She is the latest personality to join the popular television segment this season.
On Monday, March 17, ABS-CBN noontime show ‘It’s Showtime’ formally introduced ‘Asia’s Songbird,’ Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, as the newest judge of the ‘Tawag Ng Tanghalan’ singing competition.
She was given a special introduction video, which looked back on her achievements from an aspiring singer up to her status as the multi-awarded top female OPM (original Filipino music) artist.
Main host Vice Ganda also did not hold back in giving compliments to her friend Regine, pronouncing her as being the embodiment of the genre, saying, “she (Regine) is OPM.”
Her entry as an official judge comes a week after the launch of the ‘All-Star Grand Resback 2025’ special edition last March 10.
She joins her fellow singers Lani Misalucha and Pops Fernandez in the roster of judges this season.
‘Tawag Ng Tanghalan’ was originally launched as a standalone show in the ’60s, before it got a brief revival in the late ’80s.
In January 2016, it was introduced as a segment of ‘It’s Showtime,’ helping the program recover its foothold following the ‘AlDub’ phenomenon in its rival noontime show, ‘Eat Bulaga,’ a few months before the return of ‘TNT.’
Its marathon-like format gained traction, giving ‘Showtime’ a newfound momentum in the ratings game.
The first year culminated with Noven Belleza named as its first champion in the third revival of the series.
Since then, there had been 8 regular seasons, three special editions (‘All-Star Grand Resbak’ and ‘Celebrity Champions’ in 2019 and ‘Duets’ in 2023), and two iterations of its Kids version.