Bulaga marks ‘40’
Longest-running noontime variety program Eat Bulaga (EB) kicks off its year-long countdown for its forthcoming 40th anniversary on Philippine TV.
Starting this month, the show will look back at its humble beginnings and its 39-year journey that made it a staple lunchtime companion to millions of Filipinos worldwide.
Eat Bulaga’s SVP for Creatives and Operations Jeny Ferre said it’s going to be a simple, nostalgic and heartwarming celebration as they prepare for Eat Bulaga version 4.0.
“We are constantly reminded of the unforgettable and historic journey of Eat Bulaga. And as much as we would like to reminisce about the past, we are now looking forward to exciting times ahead. We always hear the phrase ‘life begins at 40,’ and we feel the same way. We are excited to present the ‘forty-fied’ version of the show every Filipino grew to love,” she said.
Launched on July 30, 1979, Eat Bulaga is a brainchild of Television and Production Exponents, Inc. (TAPE) boss Antonio Tuviera. He tapped brothers Tito and Vic Sotto with Joey de Leon to headline the show aimed to rival then No. 1 program Student Canteen.
Throughout the years, the formidable trio, with the help of numerous co-hosts, stayed true to its promise of providing
“isang libo’t isang tuwa” to television viewers through its more than 300 segments, including the well-loved Pinoy Henyo,
Super Sireyna, Bulagaan and Juan for All, All for Juan. Ferre, who has been working with the show for more than 20 years, said there’s no pattern or secret formula to Eat Bulaga’s success. She said it all boils down to love for work and continuously evolving as a team.
Ferre also assures everyone that even though they’ve been on-air for four decades, Eat Bulaga family still has the same dedication, hunger and passion to bring quality programming to all.
She said they are more challenged to come up with bigger and better segments. Aside from being leaders in this format and timeslot, Eat
Bulaga now enters a new period in its history — adapting to the digital age.
For some time now, all daily episodes of the show were made accessible on its official YouTube channel while overseas viewers can regularly watch the live broadcast through its online streaming.
Eat Bulaga also started producing contents that are only available for netizens. Its first effort is Eat Bulaga Behind the
Scenes where one host gets to do the job of someone from the production team, be it as a production assistant, floor director, researcher, social media manager or writer.
As to what’s in store for loyal Dabarkads now that they are gearing up for Eat Bulaga version 4.0, the creative head said expect four times the fun, laughter and entertainment. They will also continue to be of service to every Filipino household.
“For me personally, it feels like we are starting again because we have new challenges to overcome. We still have that same attitude when Eat Bulaga started 39 years ago. We are guided by the knowledge and experiences we gained in the past four decades to create a bigger and better Eat Bulaga. We are all looking forward to turning 40.”
Don’t miss the year-long celebration of Eat Bulaga and Jose Manalo’s directorial debut in horror telemovie Pamana airing July 28 on GMA 7.