Celebrity hosts, Wilbert Lee team up for advocacy program
GELLI de Belen, Patricia Tumulak, and Sherilyn Reyes-Tan are seasoned hosts, familiar with morning shows, noontime variety, and nightly showbiz talk shows. But starting March 3, these talented ladies will join forces with “neophyte” TV host Wilbert Lee to launch “Si Manoy ang Ninong Ko,” a TV program that presents a new challenge for them all.
Airing every Sunday, 7 a.m. beginning March 3, “Si Manoy ang Ninong Ko” is the newest public service program to air on GMA.
Lee — or Manoy to his circle — said the program will feature inspiring real life stories of Filipinos.
“It’s a modern-day bayanihan but our program isn’t just a one-time help. We go on the ground to check and evaluate the problem and look for long-term solutions. That’s what we want to give to our countrymen,” the former businessman and now public servant as Agri Party-list Representative, said.
“Above all, we hope that this show will provide inspiration and hope not only to those we are helping but also to those who will watch — the goodhearted individuals who are well-off in life, that they may see this and hopefully be encouraged to help as well.”
De Belen, for her part, shared that the help the beneficiaries of the show need is beyond the usual food or financial aid.
“This isn’t just an entertaining show. We really take the time to evaluate the root problem of a community. Because what every community needs is something that will really help people earn a living and sustain them in the long run.” Every week the show will feature two beneficiary groups, with hosts Tumulak and Reyes-Tan going onsite to learn about the concerns of the people firsthand.
“Sometimes they just want to feel that they are seen and heard, so listening to them is already a form of help. I must admit that I often find it difficult to do the interviews because I could really see and feel the hardships they have to endure.
“But of course, we don’t stop at hearing their concerns. We thoroughly study their cases, and we try to provide solutions,” Tumulak explained.
Finally, Reyes-Tan shared what they themselves get out of reaching out and helping these communities.
“In every place I visit, they think they are the only ones being helped. But in truth, all of us here in the program also carry with us the valuable lessons we learn from them.”
For its pilot telecast on Sunday, “Manoy” Lee and his cohosts will tackle the challenges faced by onion farmers in Pangasinan, as well as those encountered by volunteer sea guardians in Orani, Bataan.