Throughout its three decades on-air, “Maalaala Mo Kaya” has indeed captivated viewers with heartwarming, inspiring, tear-jerking, thrilling, and even amusing true-to-life stories of Filipinos from different parts of the Philippines and of the world that it has featured in every episode.

In those years, we’d witnessed not just heart-rending and uplifting anecdotes of hardships and sacrifices, but also poignant and even relatable tales of love, with some of ABS-CBN’s onscreen pairs giving life to them. With the long-running drama anthology series making its highly anticipated comeback, let us reminisce on the unforgettable love stories it imparted that brought us kilig, tears, smiles, and inspiration, which were portrayed by eight of the Kapamilya loveteams we’ve admired over the years.

Nadine Lustre and James Reid, “Stuffed toy” (2015)

As she witnessed her mother’s pain after her father abandoned them, Carmina (Nadine Lustre) takes great precaution when it comes to love. However, her defenses started to crumble when her longtime crush, “Pinoy Big Brother Teen Clash 2010” alumnus Yong Gopez (James Reid), unexpectedly befriended and eventually courted her. Since she was afraid that the fairytale she imagined for her and Yong would not have a happy ending, Carmina asked for a series of signs from the universe to prove that Yong is indeed “The One” for her. 

As she allowed the signs to guide her in every decision that she made with regard to their relationship—which eventually took a toll on them—she soon realized that she should never rely on them because love, after all, should always be a conscious choice. Their relationship might have encountered a problem after she accused him of cheating, yet they still managed to save it as they made amends in the end.

Sofia Andres and Diego Loyzaga, “Pantalan” (2016)

Couples who started out as best friends were definitely able to relate with Roselle (Sofia Andres) and Jerome (Diego Loyzaga), who became besties when they were still in high school. They’d been inseparable ever since, with their friends teasing them about their closeness, but they would always dismiss the idea of them having a romantic relationship since they’re firm that they couldn’t be more than friends.

True enough, both of them got into different romantic relationships, with them being each other’s shoulder to cry on when they got brokenhearted. Their friendship might have gotten tested as Roselle heeded her then-boyfriend’s wish for her to stay away from him due to extreme jealousy, but they were able to sort things out and revive their bond. In the end, both of them finally realized that in the 14 years of being best friends, their love for each other had been within them, yet they only chose to overlook it and find it in other people.

The change in their status might have brought challenges to them individually and as a couple, especially on Roselle’s part, but she still chose to listen to what her heart says—and that’s to stay in their humble town of Gingoog and be with her “dock” or “pantalan,” Jerome, for the rest of their lives. 

Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia, “Bituin” (2017)

After being cheated on by her boyfriend of two years, Aika (Julia Barretto) was initially reluctant to get into another relationship since, aside from still nursing a broken heart, she was also afraid of getting hurt again. In spite of these, her new admirer, John (Joshua Garcia), whom she met while playing volleyball with her friends, was so persistent in pursuing her until she finally decided to give their love a shot, setting aside all her fears.  

Aika’s mom might have been against their relationship at first, but they were able to win her over and prove to her that whatever they had was genuine. Their blissful relationship got tested when Aika got diagnosed with leukemia, with John insisting on taking care of her despite Aika pushing him away, for she didn’t want to burden him nor for him to see her suffering. Just when many assumed that it would be Aika who would face death first, a vehicular accident killed John.

Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson, “Sulat” (2017)

It might have been years already ever since they parted ways both as a love team and a couple, yet Kim and Gerald still agreed to work together in a couple of acting projects, including the “Sulat” episode of “MMK,” which followed the love story of childhood sweethearts Bernard (Gerald Anderson) and Cze (Kim Chiu). After years of pursuing her, he finally achieved her sweet “Oo!” that he’d been yearning for, and they eventually became a couple. 

Their relationship was initially smooth-sailing, but it was highly objected to by his grandmothers, not to mention that he had to go to the United States after his father petitioned him. The two tried to continue their relationship in spite of the distance, but their communication stopped along the way, prompting Cze to finally give up on saving their relationship. She then had an affair with Rico (EA Guzman), a man she met at a restaurant, and then got pregnant with their child.

Bernard unexpectedly returned to her life a week before her wedding with Rico and actually planned to propose to her only to find out that it was already too late. A few years later, Cze’s marriage with Rico got annulled, which paved the way for her to reconnect with Bernard, who was already based in the US at the time. With her daughter’s blessing, she rekindled her romance with Bernard, got married, and had another child with him. 

Maris Racal and Iñigo Pascual, “Tape Recorder” (2017)

Despite being each other’s stiffest rival ever since their elementary days, their classmates still paired Allan (Iñigo Pascual) and Lou Ann (Maris Racal) as a love team at school, which all started when they heard his confession through a tape recorder that she is his one and only crush. Even though they fought like cats and dogs, their feelings for one another still grew, and their relationship subsequently leveled up from being friends to finally becoming lovers. 

However, they both agreed to keep their affair low-key, with Lou Ann requesting him to keep their relationship a secret from everyone except their circle of friends, which subsequently led to their breakup since he couldn’t take their setup anymore. Since they still loved each other, it was easy for them to rekindle their friendship and give their romance a second chance when they were in college. They once again broke up when Allan left the country to work in Dubai, with Lou Ann initiating it since she couldn’t handle being in a long-distance relationship. 

They might have hurt one another, yet it was their love that prevailed in the end as Lou Ann and Allan got back together. After years of enduring their LDR, the couple shared that both of them were already based in Dubai. 

Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alonte, “Jersey” (2019)

Due to his impressive performance in the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) that brought the University of the Philippines to the top again after so many decades, then-star player and team captain Paul Desiderio (Ronnie Alonte) indeed caught the attention of many. But not a lot of people know that prior to attaining the success, the Cebu-born baller had to go through obstacles and setbacks, particularly in his stint as a varsity player, which almost made him quit. 

Fortunately, he had a strong support system, which included his beloved family and then-girlfriend Agatha Uvero (Loisa Andalio), who helped him get through challenges and frustrations. Just when he was about to quit due to the overwhelming pressure, his father, Abner (Ariel Rivera), reminded him that his duty is not just to play for the team but also to lead his teammates to glory. They might have lost, yet his noteworthy performance opened a lot of doors for him in the professional league.

Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber, “Sunflower” (2019)

From being mere classmates, Max (Maymay Entrata) and Gab (Edward Barber) went on to become close friends and a couple. But since he failed to stand up for her when his mom caught them together in his room and explained their relationship to her, Max decided to break up with him. Even though they told each other that they’d already moved on and were okay to be just friends, both of them admitted that they never stopped loving one another and agreed to give their relationship a second chance. 

However, their love got severely tested when Max got diagnosed with Stage 4 osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, which resulted in the quick deterioration of her health and the amputation of her left leg subsequently. In spite of Max pushing him away, Gab promised to stay by her side regardless of the time left for them to be together and vowed to be her strength. On the other hand, in one of their conversations a few days before she passed on, Max thanked him for making her last four years on Earth happy and memorable. 

Karina Bautista and Aljon Mendoza, “Caramel Sundae” (2022)

For their “MMK” debut, Karina and Aljon starred in the “Caramel Sundae” episode, wherein they portrayed couple Theza and John, whose differences in their socio-economic status and mindset in life and love stirred troubles in their relationship. As the couple started their own professional careers—with John landing a stable job at a bank and Theza gradually fulfilling her dream of a high-paying job and a fruitful career—they decided to live under one roof, in which challenges in their relationship began to arise.

Among their main issues was Theza’s lack of time and attention for him as she became more focused on her work and tremendously succeeded at it. Aside from the feeling that she was slowly drifting away from him, John’s insecurities also manifested as he thought that Theza had been better off and succeeding way more than him. These and his fear of losing her made him decide to suddenly propose marriage to her, which eventually got called off as they got into a major fight. But in the end, it’s their love for each other that still prevailed as they chose to make amends, with Theza taking her turn to pop the question and offer the engagement ring to him this time.

Have you seen these “MMK episodes,” Kapamilya? Which is/are your most favorite?

Around two years since its three-part special finale episode was aired, “MMK” returns beginning this April 24 as a limited series on iWantTFC. Streaming 48 hours in advance exclusively on iWantTFC, the long-running drama anthology will showcase 13 gripping episodes across 13 weeks, each featuring a special director’s cut with bolder narratives and emotionally raw, unfiltered scenes.

It will also be broadcast on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), and A2Z every Saturday from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM, starting April 26, with iconic and award-winning host-actress Charo Santos-Concio still being the host.