‘Mutya ng Masa’ marks first anniversary

CEBU, Philippines - Broadcast journalist Doris Bigornia is going all-out to make a mom diagnosed with cancer happy in celebration of the first anniversary of “Mutya ng Masa.”

Today in its special “anibersaya” episode, the program features the inspiring story of Vivian Llagas, a 41-year-old mother who is currently fighting stage 1 cervical cancer. Instead of losing hope and giving up, Vivian started making and selling bags made out of drinking straws to pay for her surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

In 2012, Vivian was finally reunited with her family after being separated from her two children and husband for many years. But just when Vivian thought she had it all to be happy, she was diagnosed with the deadly disease.

To give tribute to Vivian’s courage and determination, “Mutya ng Masa” helped her expand her business. The program rallied Kapamilya celebrities to make the bags, including Amy Perez, “Pure Love” stars Arjo Atayde, Yam Concepcion, Arron Villaflor, and Matt Evans, cast members of “Mirabella” and “She’s Dating the Gangster,” and “Pinoy Big Brother All In” ex-housemates. Doris also took the lead to promote and sell the products to ABS-CBN anchors Kabayan Noli De Castro, Korina Sanchez, and Ted Failon.

What other surprises await Vivian?

Don’t miss “Mutya ng Masa” today, 4 p.m. on ABS-CBN. For updates, follow @MutyaNgMasa on Twitter or like www.facebook.com/MutyaNgMasa.