“Isang bandila… oh, oh, oh.”
If you happen to have your television sets on at past 11 pm or 12 midnight, every weeknight, then chances are you are familiar with that sentence. That specific line actually comes from the lyrics of Rico Blanco’s 2006 song ‘Isang Bandila.’ Which also was the official theme song of ABS-CBN’s late-night newscast ‘Bandila’ from its premiere in 2006 until 2018.
Sadly, the newscast became one of the casualties of the double-blow that hit ABS-CBN in 2020: the COVID-19 pandemic and the May 5 terrestrial network shutdown.
On Sunday, a certain user @magmartsa on Twitter dug out the opening billboard of the Kapamilya newscast from 2010, which featured the trio of Ces Drilon, Karen Davila, and Julius Babao. According to them, the intro of the newscast scared them as a kid.
This prompted other netizens to also reminisce their memories of the show.
Some shared that the reason why the ‘Bandila’ intro might be scary is the fact that it reminds them that they are up late and they still have to go to school the next morning.
Another further described that being able to catch the OBB as a kid creates an “instant fear” that might lead to parents getting mad.
Another even used the program as a “prompt that it’s too late to cram assignments or projects.”
One user even contrasted ‘Bandila’ and the now-defunct home shopping network ‘O Shopping.’ Whilst the newscast’s intro is scary, the infomercial block is a “comfort show” that helps them fall asleep.
Personal story time: Like many of the stories shared in the Twitter thread, ‘Bandila’ was surely one of the signposts that said out loud how late it already was and how much time was left for you to finish whatever you’re doing and hit the sack immediately.
But as for the program itself, it was one of the innovative shows of its time. The pacing of the news delivery, coupled with engaging features that rivalled the quality even that of ‘TV Patrol,’ ‘Bandila’ was ahead of the game. After all, no one who was up during Bandila’s time slot could care so much to dissect each and everything that was happening. Contradicting as it seems, but they still made sure that substance was there. Hence, in-depth reports were also crucial part of ‘Bandila.’
Apart from that, the time when they had the ‘Ikaw Na’ segment with Boy Abunda was an era when “you just had to be there,” as it remains relevant up to this day thanks to the funny interviews Boy had with guests on the show. The banters and all between anchors, may it be inbetween stories or the end of the episode, were also highlights of each edition. Social media comments and reactions were also gathered to give voice to people and how they react to the news.
How about you, what is the memory you could think of when you remember ‘Bandila’ or the song that they used?