consultant helps determine the appropriateness of each theme.

“We brainstorm on the show’s concept in order for us to come up with something that will catch the kids’ attention with the approval of our educational consultant,” she relates.

Executive producer Shao Masula adds each theme is featured in a friendly manner for the kids to understand easily.

“We are also careful in what words to use and what things to show because children can easily recall every detail,” Love adds.

Sunnyville airs Saturday mornings at 8:30 starting today.