Angelic, with a hint of sadness and uncertainty framing an otherwise cherubic, smiling face, the boy is small, thin, amiable, and sprightly.
When asked what he wanted to be when he grows up, he quickly answered: “Gusto ko po maging duktor (I want to be a doctor).”
Ano ang dinadasal mo kay [What do you pray to] Jesus?
“Sana po, gumaling na ako [I hope, I get well].”
This scene is contained in a 24-minute and 47-second video of Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko (KKMK), the longest-running public service program in the Philippines devoted to providing medical assistance and financial support to indigent Filipinos.
It is a November 28, 2025 offering of the KKMK Challenge, with food blogger and content creator Kevin Michael Garcia as guest host.
The boy is five-year-old Raxel Joziah Tuangco from Cainta, Rizal. He suffers from Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), a congenital heart disease referred to as a “hole in the heart.”
Raxel requires a critical open-heart surgery. His parents, Mariane and Roel, are looking for funds for his surgery and medicines.
“Yung mga gamot na nireseta sa kanya, sobrang mahal po. Kailangan po talaga naming mag-doble kayod para po matustusan yung gamot nya [The medicines he takes are so expensive. We have to work doubly hard to afford them.],” Mariane said.
Roel is a habal-habal (motorcycle taxi) driver. Mariane augments his earnings by selling 100% organic chili garlic.
Almost in tears, Mariane recalled: “Lumalapit po kami sa iba’t-ibang ahensiya ng gobyerno. Araw-araw kaming bumabiyahe. Minsan po, wala kaming nakukuha [We approach government agencies. We travel every day. At times, we come up with nothing].”
The total cost of Raxel’s operation is P1 million. To date, Mariane and Roel have successfully secured P700,000 with guarantee letters from various government agencies.
Through a long-standing partnership between KKMK and SM Foundation, Raxel’s laboratory tests and medicines are being covered.
Mariane and Roel said that they still need to raise P300,000 to cover their son’s heart operation.
Doctors said that once treated, a child who suffers from a “ventricular septal defect” can lead a normal life.
Local studies, particularly from the Philippine Heart Center (PHC), report that VSDs can be closed successfully. Long-term and midterm survival rates for pediatric patients undergoing major heart repairs are approximately 93.7%.
Studies tracking patients for up to 10 years post-surgery report survival rates of approximately 96.9%.
Delaying surgery for VSD child patients significantly increases the risk of death. For patients with large unrepaired defects, the survival rate falls to approximately 61%.
SM FOUNDATION
Raxel’s case is managed under the direction of Connie Angeles, a veteran of the entertainment industry, local government politics, and philanthropy.
A long-time host of KKMK since the 1980s, Angeles joined the SM Foundation as its Executive Director for Health Medical and Programs in 2001. It was also the year when the partnership between KKMK and SM Foundation began.
Connie Angeles joined the SM Foundation as its Executive Director for Health and Medical Programs in 2001. It was also the year when the partner- ship between Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko and SM Foundation began
Since then, KKMK and SM Foundation have pooled their resources and networks to conduct comprehensive medical and dental missions, through their Gamot Para sa Kapwa program. They also help provide financial assistance for special medical cases, reaching underserved communities across the country.
Angeles joined KKMK in 1983, initially as a substitute host when regulars were unavailable. “I really wanted to do it. So, when I was invited by Mr. Orly Mercado to pinch-hit at that time, I was really so excited. I wanted to really perfect my hosting stint so that at least, he will consider that I don’t just pinch-hit. I became a regular in KKMK. I really wanted it.”
Her joining KKMK became the start of a long professional partnership with the esteemed former senator and broadcaster, who later served as her mentor in hosting and in public service.
SHOWBIZ, U.P. ROOTS
When Angeles joined Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko in 1983, she was 29 years old and a rising movie actress. At the age of 23, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in 1977.
Angeles spent her formative years at the University of the Philippines, where she completed her education from elementary through college. Immersed early on in UP’s tradition of critical inquiry and social engagement, she was exposed to ideas that emphasized service, ethical responsibility, and the primacy of the public good—values that would later define both her media and advocacy work.
As a member of Sigma Delta Phi (sister sorority of Upsilon Sigma Phi) she belonged to a community known for producing leaders in public service, culture, and civic life. The network’s long association with national leaders, artists, and reform advocates reinforced a culture of engagement beyond personal success—one that aligned naturally with her eventual role as a public-service broadcaster on Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko and, later, as executive director of health and medical programs at SM Foundation Inc.
Angeles remembered that as a child she saw a scrawny, slipperless kid standing near their car. “I felt pity. Naisip ko, ang liit-liit niya. Papunta na ako sa eskwelahan, ba’t nasa labas siya, humihingi ng limos? Doon ako natauhan. Meron palang mga batang hindi kasing privileged ko [I thought, he is so small. I was already on my way to school, why is he here outside, begging for alms? That’s when I reckoned that not all kids were as privileged as I was].”
Angeles rose to moviedom fame in 1963 for her outstanding performances in Trudis Liit and her participation in Eskwelahang Munti, a popular children’s program on GMA7, hosted by Tino Lapus.
“In Trudis Liit, I was seven, Vilma (Santos) was nine years old. Even before that, I was already familiar with GMA-7, because I was already with Eskwelahang Munti at age five. So, I am really Kapuso through and through,” she said, beaming proudly.
Angeles said she never looked at acting as glamorous. “When I was young, I thought of acting as a game. When we felt tired and stopped acting, they would let us rest and treat us with apples and candy. We were treated like babies, so I never saw acting as work.”
As a child actress, Angeles said there wasn’t a role she wanted that she wasn’t able to land. Her film roles ranged from the daughter of Dyesebel (1965), daughter of Darna’s nemesis in Darna at ang Babaeng Tuod (1964) to co-starring roles in teen movies like Sweet Matutina (1970), Bato sa Buhangin (1976), Condemned (1980), and Gisingin Natin ang Gabi (1986).
She later preferred television work over movie projects. “I promised my parents I’d finish my studies. I couldn’t cope with the long hours of shooting and distant film shoots. So, I switched to TV and had shows like Son of My Son, with Jay Ilagan, Pugo, and Patsy, one of the longest TV sitcoms directed by Mang Ading Fernando. I also did Yan ang Misis Ko, with Tita Rosa Rosal.”
In 1987, Angeles produced the kiddie talent show Pen, Pen, De Sara Pen, in honor of her discoverer Ka Tino Lapus. “Naisip ko, payback time. Maganda siguro kung sa pamamagitan ng Pen Pen De Sara Pen ay makatulong din ako [I thought it would be good to help] discover new stars.
The show became an award-winning children’s educational variety show and is now recognized as the longest-running children’s variety program in the country. Pen, Pen De Sarapen is still on the air. It currently broadcasts on Radio Philippines Network or RPN, every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.
SMFI Health and Medical Programs team
It was during Angeles’ time (1987-2001) that Pen, Pen De Sarapen discovered the talents of sisters Alessandra De Rossi and Assunta De Rossi, as well as then-four-year-old Sarah Geronimo.
EARLY YEARS OF KKMK
Angeles remembered the long lines of people hoping to get assistance from Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko. “Nakapila yung mga tao ng milya-milya. Umuulan man o mainit ang araw, andyan sila [The people lined up by the mile. Rain or shine they came]. There was a shed on the street just for them to line up. And that line led to KKMK. Even before I came to Kapwa, there was a long queue of patients always needing assistance. And that really affirmed my resolve that I really wanted to be a part of this program. I didn’t even consider it as a show. I just really wanted to be inside the program. Maybe, I said, in my own little way, I will be able to help.”
Angeles said that KKMK exposed her to the harsh realities of life faced by the economically disadvantaged.
“I cried. I really cried. In 1983, when I joined, we were live every day. We would feature those seeking assistance and we had an on-air appeal. Tapos, ang hindi ko talaga makalimutan hanggang ngayon, yung isang bata, nahawak-hawak siya ng nanay niya. Tapos, nakabalot siya ng maliit na kumot. Iyak nang iyak yung bata. Tinanong namin yung nanay kung anong problema ng bata. So, finally, binuksan ng nanay yung kumot. Yung kilikili nung bata, halos maubos na yung laman at saka yung balat kasi nakagat siya ng malaking-malaking daga. Kinain daw doon sa kanila. Yan ang hindi ko talaga makalimutan [I really can’t forget that small child, wrapped in a small blanket and held by her mother. The child was repeatedly crying. We asked the mother what the problem was. When she opened the blanket, we saw the armpit of the baby, the flesh and skin almost gone because according to the mother, a very big rat ate it. I couldn’t forget that].”
Angeles recounted that they had all sorts of cases. Like a baby whose flesh was burned after the child rolled over the food her mother was cooking in the fire. They asked the mother why she brought the child to Kapwa.
The mother replied: “Kasi hindi naman nila tatanggapin yung anak ko. Una tatanungin, ‘may pera ba kayo?’ Pag walang pera, hindi na tatanggapin sa ospital. Kaya dito kami nagpunta. Kasi pag na-refer kami ng Kapwa sa ospital, gagamutin nila yung anak ko [Because they won’t accept my child. First, they would ask, ‘do you have money?’ If there is no money, the hospital will not accept my child. So, we came here. When there is a Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko referral, they will treat my son].”
POLITICAL YEARS
The child star with a heart for helping people experiencing poverty engaged in local government politics from 1992 to 2001
She ran, won, and served for two terms as Quezon City councilor beginning in 1992. In 1998, Angeles was elected as Vice Mayor, a position she held until 2001.
Again and again, Angeles saw how the economically-marginalized struggled with their health issues. “They would come for medicine. If you give them medicine, hindi nila alam kung paano sila babalik kasi wala na silang pamasahe para kunin ang gamot na susunod nilang kakailanganin [they will have a problem returning for their next batch of medicines because they have no money for transportation]. Imagine, they only need basic medicine for cough, cold, diarrhea, and pain medicines.”
Angeles said that during her time as a local government official, she established health centers. “They no longer needed to go and seek help at Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko.”
She added that she was able to do the same when she joined SM Foundation, based on the lessons on health and wellness that she learned during her time as a local government official and with her experience in KKMK.
Angeles left the world of local politics in 2001. “Pahirap na ng pahirap [It was getting harder and harder],” she mentioned, adding that, “my children, they were complaining. For the past nine years, they felt like I was not a mom to them anymore. I couldn’t attend the Parent-Teacher conferences. I was an absentee mom. So, I left.”
THE NEXT 50 YEARS
The first 50 years of Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko saw its on-the-air programming shift and change, both in time and day.
When it opened in 1975, KKMK was viewed as a one hour, daily prime time show (6 p.m-7 p.m). In the mid-80s, its schedule shifted to weekdays, early afternoon, after Student Canteen.
In 1993, KKMK moved to a daily, 30 minute time slot, from 10:30 a.m.-11 a.m. And by 1999 to 2025, the program was aired once a week (Saturday) from 5:30 a.m.-6 a.m.
Angeles admitted that the early time slot and reduced airing time affected KKMK’s audience reach. Still, she added, that the program somehow coped because it had a good director and excellent writers. “Nako-compress naman nila kung ano ang gusto naming i-convey sa viewers [They manage to effectively compress what we want to convey to our viewers]. We expanded our audience reach to include provincial buses, and households that woke up early.”
She smiles when asked what her wish will be for KKMK as it marks the start of 50 more years to make a century of public service.
Her wish: A prime time schedule for Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko. “But that is too much wishful thinking. But I hope they could transfer us to a good time slot in the morning, say 6-7 a.m,” she said.
Born on October 31, 1954, Connie Angeles is now 71 years old. All her two daughters, Carmina and Camille, are grown. She now has a son-in-law, Major Lee Van Marayag, and a granddaughter Cielo Irina.
Time should have come closer and slowed her ways. Instead she remains upbeat and active, her lovely face left clear of the passing of the years. The days only push her forward into achieving more in the service of those in need.
In 2023, at the 35th Star Awards for Television, the Philippine Movie Press Club awarded Angeles with the Adding Fernando Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award recognized her extensive contributions to the television industry, notably her long-running role as a host of the public service program Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko and her early career as a child actress.
In November 2025, Angeles was featured in a coffee table book on The Extrordinary 85 Women (Quezon City’s Women of Merit and Excellence in Nation Building).
The book is an initiative of the Quezon City Public Library. In a city with a population of 1.69 million women, it highlights and celebrates 85 women of merit and excellence who have transformed their communities through dedication and passion.
As she moves toward her 28th year in KKMK, Angeles said: “Na-realize ko na eto talaga yung gusto kong gawin. Pumasok ako sa politics, sa government, ngayon nasa private sector ako. [I realized that this is truly what I want to do. I entered politics, government, and now, the private sector]. But my heart will always be with Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko,” she says. “Iba ‘yung [It offers a different kind of] fulfillment. kayang mapaliwanag o matumbasan ‘yung pakiramdam na nakakatulong ka sa kapwa [I cannot explain it or equal the fulfilment I feel when I help others].”
