The noontime show has been marred with yet another controversy.
On Saturday, ‘Tahanang Pinakamasaya,’ the noontime program produced by Television and Productions Exponents, Inc. (TAPE) airing on GMA, held the grand finals for its segment ‘Duet for Love.’
After the announcement of winners, the hosts gathered on the secondary stage of the APT Studios (where the show is filmed) for a message from hosts Isko Moreno and Paolo Contis.
Isko began: “‘Yan ang importante, anuman ang gawin mo at anumang problema [ang] kakaharapin, do everything for love.”
“Ganyan ang pagmamahal namin sa inyo, mga Kapuso. Araw-araw, kami ni Paolo [Contis] at ang TP family at ang TAPE Incorporated, ay maghatid ng Tahanang Pinakamasaya para sa pamilyang Pilipino,” the former Mayor of Manila added.
The unusal part came in once Moreno thanked the advertisers and supporters of the show, akin to programs airing their finale episodes.
“Thank you sa ating mga advertisers and supporters na mga Kapuso natin.”
“Maraming-maraming salamat po at ito po ang grand na Sabado. Isa na namang Sabado na hindi natin malilimutan,” Paolo continued the outro spiels.
“Lahat ng ito ay alay namin para sa inyo mula sa pamilya ng TAPE Incorporated — ang tagahatid ng tulong, saya, at unli sorpresa mula pa noong 1979 sa pamamagitan ng Eat Bulaga hanggang ngayon… dito sa Tahanang Pinakamasaya,” Contis ended the cryptic message.
Moments before the closing billboard aired, the hosts were seen taking a bow together.
Meanwhile, after the show’s episode for the day had ended, eagle-eyed netizens and followers of the show flagged the sudden disappearance of TAPE, Inc.’s social media accounts.
Accounts that mysteriously vanished into thin air were their official and verified pages on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
As of publication, their official channel on YouTube, as well as an unverified Facebook page with the name ‘Tahanang Pinakamasaya.’
The spiels, coupled with the sudden deactivation of the social media pages triggered a frenzy online, with users in unison about the possible cancelation of the noontime program.
In a report by PEP, TAPE’s legal counsel Atty. Maggie Garduque responded to queries about the rumored cancelation of the show, as well as the status of their company’s relationship with GMA.
According to Atty. Garduque, TAPE and GMA are expected to release a joint statement on Monday, March 4 to set the record straight.
Other than that, the company and its hosts remain mum on the issue.
TUMULTUOUS TIMES FOR TAPE
The troubles for TAPE began to be heavily publicized after the initial rumors of a rift between ‘Eat Bulaga’ mainstay hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon were circulated back in March 2023.
According to reports, the rift between the trio and the management began with the retirement of longtime producer Antonio ‘Tony’ Tuviera.
In April, TAPE’s executive Bullet Jalosjos talked with Boy Abunda to clarify points, only for Tito Sotto to respond with his own set of interviews to air their side of the story.
A month later, on May 31, 2023, the unthinkable happened when TVJ, their co-hosts, and a huge percentage of their production staff announced their departure from TAPE.
Days later, on June 5, 2023, TAPE hired a new roster of hosts to front ‘Eat Bulaga,’ with TVJ signing with TV5 for a noontime show scheduled to air in July that year.
On June 30, a day before the scheduled premiere of their TV5 show, TVJ filed a trademark infringement and unfair competition case against TAPE and nominal party GMA over the use of ‘Eat Bulaga’.
While the court hearing is ongoing, TVJ opted to use a placeholder title ‘E.A.T.’ for their show, while TAPE continued using ‘Eat Bulaga’ with Isko Moreno, Paolo Contis, et al, as hosts.
Both shows also notably aired their respective 44th anniversary specials on July 29, 2023.
Months later, in December 2023, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) canceled the trademark registration of TAPE for ‘Eat Bulaga’ and ‘EB,’ and later granted those to Joey de Leon.
TAPE also had an inauspicious start to the year after the Branch 273 of the Marikina Regional Trial Court sided with the TVJ camp and directed TAPE to stop using ‘Eat Bulaga’ and ‘EB’ for its noontime show on GMA.
The following day after the court order’s release, on January 6, TAPE formally relaunched its noon show as ‘Tahanang Pinakamasaya,’ while retaining all hosts and segments it already had.
Since the renaming to ‘TP,’ the noontime program has consistently lagged behind more-established rivals ‘Eat Bulaga’ of TVJ on TV5 and ABS-CBN’s ‘It’s Showtime,’ which also airs on GMA’s secondary channel GTV.
In recent weeks, TAPE has had to contend with another rumor of it having financial troubles, especially with reports stating that the company has an estimated debt amounting Php 800 million to GMA.
TAPE has remained silent on that issue.
CANCELATION RUMORS
Ever since TVJ’s dissociation from TAPE, the noontime program produced by the company has been perennially hounded by cancelation rumors.
This, as the company’s blocktime arrangement contract with GMA has become widely known to the public to last only until the end of 2024.
Due to that, speculations have sprung up left and right.
The two most prolific rumors of the bunch are the possible transfer of pre-noontime variety program ‘Tiktoclock’ or ABS-CBN’s ‘It’s Showtime’ to GMA’s noontime slot to replace TAPE once the contract has expired.
These claims have also been refuted, although indirectly, with ‘TP’ host Paolo Contis at one point sharing that their program has garnered 30 minutes-worth of advertisements.
However, with recent news about TAPE’s alleged debt, cancelation rumors began gaining traction anew.
WHAT’S NEXT
With the recent developments, it remains to be seen how this will play out.
For now, viewers, observers, and the press are awaiting the official statement that will be released by TAPE and GMA on Monday, March 4, 2024.
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