Makilala TV soon to air across North America

From left to right, MakilalaTV co-hosts Jen Furer, Cristina Pastor, and Rachelle Ocampo. CONTRIBUTED

NEW YORK – As it celebrates its fifth year, Makilala TV notched up another milestone, reaching an agreement with the Kapatid channel to distribute its program across North America.

The television talk show featuring three Filipina American hosts, will soon be available in Guam, Canada, and all across the U.S. Produced through the facilities of Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Makilala TV is currently being aired in three of NYC’s five boroughs, namely the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan.

In an agreement signed and finalized on June 7, 2018 with Pilipinas Global Network US (PGNU), the exclusive distributor of Cignal and TV5 programs, Makilala TV’s cultural, political, and lifestyle programming can be viewed alongside programs such as Aksyon News and the PBA. All shows are under the station’s Kapatid banner in North America. Through this agreement, Makilala TV is able to widen its reach and present a much bigger storytelling platform for notable Fil-Am leaders and organizations.

Makilala TV is a studio format program with three Filipina Americans interviewing a panel of guests on a wide variety of issues, from the provocative to the personal to self-help topics. There have been discussions on the culture of gun violence, the #Metoo movement, creating a successful business, caring for seniors, and life after divorce, just to cite a few themes.

The three hosts are women known throughout the community for their meaningful involvement, opinions and talent. Jen Furer is the author of the memoir Out of Statusand a certified personal trainer and the scholars Chief of advancement for Rural Kids. Rachelle Ocampo, a public health professional, works in development and communications with the Asian American community and board member of Roots of Health (Ugat Ng Kalusugan). Cristina Pastor is a journalist and the publisher of The FilAm community newspaper.

MakilalaTV’s episode on “How to create a successful business,” from left to right, Cristina Pastor, Jen Furer, Amable Yalong of Y2 Collection, Rechelle Balanzat of Juliette Laundry, and Rachelle Ocampo. CONTRIBUTED

Makilala TV is the first Filipino program in the 25-year history of the BronxNet. It is currently the only Fil-Am programming on MNN and Queens Public Television.

“I felt that it was very compelling with high production value and would make a great addition to our multicultural channel,” said Bernardo Moronta, Traffic manager of BronxNet. “Filipinos constitute one of the fastest-growing ethnicities in the United States, and BronxNet is proud to provide strong programming for this under-served audience.”

“PGNU is committed to broadcasting relevant content to the Filipino comtmunity. We believe that with the addition of Makilala TV to our programming line-up, we are fulfilling this commitment,” says Ernesto D. Sta. Maria, Jr. PGNU President and CEO. “We’re constantly hard at work in making sure that more Filipinos all over the world get to enjoy quality content from PGNU.”

Zenaida Mendez, the director of MNN’s El Barrio Firehouse Community Media Center, congratulated the three hosts.

“These Filipinas are excellent journalists,” she said.