The 'LAB' in Kalaban

Eat, Bulaga! has been around for more than three decades now — non-stop! Same time, same show, same lead hosts, same title, “same-same,” sabi nga ng mga Vietnamese.

And that “same” sound makes me remember the second girl I officially courted. In her letter to me when she was 12 years old and I was 15, she wrote, “How ‘sameful’ naman.” — clearly referring to our age gap. Kolehiyalang-kolehiyala ang dating noon pa man.

Actually, she wrote “shameful” but it’s just so cute to look back at this incident that it never fails to make me smile. What I find cute and funny was the part when I confronted her immediately after I received that note. Complete with a little pa-brusko effect, I reacted to her famous line by saying, “Bakit, ayaw mo ba?” To which she quickly responded, “Bakit, sinabi ko ba?” Ngek!

Really cute. But after that, my idea of young, sweet-looking girls was never the same again.

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Eat, Bulaga! has been aired and seen in three of the largest and most powerful networks in Philippine television history. Ahhh, teka… “history” ba ‘ika n’yo? O, eto — We have survived six Philippine presidents! How’s that for history? Ops, wala ba kayong mga kamay at paa? Standing ovation please. Actually, because of that unusual “staying power” and record-breaking achievement, it should be called WITHSTANDING OVATION!

That is why nga my translation of “daily dose,” as to what Eat, Bulaga! is to its followers, is “Alas DOSE araw-araw!”

To others, Eat has become an addiction. And as some Dabarkads diehards and devotees claim — a way of life. Wow, hebigat! Nakakalaki ng puso bagamat nakakapanliit. At sa lahat ng banat na may pag-angat at paglingap, maraming, maraming salamat.

We honestly hold dear our show’s history, but the sad part is we’ve already lost count of the actual number of our noontime TV show rivals in the past 31 years. According to some avid researchers, EB has faced around 25 Katapats (Kapamilya, Kapuso and Kapit-bahays) including a few 15- to 30-minute overlays of some shows we consider unofficial and not direct competition. And worse, we don’t even remember some of them now. Kayo man ang sumagupa sa ganoong karami, aber?

But if you ask me to select from among Eat, Bulaga!’s notable Kasabays kung sino ang paborito ko, I’d easily pick and put three in front on account of some sentimental connections; may pinagsamahan wika nga… kahit may konting pagtatampuhan sa simula. I believe my choices will stay that way for a very long time. With these three, I could honestly say that the LAB in Kalaban is alive and true.

First, of course, is Student Canteen. TVJ was part of that equally historical show in the mid-‘70s. With SC, we also had our first taste of noontime hosting. Yes, we were mere Students in their EAT-ery.

Another memorable “friendly competition” was Lunch Date. As a matter of fact, with that show, I masterminded an unforgettable event in Philippine TV history: I guested and even performed a song number on that rival program! In turn, Jon Santos, one of their hosts, came over to Bulaga! and did the same. The noontime “double crossover” was part of promoting my movie with Jon — Tangga and Chos, the only movie with 99 percent gay characters!

Sang Linggo nAPO Sila completes the three. FYI, DBJ (Danny, Boboy and Jim) and TVJ (Tito, Vic and Joey) starred and started in the very same television program titled, Okay Lang. Our “television connection” with the APO lasted almost three decades. They took over when we left Discorama. When we transferred to GMA, they also took over our noontime slot on ABS-CBN. Sana naman, pag nag-retire na kami sa Eat, Bulaga! in the future, pumayag pa rin sila na palitan kami!  

And finally, may nag-text at nagtanong, “Papaano kung may kumuha at sumulot sa TVJ sa Eat, Bulaga! at kay Tony Tuviera of TAPE, Inc.?”

My answer: Do you want to be charged of AGED HOST-TAKING?

Ngek!