‘It’s Showtime’s’ Vhong Navarro praises ‘Eat Bulaga’ for ‘new normal’ measures

MANILA, Philippines — “It’s Showtime” host Vhong Navarro praised “Eat Bulaga” for showing adaptability and resilience during this time of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

In an online teleconference with the media last Wednesday, the actor admitted that he checked out “Eat Bulaga” last Monday, when their rival noontime TV show on GMA piloted their “new normal” measures to prevent COVID-19 spread.

“Ngayon, ang sinasabing kompetisyon, parang wala nang kompetisyon kasi sa nakikita ko, ang lahat ngayon ang gusto lang magpasaya. Nakikita ko ‘yung ‘Eat Bulaga,’ nasilip ko sila nung isang araw, tina-try talaga nilang magpasaya kahit kulang-kulang sila,” Vhong said.

“At ganun din ang ‘Showtime.’ Kahit kulang kami, ‘di pa talaga full force, nagpapasaya pa rin kami ng tao. Kumbaga, tulong-tulong ang ‘Eat Bulaga’ at ‘Showtime’ na magpasaya ng tao dahil alam nilang kailangang-kailangan nilang makalimot pansamantala sa mga problema nila at magbigay papremyo para makatulong sa mga nawalan ng trabaho.”

Related: 'Eat Bulaga' returns to airing live from studio in 'new normal' setup

Since Vhong and his “It’s Showtime” co-hosts will be back to work beginning this week, the show, he said, has also setup “new normal” guidelines and measures for everyone’s safety. These include dividing their production crew into teams that would alternate in working from home and from the studio.

Related: ‘It’s Showtime’ new segments to help workers displaced by COVID-19 pandemic

The comedian admitted that he is sad that their show, pending ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal, cannot go on-air to compete with “Eat Bulaga’s” timeslot on free TV. But he is glad that their show will return on-air starting June 13 via the new Kapamilya Channel available on Sky Cable channel 8 and channel 167 (high-definition), Cable Link channel 8, GSAT Direct TV Channel 2, and other Philippine Cable Television Association-member cable TV stations.

Navarro shared that his sadness stems not only from losing their free TV platform, but also because many of his fellow Kapamilya stars and employees from other shows have not yet returned to work.

“S’yempre malungkot, ‘di lang ‘yung outlet, nalungkot ako ‘di lang sa programa pero pati du’n sa iba pang shows na ‘di pa nakakabalik. Bilang artista, co-host, ramdam ko sila… Sila, umaasa lang din sa trabaho nila para buhayin ang pamilya nila. So, nararamdaman ko ‘yung lungkot nila na i-meeting kayo via Zoom para sabihin na ‘Sorry guys, hanggang dito na lang muna tayo’.”

Due to the pandemic, Vhong said he learned to appreciate his job and fellow workers more.

“Dahil sa nangyaring pandemic na ‘to parang ‘yung trabaho sa isang saglit pwedeng mawala kahit napakatagal ka na r’on kasi wala s’yang pinili eh. Ang kumpanya pwedeng magsara, pwedeng mawala, malugi, at may matatamaan at matatamaan. So, ang akin lang, dapat mahalin talaga natin ang trabaho natin.”