60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 10: "CARMEN ON CAMERA" (1968)

60s popular singer and entertainer Carmen Soriano hosted her own TV show in 1968, titled Carmen on Camera, telecast weekly over Channel 5, 9:20 to 10:20 p.m.

Ms. Soriano made a number of movies during her prime, among them, "Somewhere My Love (1967) opposite Eddie Rodriguez and "Love and Devotion"(1967) with Arnold Mendoza.

"Somewhere My Love" (1967)- Stars Eddie Rodrigues, Gloria Romero and Carmen Soriano/ with Arnold Mendoza, Miriam Jurado, Merci Molina and Rosa Mia/ Directed by Armando de Guzman

"Love and Devotion" (1967)- Stars Arnold Mendoza and Carmen Soriano/ with Rosa Mia, Nello Nayo, Mary Walter, Perla Bautista, Vilma Valera, Merci Molina and Jack Davis/ Directed by Armando de Guzman

60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 9: "THE BABY O' BRIEN SHOW" AND "DA BEST SHOW" (1964)

"The Baby O' Brien Show" with host Baby O' Brien and "Da Best Show" with Oscar Obligacion, Vic Pacia and Sylvia La Torre, aired over ABS-CBN Channel 9.

Da Best Show, one of the top and popular TV programs of the 60s, was telecast daily, from 6-7 p.m. over ABS-CBN Channel 9 and later at ABS-CBN Channel 3. It was made into a movie in 1965.

"Da Best Show" (1965)- stars Oscar Obligacion, Gloria Sevilla, Eddie San Jose, Toto, Reycard Duet, Aida Roxas, martin Marfil, Boy Alvarez, Ading Fernando, Rey Taylo/ Directed by Nick Cacas

60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 8: "GORIO AND HIS JEEPNEY" (1966) & "THE CHIQUITO SHOW" (1968)

"Gorio and his Jeepney," was one of Chiquito's early TV shows. It was aired in 1966 at ABC-Channel 5. The popular daily cartoon strip by Ben Alcantara was also made into a movie in 1962.

Chiquito did another TV show, "The Chiquito Show," a musical show, for Channel 5 in 1968.

"Gorio and his Jeepney" TV Show (1966)


"Gorio and his Jeepney" cartoon strip by Ben Alcantara

"Gorio and his Jeepney" (1962)- Stars Chiquito, Yolanda Guevarra, Bert Silva, Pugak, Vicente Liwanag, Dely Atay-Atayan, Paquito Toledo, Ponga/ Directed by Pablo Santiago


"The Chiquito Show" (1968)

60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 7: "TANG-TARANG-TANG" CIRCA 1960s

Aired over Channel 3, Sunday, 7:00 to 8:00 in the evening, the show topbilled by Pugo, Bentot, Sylvia La Torre, Rosa Aguirre and Leroy Salvador, was one the popular and favorite local TV sit-com of the 60s.

The show started as a radio program in DZRH in 1961. It featured the voices of Pugo, Bentot, Sylvia La Torre and Rosa Aguirre.

"Tang-Tarang-Tang"- Radio serial/ 1961

It was later adapted into the silver screen in 1962---

Movie Adaptation- "Tang-Tarang-Tang" (1962)- Stars Pugo, Bentot, Sylvia La Torre, Rosa Aguirre, Dely Magpayo, Cris de Vera and Leroy Salvador/ Directed by Fred Daluz

60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 6: "BUHAY ARTISTA" CIRCA 1964

The legendary comic duo of Dolphy and Panchito headlined Buhay Artista, one the top-rating TV shows in the 60s. A Sunday evening treat for the whole family telecast over Channel 3, from 7:30 t0 8:30 p.m.

A movie was made in 1967---

"Buhay Artista" (1967)- Stars Susan Roces, Dolphy & Panchito, Ronaldo Valdez, Chichay, Elsa Bouffard, Dely Atay Atayan, Prospero Luna, Georgie Quizon, Ike Fernando and Lucita Soriano/ Directed by Luciano B. Carlos

60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 5: "STUDENT CANTEEN" AND "EVERYDAY- HOLIDAY" CIRCA 1964

A fun-filled back-to-back daily noontime fare in 1964 with Student Canteen (12 noon to 1 pm) hosted by Eddie Ilarde, Leila Benitez and Pepe Pimentel and Everyday-Holiday (1:00- 2:00 pm) with the tandem of Sylvia la Torre and Doro delos Ojos.

60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 4:"AN EVENING WITH PILITA" CIRCA 1964

An Evening with Pilita, hosted by Pilita Corrales, Asia’s Queen of Song, was one of the popular TV shows in the 60s and widely considered as "one of the benchmarks in Philippine broadcasting history."

60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 3:"HAMON SA KAMPEON" CIRCA 1963

"Hamon sa Kampeon," a musical talent radio-TV program, hosted by Dely Magpayo and Pepe Pimentel, simulcast every Saturday 7-8 pm over DZAQ radio and Channel 3.

A movie was made in 1964---

"Hamon Sa Kampeon" (1964)- Stars Gloria Romero, Luis Gonzales, Susan Roces, Eddie Gutierrez, Dely Magpayo, Pepe Pimentel and Bella Flores/ Directed by Mar S. Torres

60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 2: "THE LUCKY STRIKE SHOW" CIRCA 1963

"The Lucky Strike Show" hosted by Nelda Navarro (mother of singer Leah Navarro), aired over Channel 3

60s LOCAL TV SHOWS # 1: "JAM SESSION" CIRCA 1962-63

Jam Session, aired over Channel 3, was hosted by Bobby Ng with The Hi-Jacks

A movie was made in 1962, probably inspired by the popularity of the TV show.

"Jam Session" (1962)- Stars Nida Blanca, Nestor de Villa, Bernard Bonnin, Lourdes Medel, Gil de Leon, Caridad Sanchez/ Directed by F.H. Constantino

XYRIEL ANNE MANABAT AS "AGUA BENDITA" (2010) : TV TELESERYE AND KOMIKS SERIAL

This young, very talented, adorable and cute girl portraying the role of both Agua and Bendita in ABS-CBN Channel 2 new top rating TV soap titled Agua Bendita has caught the fancy of most TV viewers. Her name is Xyriel Anne Manabat, a five-year old child wonder. She was supposed to have just a month long exposure in the said TV series and will soon be replaced by newcomer Andi Eigenmann as the adult Agua/Bendita. However, because of the people’s clamor and the show’s unprecedented high ratings, Xyriel’s role has been extended. It's up to Andi to take the challenge and show her worth when her time comes and hope she can sustain the phenomenal success of the series.

Courtesy of ABS-CBN

Here's one of the several TV clips from"Agua Bendita," uploaded by a certain MoviesniPinoy, showing Xyriel's outstanding and superb acting prowess.

Xyriel had played various roles in the past--- as Bea in May Bukas Pa, the young Marchela in Betty La Fea, as Nini in Dahil May Isang Ikaw and the young Rubi in Rubi. We hope to see her paired with another lovable child star, Zaijian Jaranilla in future projects.

Photos- Source: Xyriel Manabat Facebook

Agua Bendita was a popular komiks serial in the 80s created by Rod Santiago. It was serialized in Liwayway magazine.

Liwayway magazine/ 1985

Komiks materials- Steve Santos Collection

JOSE MIRANDA CRUZ' S "HIWAGA SA BAHAY NA BATO" (1962-63): LOCAL TV FIRST TELESERYE

"Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato" (1962-63)/ Written and Directed by Jose Miranda Cruz/ Stars Dalton de Castro, Flora Cristobal, Eva Darren, Teddy Santos, Noel Nolasco, Estela Grande, Lita delos Reyes, Baby Bernardo, Ernesto Fajardo, Lina Chico and Ben David

We had our first television set sometime in 1961 or 62, a black-and-white RCA Victor (there's no color TV that time). I remember rotating the knob and tuning to Channel 3, watching old tagalog classics or Channel 7, with Uncle Bob’s Lucky 7 or reruns of Popeye animated cartoons. At this time, ABS-CBN Channel 3 premiered the first TV soap opera titled Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato. It was aired from Monday to Saturday, 6:30 to 7:00 pm. That was in the latter part of 1962 and as a little boy, I was horrified seeing a monstrous and disfigured hunchback who lived beneath the stone house unknown to the owner, a filthy rich hacendero (played by Dalton de Castro). The hunchback was played by a radio talent, Ben David, who later became popular for being overacting or "OA." He was known portraying Judas or Hudas in Lenten plays and would burst with phrases like “O…Hindi…” or “ngingit ng mga pangit”

Ben David’s love interest was the very young Eva Darren, who up to now is appearing in TV soaps (now called telenovelas or teleseryes). I considered Darren one of the pioneers as far as TV soap operas are concerned.

Hiwaga ran for about 4 to 5 months, from September 1962 to January 1963. It was one of the most successful early soap operas and made unheralded Director Jose Miranda Cruz a household name. Cruz went on to do more soap operas--- Prinsipeng Tulisan, Hanggang May Buhay, Larawan ng Pag-ibig, among others.

Courtesy of ABS-CBN

"GULONG NG PALAD" (1977)

Gulong ng Palad, one of the most successful radio dramas in the history Philippine radio, was first heard over DZRH in 1949. The soap opera, written by Lina Flor, ran from 1949 to 1956, with talent Loida Viriña playing the main character of Luisa.

In 1977, the popular radio serial was revived, this time in television via BBC (Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation) Channel 2. Loida was instrumental in bringing this soap opera to television and it became an instant hit. It made household names out of Luisa (Marianne dela Riva), Carding (Ronald Corveau), Mang Emong (Augusto Victa), Aling Idad (Caridad Sanchez), Mimi (Beth Bautista) and Peping (4-year old Romnick Sarmenta). Gulong ng Palad went on air up to 1985. (Source: Jose Mari Lee/ http://pinoy-comics-tv-movies.blogspot.com/)

Trivia: Lead stars Marianne and Ronald fell in love on the set of "Gulong." They got married but later separated. Ronald migrated to US and Marianne stayed on to do movies. They have two children. Marianne is now based in the US and her marriage to Dr. Oscar T. Ortiz was her reason for leaving the country.

ALMA MORENO IN "ALINDOG"- TV SHOW CIRCA 1976

Sex nymphet Alma Moreno hits big in her launching movie, Ishmael Bernal’s Ligaw na Bulaklak, eventually making her a big star in 1976. Many movie projects followed that year, Mrs. Eva Fonda 16, Bakit Ako Mahihiya?, Hinog sa Pilit,Walang Karanasan, Ikaw…Ako Laban sa Mundo, Jail Break and Bitayin si… Baby Ama. And a TV stint from BBC Channel 2, in a new drama series titled “Alindog.”

CARINA AFABLE IN "MAY I SING TO YOU" - TV SHOW Circa 60s

Carina Afable is a popular Filipina singer and a famous TV personality in the 60s and 70s. One of her top-rating TV show then was “May I Sing To You,” a weekly musical show aired at Channel 5. She was also one of the mainstays in another popular daily noontime show “Stop, Look and Listen.”

Carina married and left for the US where she continued her singing career. In 1982, towards the end of the series Barney Miller, Carina made an appearance as the Filipino mail-order bride of one of the characters, Inspector Luger. She appeared in 3 episodes of the series. (wikipedia)

She is still active singing in the States, still looking young and bubbly. (see You Tube uploads)

She is the aunt of current popular TV host and actor, Ryan Agoncillo.

PEPE PIMENTEL IN "KUARTA O KAHON"- TV SHOW Circa 60s- 90s

Definitely, the longest-running TV game show, Kuarta O Kahon was aired from the 60s to 90s.

Before "Eat Bulaga's" Laban O Bawi or "Wowowee's" Pera O Bayong, there was "Kuarta O Kahon." It was "the game show" for 38 years, starting in 1962.
The man behind it is Mr. Entertainment himself, Pepe Pimentel.
On the landmark "Kuarta o Kahon," he says "It was copied from "Bidding The Box," an American TV show during the 50s. It was originally titled "Mahiwagang Kahon," a prime-time radio show hosted by Jaime dela Rosa and produced by Alto Broadcasting System, which was owned by Antonio Quirino. When CBN bought ABS, they got me to handle the show as host and producer. It was basically a quiz show, where all the participants were professional contestants, meaning they were the same winners in all the other quiz shows. So, after almost two years, the show was cancelled.

"But I believe in it," he says. "No one owned its format, so I decided to produce it myself for KBS in 1962 as "Kuarta O Kahon." I transformed it into a family show, where participants would come from all over the nation. I invited them by mail. Plus, I made sure that the contestants were genuine, and the winners would get their exact prizes."

Excerpt from the article Blast from the Past by Gypsy Baldovino/ Manila Bulletin/ February 18, 2007

CHIQUITO IN "GORIO AND HIS JEEPNEY"- TV SHOW Circa 66

"Gorio and his Jeepney," was one of Chiquito's early TV shows. It was aired in 1966 at ABC-Channel 5. The popular daily cartoon strip by Ben Alcantara was also made into a movie in 1962.

1978: THE YEAR OF "VOLTES V"

LET'S VOLT IN !!!

“Can Voltes V defend the earth against the Boazan empire invasion?” says a 1978 newspaper ad announcing the TV debut of the popular Japanese animated cartoon series, “Voltes 5.” It made its first TV appearance and Premiere telecast on May 5, 1978 on Channel 7 and created a major impact among the Filipino televiewers especially the children. Every Friday night at 6 pm, Filipinos were glued to their seats watching each episode and were thrilled when the heroes headed by Steve Armstrong (Kenichi Gou in Japan) started to volt in to become Voltes V. It eventually became a household favorite and soon the talk of the town. It was such a phenomenon then. Just when the people were enjoying and following every episode of the series, came the fatal blow. Then President Ferdinand Marcos issued a directive banning Voltes V citing excessive violence as the main reason. Many believed that the basis behind the cancellation was the story’s content which can be compared to the Marcos regime. It’s a big blow for all the growing kids who followed the show unfailingly. I’m sure most of these kids up to this time, as an adult, hated Marcos for doing it--- a good example of dictatorship.

Voltes V made a great comeback and was re-aired in the 1990s. The Voltes V craze was relived and rekindled. And it’s bigger than ever!!!

This is an original 70s Voltes V die-cast robot toy posted at ebay selling at a staggering php 35,900. It originally sells for php 500 to php 1,000 in 1978, a hefty amount that time. It became a sought-after piece and collector’s item when the Voltes V TV series was re-released in the 90s.

"DARNA" ON PRIMETIME TV Circa 60s

Remember Channel 5's Sinagtala and Bahaghari! I recalled seeing these Darna movies in the 60s in these two popular TV programs. The 1951 original Darna movie starring Rosario del Rosario shown in Sinagtala and Darna at ang Impakta (1963) in Bahaghari, both on primetime TV, ABC Channel 5.

Darna (1951)- Sinagtala/ Channel 5/ 1965; Darna at ang Impakta (1963)- Bahaghari/ Channel 5/ 1966

70s TV ANTHOLOGY: "MALIKMATA" (1972)

Malikmata, a Tagalog horror series was aired over ABC-5 in 1972, with Lupita Concio (Kashiwahara) at the helm. Lino Brocka later took over.

According to one article--- “While Brocka never had Hitchcock’s trademark morbid humor in Malikmata, most of his episodes left a deep psychological impact that often haunted the viewer in his dreams at night. Brocka blends camp and gruesome high jinks in one episode entitled “Kanibal” with Ramil Rodriguez as a hunter who brings home a hauntingly-beautiful savage cannibal (Maggie de la Riva) to be his wife. Another spine-chilling episode was entitled Ilusyon ith Perla Bautista as a wife left by her husband (Ronaldo Valdez) for another woman. Bored with her life as an abandoned wife, she develops an interest in the Ouija board and begins befriending spirits in the process.” Both episodes ended in a rather bizarre and strange manner.

Malikmata didn’t last very long on television. It was cancelled along with all the other shows upon the declaration of martial law in September 1972.

Source: Lino Brocka: The Artist and His Times/1993