July 1, 2023, is the day Philippine noontime viewing saw a seismic shift. Of course, July is Eat Bulaga's anniversary month because the Philippines' longest-running variety show was born on July 30th, 1979.
With the future of Eat Bulaga faced uncertainty due to a feud that caused the legendary TVJ trio to leave TAPE, Inc., the company that produced the said show, not to mention a new generation of hosts that caused quite a firestorm among netizens, ABS-CBN's noontime show IT'S SHOWTIME began simultaneously broadcast on GMA's GTV channel 27 while the TVJ trio and their Dabarkads unveiled their newest variety show on TV5, tentatively titled EAT...
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| TVJ and the Dabarkads Moving Forward to TV5 Image: TV5 |
Surprisingly, those who witnessed the biggest seismic shift in Philippine noontime viewing said it was IT'S SHOWTIME and the new TVJ show on TV5 made the biggest impact. On the SHOWTIME side, viewers saw Vice Ganda visiting the GMA studio in the opening salvo for the show's first day of simultaneous broadcast on GTV along with the entire Madlang People in it. On the TVJ side, loyalists to the legendary trio and their Dabarkads pals have waited outside the TV5 studios just to welcome them back in their new home.
What about the revamped Eat Bulaga, the TAPE-produced noontime show now with a new set of hosts that caused quite a firestorm? Guess they were quiet on that day, although Paolo Contis and Isko Moreno, one of the new hosts, welcomed IT'S SHOWTIME's GTV simulcast and the new TVJ TV5 show with open arms.
To recall, the revised Eat Bulaga's new batch of hosts consists of Paolo Contis, Buboy Villar, Betong Sumaya, Cassy and Mavy Legaspi, and Alexa Miro. Their stint as hosts began on June 5th, nearly a week after TVJ and the Dabarkads left Eat Bulaga. The new batch of EB hosts was later expanded with former Manila city mayor Isko Moreno and Kimpoy Feliciano.
Yes, I did see the new EB hosts and the way they did to Eat Bulaga. I did say it lacks the charisma of the TVJ era of Eat Bulaga and I truly mean it as much as the majority of viewers who didn't like it, but whatever. I'd ended up daydreaming about what was missing while watching it. That's political correctness to you. PBB, CaMaAl, that's Eat Bulaga to you, Gen Z people.
I'm already familiar with IT'S SHOWTIME, this show lasted for over a decade even when ABS-CBN lost its franchise and shut down in 2020 amid the COVID crisis. The show is currently on air on A2Z Channel 11, Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, iWantTFC, and TFC.
Following the ABS-CBN shutdown, the show managed to get its simulcast on TV5, one of the fresh fruits of the ABS-CBN-TV5 collaboration, but the said simulcast lasted until the end of June of this year to pave the way for the new TVJ show. However, the partnership between ABS-CBN and TV5 will continue for another five years, meaning certain ABS-CBN shows like FPJ's Batang Quiapo, The Iron Heart, and Dirty Linen will continue airing on the Kapatid network for a while.
With IT'S SHOWTIME making its simulcast airing on GMA's GTV Channel 27, it's a clear sign that the clash between the Philippine network titans has dwindled, although this ain't the first time the two networks collaborated for such a historic simulcast. They did work on a TV drama series currently airing on GMA, A2Z Channel 11, Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, iWantTFC, and TFC. It's titled Unbreak My Heart, starring Be Careful with My Heart actors Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap. That explains a lot.
Speaking of TVJ, the legendary trio consisting of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey De Leon, managed to last longer than the APO Hiking Society and they've been with us since the twilight years of Martial Law in the Philippines. The trio became known as the so-called Holy Trinity of Eat Bulaga when the show began at the end of July 1979 on the now-defunct RPN-9. Broadcast City was their first home studio, followed by the Celebrity Sports Plaza in 1987 until they switched to ABS-CBN's Studio 1 (now Dolphy Theater) in 1989. The show re-used the Celebrity Sports Plaza in 1994 to say farewell to ABS-CBN as they moved to GMA-7 as well as their fourth home studio of the show, Broadway Centrum, in 1995. In December 2018, the Dabarkads moved to their fifth and possibly last home studio, APT Studios, in anticipation of the series' 40th anniversary.
The TVJ and the Dabarkads enjoyed the spoils of the success of their show for over four decades until the Dark Age of Eat Bulaga came. No, it's not because of the COVID pandemic, it's because of the Jalosjos family in charge of TAPE that spurred a feud between TVJ and TAPE, Inc. That feud between them because of the show's proposed changes prompted the TVJ trio to leave TAPE for good at the end of May 2023 along with the other Dabarkads. Their farewell speech wasn't televised and instead streamed on the official Eat Bulaga Facebook page.
Moments later, the TVJ and their Dabarkads pals got themselves a new home; TV5. The problem is, that they're still figuring out what will the name of their TV5 show will be due to a legal battle over who has the right to use the Eat Bulaga title, between the TVJ trio and TAPE. They did say they would say the title on July 1st, adding days of speculation for the observers who follow the ongoing Eat Bulaga war that caused a seismic shift in Philippine noontime viewing.
Then, on that fateful day of July 1, 2023, the same day IT'S SHOWTIME made its GTV simulcast debut, it's the comeback of TVJ and the Dabarkads in their new home channel, TV5. From an emotional welcome to the climax of their world premiere, they've unveiled the official name of their new noontime show, something that will carry on to the honor and heritage they had 44 years ago. It's titled EAT... That's it, they called the show EAT..., but the TVJ trio said this title is temporary because they're still in a legal battle over the Eat Bulaga trademark, still you get the point.
The impact of that fateful day is surprisingly great. The so-called network wars are finally over, as the boss of GMA said. It kinda feels like they're all part of one universe now because whether you're a Kapamilya, Kapuso, Kapatid, Madlang People, Dabarkads, or even "Legit Dabarkads", noontime in the Philippines is where everybody gets together not just for lunchtime but for watching the best noontime variety shows on Philippine television.
Whether it's the two-sided IT'S SHOWTIME, the revamped Eat Bulaga with an uncertain future, or the TVJ TV5 show called EAT... that is definitely the reborn Eat Bulaga Filipinos need, this is definitely the Philippine noontime viewing habit...on parade. The world is all one.
Gather around, everybody, because when the clocks strike high noon, these guys are here to add some sparkles and smiles to your lives. Of course, everybody wins but which one is THE one is all up to the viewers.
Welcome to the new normal of Philippine noontime.
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