The irreverent Jojo Alejar

MANILA, Philippines - Some things strike you like a bolt of lightning. You least expect it. So when it comes, all you can do is drop your jaws and open wide your eyes with wonder.

Take it from Jojo Alejar. Back in high school and college, he made his classmates and teachers double up in laughter with his jokes and antics. Little did he know that, many years after making a living as an actor and a government executive (chief of staff for Parañaque City Rep. Ed Zialcita), Jojo would return to an old, almost forgotten love.

He keeps TV 5 viewers wide awake and make them laugh out loud in their bedrooms in Jojo A., All the Way!, which airs midnights, Monday to Friday. Jojo spoofs, satirizes, cracks jokes and informs in his one-man show, which TV 5 is so proud of it hosted a presscon just for the host of the show.

Jojo is irreverent without being offensive because he coats his words with funny punchlines and delivers them with his deadpan look. He married showbiz and politics when he talked about a Hayden Kho song and an insertion dance (remember what they’re accusing Sen. Manny Villar of?) all in the same breath.

Jojo makes a stand without sounding preachy. Once, he thought aloud: “Instead of postponing the 2010 elections, why not postpone cheating instead?”

For a humorous Pinoy touch, he merges two photos of celebrities, politicians and other high-profile people and comes up with a picture of how their offspring will look like. The Monday segment, called Anak ng Foto, even comes up with a nickname for this product of Jojo’s fertile imagination.

On Tuesday, Jojo goes on location in TriBya (Trip Biyahe) Rockman ‘n Punk. Wednesdays are Camera Café (the acclaimed short comedy program) days. The segment Di Kita sa Camera Café puts a funny tweak to the popular comedy show’s episodes.

To-pic of the Night, or TOking PICtures of the Night on Thursdays shows newsmakers’ and famous people’s pictures with funny captions and dialogues in thought bubble text. Utol Ko Bros. Bitay or Mr. Groovy every Friday features performance level acts, like a mini-dance tribute to Michael Jackson’s Jojo’s idol.

True, the show can risk incurring people’s ire because it’s made to poke fun on people, events and places. But so far, Jojo has yet to get a tongue-lashing or an irate phone call for what he’s been doing on the show. Perhaps people know everything is done in the spirit of fun, nothing more, nothing less. The one ho winds up with a bruised ego loses sight of the essence of the show. Result: He ends up holding the short end of the stick.

“I don’t do the show for the ratings,” reveals Jojo. “I do it for the joy of it.”

And it shows. Jojo’s energy every single day of the week the show is airing shows no sign of waning so far. He’s interesting as a host because he remains interested.

“We will never run out of topics as long as there are interesting people,” he declares. This quality, he adds, is not the sole domain of celebrities and prominent people. Even Juan dela Cruz has his story to tell. That’s why Jojo is all ears.

He looks at his idol, Oprah, and sees how she makes her guests, people her viewers have never even seen on TV, look larger than life. And he’s inspired. He also feels the same way about his other idols: Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, David Lettermen and Conan O’Brien.

They see what others don’t see: The extraordinary in the ordinary. It’s this skill Jojo wants to master as host.

While he’s at it, Jojo rejoices at how kind fate has been to him. When he resigned as Zialcita’s chief of staff to start a family (he has two children now), Jojo didn’t know where he was headed for. Ramon “RJ” Jacinto decided for him when the radio-TV executive asked Jojo to host a weekly radio show on DZRJ. Jacinto must have seen something else other than boyish good looks in Jojo. RJ soon made Jojo DZRJ station manager and suggested a solo show for him to boot. Thus was Medyo Late Night Show born on RJ. Jojo later hosted The Sobrang Gudnite Show on Q-11, before TV 5 invited him over as a regular host for Jojo A. All the Way!

Until now, Jojo acts like a wide-eyed kid who can’t believe he finally got what he wished for on Christmas eve.

“I know so many artists want to be in my shoes. They want to have a show like mine but their respective TV stations won’t let them,” Jojo notes.

Thus, their next move, he observes, is to ask Jojo, “May I guest in your show?”

No wonder Jojo wants to stick around for a long, long time. He’s not only making people happy, he’s also making himself the most fulfilled person you can ever think of. And that’s all the way, every single day.