Eat Bulaga turns 37
Today, the country’s longest running noontime program on television, Eat Bulaga, turns 37, celebrating close to four decades of serving happiness to viewers all over the world.
“Is it 37 years already?” asked Joey de Leon, a third of the trio that makes the face of Eat Bulaga together with Senator Tito and Vic Sotto collectively known as Tito, Vic & Joey or TVJ. “It makes me proud, really proud. Hindi
lahat ng (Not all) television shows umaabot ng (reach) 37 years ha, at daily pa!”
When Eat Bulaga first aired on July 30, 1979, TVJ did not expect to be in it for the long haul. After all, they were in it for the exposure and the income. The former was easy, it was the latter that literally took time to materialize. Months worth of salaries for the hosts were delayed because its producer then, Production Specialists Inc., was in the red.
“When we started, my main goal was to earn money and save for a car. I never really imagined we’d go this far,” said Vic. “It’s true that we weren’t paid on time for months but fortunately we had Iskul Bukol na then. The first time we were to receive our salary, the money was left in a taxi.”
More than the exposure, it was the bond created within the Eat Bulaga circle that made it possible for them to stick it out through the years.
“We were like a family already. Our producer was like a brother to us,” said Vic, referring to Antonio Tuviera, T.A.P.E. Inc. president and chief executive officer. “We enjoy each other’s company, dabarkads eh. It’s the true meaning of
dabarkads na one family kayo, na hindi mo napapansin ang trabaho (you will forget about work) while you’re at it.”
From a small group of five hosts when it was launched, Eat Bulaga grew to become a large family of 18 whose members see each other six days a week with one goal: to put a smile in the faces of its viewers.
“We respond to the changes in the people’s tastes,” said creative head Jenny Ferre, the brains behind the phenomenal segment “Kalyeserye.” “We cater not just to the entertainment needs of the viewers but generally to the need to make them happy, make them complete.”
Tuviera credits Eat Bulaga’s decades of supremacy to their endless pursuit to be relevant to keep up with the ever-changing taste of the viewers. The trick of the trade: transforming the old into something new.
“We always try to be relevant to our audience,” said Tuviera. “Every time we try to do innovations, it’s not really something original, but if we have an old idea which is very familiar to the audience, we sort of sugarcoat it in a different way then add some trimmings.”
One might think that the emergence of digital technology might mean bad news to mainstream media, including television what with most TV programs already available for online download or being taken over by webcasts. In Eat Bulaga’s case, social media made it possible for the program to widen its reach, making it possible to move out of its boundaries “mula Batanes hanggang Jolo” as its theme song suggests.
The decades-old show also features Jimmy Santos, Ruby Rodriguez, Ryzaa Mae Dizon, Pauleen Luna, Anjo Yllana, Wally Bayola and the love team of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, among others.
Heartthrob Richards and dubsmash queen Mendoza make up AlDub. Its “Tamang Panahon” special made history on Twitter with 41 million tweets.
“Who could’ve imagined a certain accident can fill up the largest indoor arena in the world?” asked Richards, himself overwhelmed with the viewers’ reception of Eat Bulaga.
To accommodate more live audiences, the show will be moving to its new studio in a 3,000-square-meter property in Cainta by the end of the year. Treating its loyal viewers like VIPs is the show’s way of giving back to those who have made it a part of their daily lives.
“While the others are entertainment shows disguising themselves as public service programs, Eat Bulaga is the opposite: it is—and has been—a public service program disguising itself as an entertainment show,” said Richards. “Everything that we do, every new segment we introduce is always created in the light of public service.”