One of the children of “Eat Bulaga” mainstay Joey de Leon expressed his reaction following the departure of the long-running noontime variety show from TV production company Television and Production Exponent (TAPE) Inc.
“Eat Bulaga” mainstays Joey, Tito Sotto and Vic Sotto shocked some viewers on Wednesday, May 31 when they announced that the noontime show will part ways with TAPE, the program’s producer.
Tito said that they were already ready to work, but the new management did not let them air live.
“Pumasok po kami lahat ngayong araw para makapagtrabaho, pero hindi po kami pinayagang umere ng new management,” he said.
Before the announcement, “Eat Bulaga” was airing a replay and not a live telecast.
The trio’s announcement was also only aired on YouTube and not on the GMA broadcast channel.
“Simula ngayong araw, May 31, 2023, kami po ay magpapaalam na sa TAPE, Inc. Karangalan po namin na kami’y nakapaghatid ng tuwa’t saya mula Batanes hanggang Jolo, at naging bahagi ng buhay ninyo. Maraming, maraming salamat sa inyong lahat,” Vic said.
“Saan man kami dalhin ng tadhana, tuloy ang ng isang libo’t isang tuwa,” he added.
“Lubos ang aming pasasalamat sa mga naging tahanan namin. Unang-una, ang RPN-9 for nine years, and ABS-CBN for six years, at ang GMA for 28 years,” Joey said.
The triumvirate’s co-hosts who were present — Paolo Ballesteros, Maine Mendosa, Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Allan K, and Ryan Agoncillo — all gave them embraces.
Content creator and producer Jako de Leon, one of Joey’s children, shared a clip of the announcement on Twitter with the caption:
“All for one, one for all.”
It is a reference to the famous segment of the show, “Juan For All, All For Juan” which combines full-length and live interaction between indoor and outdoor hosts, contestants, and audience.
The segment reaches out to the masses by delivering prizes and surprises right at their houses while promoting the Filipino tradition of “bayanihan.”
Meanwhile, Jako accompanied his reaction tweet with emojis of folded hands and a heart hands gesture.
He also added the hashtags “#Solid,” “#EatBulaga” and “#44andSTILLcounting.”
The last hashtag pertains to the years the noontime show has aired since it started on July 30, 1979.
All for one, one for all. 🙏🏻🫶🏻#Solid #EatBulaga #44andSTILLcounting pic.twitter.com/TWwlaSgXcZ
— Jako de Leon (@jakodeleon) May 31, 2023
Jako also posted about the announcement on his Instagram account.
“Kahit saan man sila, kami, at tayo [dalhin] ng tadhana, tuloy ang isang libo’t isang tuwa,” he said with a smiling emoji.
“44 YEARS, close to 14,000 episodes, 3 stations, and tens and millions of audiences AND COUNTING. See you on the NEXT round trip mula Batanes hanggang Jolo!” Jako added with emojis of a red heart and folded hands gesture.
“Love you, @angpoetnyo, Bossing, @helenstito [heart hands emoji] @eatbulaga1979,” he continued, tagging the accounts of his father, Tito and the noontime show, respectively.
View this post on Instagram
GMA Network said that it was “saddened” by the “unexpected turn of events” involving the noontime show.
“GMA has been the home of Eat Bulaga for many years and we still have a block time agreement with TAPE until the end of 2024 for the noontime slot,” it said in a statement.
“Together with all the Filipino fans, we pray for a smooth and swift resolution of their issues. Maraming salamat sa patuloy na suporta, mga Kapuso,” the network added.
The trio’s announcement came more than a month since Tito spoke up about the controversies surrounding the noontime show.
Citing a reliable source, Philstar.com reported that “Eat Bulaga” is in talks with Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez for a transfer to TV5.
