CELEBS EXCHANGE LIVES WITH COMMON PEOPLE

WHAT happens when the gay Harold of “Bahay Mo Ba ‘To” joins forces with Tsong of “Lagot Ka Isusumbong Kita”? The result is “Kung Ako Ikaw,” a riotous new comedy-reality show to be shown starting July 16, Monday to Wednesday, after “Jumong.” It’s replacing “Who’s Your Daddy Now,” “Bahay Mo Ba To” and “Hokus Pokus.” “Nuts Entertainment” replaces “Hokus Pokus” in its slot on Saturday. Why such programming changes?

“We’re just addressing audience preference,” says GMA Exec. Marivin Arayata. “Even in the States, the trend now is reality shows. No more sitcoms. Mas marketable din ito. Ito ngang ‘Kung Ako Ikaw’, puno na agad ng sponsors ang first season. Pero ibabalik din namin ang sitcoms kapag nagkaroon ng clamor for it.”

Each week, three celebrities will be asked to do menial jobs and live lives of ordinary people. They will be called Manggagawa. They’ll be under a supervisor to be called Bisor, a non-celebrity who’s an expert in the assigned job. The show is like a combination of “Day Off” and “Extra Challenge.” In its first week, the three special guests who will be “kargador sa palengke” are Rustom Padilla, Mel Martinez and John Lapus, all gays. On its second week, the guests will be Iwa Moto, Alfred Vargas and Antonio Aquitania who will be “mamamalaka” (people who catch frogs for a living).

The Bisor will set the criteria for rating the three celebrity contestants and on Wednesday night, which will be aired live, he or she will decide who among them is the winner. Viewers may also text their votes from Monday to Wednesday night. The winner gets P100,000 and a lucky text voter gets P20,000. The other jobs scheduled to be featured in “Kung Ako Ikaw” are those of balut vendors, pearl divers, Pagsanjan boatmen, fish deboners, traffic controllers in airport runways, dancing traffic enforcers, night watchmen in cemeteries, and coffin designers. You can also write GMA-7 if you want to suggest any kind of job they want to feature.

Supposing they didn’t become actors, what do they think will their jobs be? “I still want to be in showbiz, so siguro, ma-giging movie writer ako,” says Keempee.

“Ako naman, magi-ging obstetrician gynecologist,” says Joey with an impish smile.

The show’s director, Dominic Zapata, says they hope “Kung Ako Ikaw” will help the dignity of labor. “Hopefully, ‘yung mga batang sinasabing kargador lang ang tatay nila, mari-realize na marangal na hanapbuhay pa rin ito kaysa kung pusher or snatcher ang ama nila,” he adds.
Mario E. Bautista
People's Journal