Bulagaan, where art thou?

 La la lalala.. la la lalala... la la la lalalala.......

It was friday noon many years ago, when I re-stumbled upon this great segment in Eat Bulaga. I was riding a bus from Commonwealth Ave, my usual route going to school. I honestly cannot remember the theme of the segment, but what was clear was the ruckus in the bus. The guy behind me was smacking the head rest of my seat while laughing. I normally get pissed at such actions but I couldn't blame him. I was doing it myself with the seat infront of me. Every one in the bus was having a good time. It's as if everyone forgot they were commuting with people they've never seen before, or the scorching heat outside, or the cramp space for those who were standing & mimicking their best "Karate Kid" pose to not fall down. How could a corny knock knock joke and bad singing from 2 guys do all of this?

Bulagaan was a segment in the show "Eat Bulaga", where the cast will be paired and crack knock knock jokes based on the theme of the day. Then they will sing the "joke", spin a roulette for a score, and whoever gets the lowest will be thrown in a cage. After everyone took their turns, the pair with the lowest score will be splashed with water (sometimes goo) and all hell breaks loose. Cream pies are thrown everywhere while everyone tries to make sure Vic Sotto gets some. It was, at least for me and the riders on that green bus that day, the funniest time in prime time Philippine television. The best and most anticipated tandem was the Vic-Jose pairing. They were the highlights of the show, mainly due to their slapstick-type approach with their singing. They sometimes appear in costume or with props. They always used "Sing A Song" by the Carpenters as the main song-gag for their knock knock jokes. Lately they used the "Cherry Pink (And Apple Blossom White)" as well. 

Here's a sample of a Vic-Jose tandem. This was taken during Batista's tour here in the Philippines. He graced Eat Bulaga with his presence, and the Dabarkads used wrestling as a theme for this. Bulagaan segment. On this next piece, Jose cracked everyone up with his antics while they're singing "Cherry Pink".

Too bad though, since this segment is no longer used today. It's quite sad because these shows encapsulate the humor that most Filipinos look for. In fact, the knock knock joke is not the highlight of the show,  but rather the antics of the presenters. It's like everyone who's watching the show are just drawn in to the cast members. When you observe them, each and every single one of them are genuinely having a good time. It's like a plague, and you feel happy for them. You laugh because they are laughing, and you don't even know why the joke was funny. Does this mean we Filipinos are simple minded? Definitely not. It's a testament on how empathy plays a huge role in Filipino society. We react based on the emotions portrayed by the people around us. It's like when we were kids, and whenever our fathers are in a serious mood, we tend to blend in that moment. Or during a serious & boring lesson during high school, just one "hirit" from the class clown would drown the heaviness of the class away. Or during mass, regardless of one's degree or existence of faith, the solemnity of the moment drowns out after the "peace be with you" part. Afterwards, it's as if your heart became lighter, and you suddenly can hear what the priest were saying. Bulagaan can clearly tap into this Filipino trait. I surely am tapped by them. Seeing the Dabarkads having honest-to-goodness laughs on the screen makes me feel light, and suddenly everything becomes funny. 

Well, enough of the serious talk. I'm just glad that there are copies of some shows on the net. I'm really hoping they bring this segment back.

La la lalala.. la la lala la.. la la la lalalala....