Bet ng Bayan South Luzon hopefuls recognized in Peñafrancia Fest

MANILA, Philippines - South Luzon proved that competition is set to get tough come the launch of GMA 7’s Bet ng Bayan as bets from the area faced each other off during the first regional finals of the program last Sept. 21 alongside the grand celebration of Naga City’s Peñafrancia Festival.

Performances given by competitors from Batangas and Bicol took over the stage in Plaza Quezon when finalists for the Bet sa Kantahan, Bet sa Sayawan and Bet na Kakaibang Talento showed the Bicolano crowd what they were made of.

Witnesses to the event were hosts Regine Velasquez-Alcasid and Alden Richards.

“It’s pretty exciting because we’re going nationwide in search of the next superstar; and in the first regional finals held in Naga, I’m confident that the competition will be stiff. Of course, I think it helped that everyone is in a festive mood because of the Peñafrancia Festival,” shared Regine.

The Ilustrado main character agreed with his co-host and said, “We were truly amazed with the first round of regional finals for Bet ng Bayan held during the feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. For sure pakatututukan din itong viewers natin dahil talagang nakabibilib sila — mula sa singers, dancers at pati na rin sa kakaibang talento.”

For its part, GMA TV Bicol aired a special live coverage of the Peñafrancia fluvial procession titled An Pag-Debosyon kan Masa last Sept. 20.

Oliver Amoroso, GMA Network’s head for Regional Strategy and Business Development (RSBD) Division and AVP for Regional TV, extended his gratitude to the Bicolanos, “Celebrating Peñafrancia Festival with our Kapusos in Bicol is something that the network looks forward to each year. We also took the opportunity this time to hold the first regional finals of the upcoming reality-talent search on TV Bet ng Bayan to showcase their talents.”

Bet ng Bayan regional finals are happening in Cagayan de Oro on Oct. 11; Bacolod, Oct. 18; Dumaguete, Oct. 21; and Vigan, Oct. 28.

Meanwhile, preparations for StarStruck went full swing as auditions took place at SM City’s The Event Center last Sept. 21 and 22, with StarStruck survivor Ryza Cenon gracing the event.