Hyperfocus #7: Eat Bulaga! and the never-ending battle between loyalty and quality
How can a variety show's theme tune be as ubiquitous as the national anthem, become a nursery rhyme for children, and symbolize how a nation picks sides?
Considering the show has been on air for over 44 years, generations of Filipinos would be very familiar with the Eat Bulaga! theme song.
Historically, this wasn’t always the theme song, but I don’t think anyone remembers the first one. I only found out about that song’s existence in the last few months, and I don’t think a recording is available online. Never mind. This song—Filipinos can sing this as readily as they can the country’s national anthem.1 I bet generations of children know this from their early years; it’s pretty much a nursery rhyme. (It can’t just be me, right?) Not bad for a song that simply says “the show is starting”:
Mula Aparri hanggang Jolo2
From Aparri to Jolo
Saan ka man ay halina kayo
Wherever you me be, come along
Isang libo’t isang tuwa
A thousand and one joys
Buong bansa, Eat Bulaga!
Across the country, Eat Bulaga!
That ubiquity meant the events of recent months—whether you watch the show or not—have been surreal. I have covered some of it in my Hyperfocus essay last June, but let me try to catch you up here.
After a squabble with the show’s producers, who wanted to push wholesale changes to the show, the hosts and main creative staff of Eat Bulaga!—led by Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon, who have anchored the show since it debuted in 1979—resigned en masse. After over four decades and three networks, they moved to a fourth: perennial plucky upstart TV5 would become their next home.
The squabble continued though, particularly over who gets to use the show’s title. The TVJ trio insisted they, as the creators of the Eat Bulaga! name, should get to use it. However, their former producers, TAPE Inc. decided the show must go on. A week after the resignations, EB was back on the air with a completely new set of hosts, led by comedian Paolo Contis and later joined by actor and failed presidential candidate Isko Moreno.3
Meanwhile, TV5’s version of the show was officially titled E.A.T… but the hosts were defiant. “The title of our show is the title you have always known us from,” Vic said on the first ever show.
Essentially, for the last six months, there were two versions of Eat Bulaga! on air: one on GMA, with different hosts; and one on TV5, with the same hosts but a different name—and critically, this theme tune, slightly altered:
Isang libo’t isang tuwa
A thousand and one joys
Buong bansa, E-A-T!
Across the country, E-A-T!
This wasn’t lost on viewers, some of whom would still refer to E.A.T. as Eat Bulaga! on air. It was something the hosts were more than willing to let slide.
But things would shift in the last few weeks. In December, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines ruled in favor of TVJ, cancelling TAPE’s registration of the Eat Bulaga! name and declaring that, as its originators, the trio have the “absolute and exclusive right to register” the name.4 Suddenly, the hosts felt free to say Eat Bulaga! on air—“bulaga” was hastily added to the theme tune—although the show was still officially titled E.A.T., pending the results of a court case. The decision on that one came down on 5 January, again in TVJ’s favor; it banned TAPE Inc. and GMA5 from using the EB name or airing any footage from the TVJ era of the show.
The next day, TAPE’s noontime show on GMA returned with a new-ish title: Tahanang Pinakamasaya (Happiest Home), originally the tagline to their version of EB. Over on TV5, the opening segment of the program formerly known (but not really) as E.A.T. was jubilant. They are finally singing their theme song the way everybody knows it.
There was, inevitably, a lot of emotional attachment over the TVJ/TAPE feud. The default position seemed to be on the trio’s side, undoubtedly fueled by nostalgia. Imagine a show that’s been around for longer than most Filipinos’ lives being messed with by newcomers who, you might say, don’t really know what the masses want. After all, we Filipinos are a sentimental lot, generally with a tendency to see everything through rose-tinted lenses.
On the other hand, you have those defending TAPE Inc., and particularly its right to implement changes to the show it produces. Being on the air for 44 years does mean the formula can get stale and complacent, and perhaps a massive shake-up is needed. (Eat Bulaga! has had several shots in the arm throughout the years, from the arrival of child wonder Ice Seguerra in the late 1980s, to the emergence of new comic trio JoWaPao—Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Paolo Ballesteros—in the 2000s, to the AlDub phenomenon from 2015 onwards.) This being the 2020s, however, one can’t help but feel that this outcry in favor of the producers is led by online personalities enlisted to fight the cause. You have Facebook groups pop up seemingly dedicated to defending the producers. But both sides seem to have deployed the tactic, judging from Joey de Leon’s reference to “TVJ defenders” on Saturday’s show.
It doesn’t seem to have hurt either show, though. The ratings gap between E.A.T. and Eat Bulaga isn’t wide, especially in recent months. The latter airs on GMA, the biggest television network in the Philippines, but the overnight numbers suggest viewers are choosing familiar personalities on TV5, a network with fewer transmitters across the country. Of course, this doesn’t cover viewership numbers online, with all three noontime variety shows streaming on YouTube for the benefit of those abroad, as well as of cord-cutters like me.
What made this feud interesting is not just that it ever happened, but that it happened in the midst of massive changes in Philippine television in general. Maybe it’s just me, but for a moment it felt like the factionalism that defined how we talk about what we watch would be mostly gone for good, thanks to ABS-CBN—the largest television network in the Philippines until 2020, when it was denied the right to broadcast by allies of former president Rodrigo Duterte6—embracing the role of content creator.
Over the last three decades, and especially from the turn of the millennium, ABS-CBN and GMA were fierce rivals for the affections of viewers. Both had the widest reach across the Philippines’ over 7,000 islands, and boasted the country’s biggest and brightest stars. You just don’t see talents of one network work on screen with talents of another. Filipinos identified by what channel they watched most of the time: either you’re a “Kapamilya” (of the same family) who watched ABS-CBN, or a “Kapuso” (of one heart) who watched GMA. This reflected the Filipino’s tendency—especially those in the lower classes—to keep their sets on the same channel day and night. That also meant a built-in audience for both networks’ programs, never mind if they were derivatives of each other, lacking imagination and relying heavily on the same old melodramatic twists inherent in the teleserye.
But when ABS-CBN’s franchise was not renewed, it had to pivot towards content creation, embracing the rise of online streaming. (I also touched on this in my review of GMA’s Voltes V: Legacy. I do repeat myself.) It also had its programs broadcast on other networks, particularly on TV5, whose primetime schedule is dominated by Kapamilya dramas.7 It’s Showtime—the Kapamilya network’s longest-running rival to Eat Bulaga—also aired on TV5 until the TVJ-TAPE kerfuffle saw it move to GTV, the secondary network of GMA. This was seen by many as proof that the “network wars” are over, as the Kapuso network’s biggest stars began to appear on the Kapamilya program, most notably Barbie Forteza as judge on the week-long Magpasikat anniversary special.8
Around this time it also seemed that Philippine television would level up on its output. Sure, it’s partly down to the rise in streaming, and a significant chunk of potential viewers decrying the lack of quality programming and moving to, say, Korean dramas instead. But I feel the networks—not just ABS-CBN—also felt they could no longer just bank on fierce viewer loyalty to bring in prestige and profits. Sure, the foundations were being laid before 2020: ABS-CBN was constructing “Hollywood-style” soundstages and increasing investment in local programming concepts for broadcast and streaming, while GMA was putting its bets on tentpole programs like Voltes V: Legacy, whose development was halted by the pandemic before finally premiering in 2023.
As the pieces fell into place, it seemed the discussion was finally shifting towards the quality of the programs. Production values were going up, new behind-the-scenes talent were making their mark, and the networks showed a willingness to invest more in high-concept programming, albeit still hamstrung by the need to air episodes five nights a week.
But not everywhere, though. Noontime shows, understandably, were mostly immune to these changes. Call them staid, call them corny, but for a majority of viewers they represent comfort viewing. They keep them company during slow lunch times, and still reliably deliver moments of comedy, romance and “hope”. It’s a formula that’s hard to crack. It’s Showtime, for one, is the most successful of ABS-CBN’s many attempts to compete against Eat Bulaga!, at least judging by longevity. It takes faith in the chemistry of its hosts and some buzzy water-cooler moments to boot to make it that far.
And that was the problem with the show now known as Tahanang Pinakamasaya: it tried to carry on with a name none of its new hosts could truly call their own, not with the former hosts doing the exact same thing on a different network. Admittedly I haven’t watched a lot of episodes—and when I did, it was to remember that I did have a crush on Glaiza de Castro9—but their Eat Bulaga! was vanilla cosplay. It seemed to me that the producers were clinging on to the name only for its brand equity, and weren’t exactly willing to put in the work, from the ground up, to re-establish itself. (They couldn’t even sing the theme song, at least because it refers to TVJ by name. They had to record a new song that admittedly can be catchy.) I suppose it worked numbers-wise, but one can’t help feel it’s a pale imitation of the original. The “G sa Gedli” segment, for instance, is a limp version of “Sugod Bahay Mga Kapatid”, formerly known as “Juan for All, All for Juan”. The show even ended up borrowing GMA’s “Kapuso” monicker for its viewers, after relying for so long on “Dabarkads”10.
TAPE says it will appeal the courts’ ruling banning them from using the EB name; it’s clear the feud isn’t over, although the moral victory is now firmly in TVJ’s hands. One hopes the end of this chapter means all noontime shows can focus on providing quality entertainment. For Tahanang Pinakamasaya in particular, I hope they can finally free themselves of the baggage of the old brand they’re still trying to cling on to, and build something that’s truly their own. Of course, not everybody will be satisfied. I bet someone out there will insist that all noontime shows are the scourge of Philippine society, with how it romanticizes poverty and glorifies mendicancy and reinforces conservative, ie backward, values.
But then, we are reminded of how we Filipinos tend to value loyalty over quality. Maybe it’s sentimentality, maybe it’s our so-called “family values” and how you don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Amidst talk of how our TV is finally stepping up, you have talk of, say, how Rochelle Pangilinan—who started as the lead Sex Bomb Dancer on the original Eat Bulaga!—is betraying TVJ by appearing(regularly!) on the new, cosplay version of the program. As it is with our noontime shows, as it is with basketball, as it is with politics. Remember why we have another Marcos as president? Rose-tinted lenses… and, yes, an ineffective opposition who can’t break its elitist, snobbish image.
But that’s another essay. For now, I must admit, despite how I can get bored with the show sometimes, it feels good to finally hear the Eat Bulaga! theme sung the way it has always been sung.
Buong bansa ay nagkakaisa
The whole country comes together
Sa tuwa’t saya na aming dala
Behind the fun and joy that we bring
Isang libo’t isang tuwa
A thousand and one joys
Buong bansa, Eat Bulaga!
Across the country, Eat Bulaga!
Back on the old music blog I had an annual feature called the Great Philippine Song Hits, listing Filipino music’s most iconic songs and artists. The Eat Bulaga! theme was one of them.
Aparri is a town in Cagayan province, on the northern tip of Luzon island. Jolo is the capital (and the main island) of the southern province of Sulu, marking the split between the Sulu and Celebes seas. They aren’t the most extreme points in the Philippines: a newer version of the song changes the earlier lyric to “mula Batanes hanggang Jolo”, referring to a group of islands further north, close enough to Taiwan. Unfortunately for Tawi-tawi, which is the southernmost point of the country, “Jolo” rhymes with “kayo”.
Well, if we’re to talk about failed political aspirations, Tito Sotto is a failed vice presidential candidate. But by the time his campaign for the second highest position in the land ended, he had already been senator for a combined 24 years. (Thus his nickname, “Titosen”.) Moreno’s political career was forged in the capital city Manila, where he served nine years as councilor, nine years as vice mayor, and three years as mayor. (Thus his nickname, “Yorme”.) He couldn’t parlay his popularity and his reputation as a young, modern leader in runs for the Senate and the presidency, however.
The story of the origin of the name has been told for years, initially through EB’s anniversary specials, and later in interviews relating to the IPO petition. It was Joey de Leon—already with a reputation for wordplay as a songwriter in the 1970s—who came up with the name in Tito’s home in Quezon City. It’s partially a pun: “it… bulaga!” is the Filipino equivalent of “peek-a-boo!”, with “eat” acknowledging the show’s lunchtime slot. The IPO petition says that Eat Bulaga! was among the several title options provided by the hosts to Romeo Jalosjos, owner of TAPE and its predecessor—and whose children kicked off the whole fracas. (I must also note that the Jalosjos family is also involved in local politics. I must also mention this.)
In a most telling way of distancing themselves from the issue, GMA was keen to emphasize on its coverage of the story that the courts deemed them a “nominal player” in the issue and they are just airing a program that TAPE produces.
In the Philippines, broadcasters have to secure a congressional license to operate, usually lasting 25 years. This was widely seen as a formality; networks continued to broadcast as their licensed expired and deliberations continued. But ABS-CBN has been in Duterte’s crosshairs even before he was elected as president. The network was first shut down in 1972 after the declaration of martial law by former president Ferdinand Marcos; it only returned to air after the People Power Revolution in 1986, which led to impressions that it was beholden towards the family of former president Corazon Aquino. Duterte—who succeeded Cory’s son Noynoy for the presidency—alleged the network was biased against him, particularly claiming it refused to air his campaign ads. When their license expired, his allies refused to renew, alleging unpaid taxes as well as foreign ownership, which is explicitly banned in the Philippine constitution.
When TV5 was relaunched in 2010, under the ownership of telecom mogul Manny Pangilinan, it fashioned itself as the “Kapatid” (sibling) network. The sheer dominance of ABS-CBN and GMA meant it just couldn’t break through. The Kapamilya network going off air gave it a chance, and it almost led to an “investment agreement” between the two networks… only for both to get cold feet after Duterte’s allies raised concerns. We all know what that means.
Another telling way of GMA distancing themselves from the issue: I don’t think any of their biggest stars appeared on the “new” Eat Bulaga!
She watched the same Mamamoo concert as me! I wonder what she thought of our “Taller Than You” moment?
“Dabarkads” is a modified version of the Filipino word “barkada”, or “circle of friends”. The late rapper Francis Magalona, who was an Eat Bulaga! host for a decade or so, is credited with coining the term.