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Explaining a joke is hardly ever funny, but wouldn’t you like to know how the Philippine television’s longest-running sketch comedy program managed to “chew it” on air for more than 25 years?
The creators of Bubble Gang broke down seven of their most iconic sketches, revealing little-known facts and timeless secrets exclusively for GMA News Online.
For millions of television viewers for the past 25 years, Friday night was always the time to laugh off the stresses of the week with another episode of “Bubble Gang.”
As the show marks its 25th year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the brilliant minds behind the gag show gathered via Zoom for a joke-filled discussion about seven of their most iconic sketches and how there’s more to comedy than “setup + punchline = funny.”
Click on an image below to read more about the classic sketch.
Alien? Raise the Roof!
“Ang Dating Doon” is one of Bubble Gang’s most successful comedy segments starting in the late '90s. The “pilosopical” teachings of Brod Pete, Bro. Willy and Bro. Jocel would constantly leave not just the viewers, but also the Bubble Gang team in stitches.
“Ang Dating Doon” usually starts with an audience member presenting a question for Brod Pete, which he would answer by interpreting a silly “passage” extracted from nursery rhymes, folk songs, or pop lyrics.
Chito Francisco, a Bubble Gang writer who plays Bro. Jocel, says he's never seen Brod Pete stumped by a question. “Ganoon siyang kagaling,” he tells GMA News Online.
But it's head writer and director Caesar Cosme, who plays Bro. Willy, who has to remind everyone to stay on track. “Siya ‘yung nag-ga-guide 'pag medyo naliligaw na kami sa takbo nung episode,” Chito says.
“Walang cue cards pero meron akong parang flow chart duon sa kaliwang kamay ko. Ituturo ko lang kay Brod Pete para, ‘bumalik ka dito! Nag-e-enjoy ka na masyado,” Direk Caesar adds.
The sketch began as a parody of the religious program “Ang Dating Daan” hosted by Bro. Eli Soriano. To make things more epic, the televangelist actually appeared on Bubble Gang in 2003.
Michael V, who interviewed Bro. Eli in character as Junie Lee, said they were “more excited than nervous.”
“Matagal ko nang gustong magpa-picture with him eh. Nasa ’kin pa ‘yung mga photos na yun,” Bitoy said.
“[Sina Direk Caesar] maraming question 'yan na gustong itanong kay Brother Eli na syempre hindi kami nabigyan ng chance. Pero after pumayag siyang mag-guest sa Junie Lee, I think maganda 'yung nagawa both for the show at saka sa ‘Ang Dating Daan’ mismo.”
At its peak, “Ang Dating Doon” catchphrases like “Alien!” and “Raise the Roof!” (which sound like ‘amen’ and ‘raise the roof’) rose to an unimaginable level of popularity.
“Malapit na kaming magkaroon ng simbahan n’on,” joked Direk Caesar. “Malapit na kaming maniwala n’on na makakabuo na kami ng sekta kasi sa mga opening cue, parang totoo na eh. Hindi pa uso ‘yung mga shoutout no'n, ‘yun na ‘yung ginagawa namin.”
Before the first questions are asked, the audience members would “raise the roof” while singing to the Voltes V theme song playing in the background.
This was the brainchild of comedy genius and proud fanboy, Michael V.
Apparently, Bitoy got a hold of the last few Voltes V episodes that were pulled off the air by former president Ferdinand Marcos during martial law, and he decided to tell the BG cast about it while brainstorming.
“Nung bine-brainstrom namin yung ‘Dating Doon,’ naikuwento ko ‘yung ending ng Voltes V, kasi I got hold of a copy of the last few episodes na hindi napanood dahil nga sa Martial Law. Naging interested sila so siguro, ‘yung subconsciously nandoon sa kanila habang binubuo yung ‘Dating Doon.’”
It was Michael V who taught his castmates the Japanese lyrics to “Voltes V No Uta,” word for word.
“Ginawa ko pa ‘yung idiot board. Ako mismo ‘yung sumulat para pag kinanta, naka-phonetics. Madaling i-pronounce. Kabisado ko siya by heart eh,” Michael V. says.
“It’s a good thing kasi nakadagdag dun sa fandom. Bukod sa ‘Ang Dating Daan,’ marami ding fans si Voltes V, so nung nag-volt in ‘yung dalawang concept, parang mas lumaki yung chapter.”
Nothing says tough love in the age of social media like “Paki-explain. Labyu.”
In the recurring sketch entitled “Ikaw at Ang Ina,” Michael V plays a mother named Donya Ina Moran who has a heart-to-heart discussion with her daughter, Selphie, played by Sef Cadayona.
Ina often asks Selphie to explain why she has to act a certain way on social media. The mom somehow always manages to pull out a long, meaningful life lesson which usually leaves Selphie dumbfounded and prompts her to rethink her actions.
Michael V, who also serves as creative director of the show, says the sketch was inspired by something he saw online.
“It came from a meme, tapos ‘yun ‘yung nakita kong punchline sa dulo, ‘yung ‘paki-explain.’ Dinagdag ko lang yung ‘labyu’ na part to remind the kids na mahal ka ng nanay mo, no matter what,” he tells GMA News Online.
Sef, on the other hand, ended up becoming Selphie after the gang noticed several “similarities” between him and Bitoy. “‘Yung height, hindi masyado. Pero yung willingness na mag-perform, mag-damit babae, mag-make-up and all, mag-character, ‘yun. Nakita namin sa kanya. We tried it out and it worked,” says Bitoy.
Long before the K-Pop craze, Bubble Gang launched its very own sing-and-dance group called the “SexBalls.”
With their daring outfits and sexy dance moves, they’ve delighted fans with hilarious hits like “Pagjulina,” “I-Shoot Mo” and “Donya” — parodies of “Angelina” by Lou Bega, “Itsumo” by Dice and K9 and “Don’t Cha” by The Pussycat Dolls.
The “irresistible” all-male act was originally composed of Michael V, Ogie Alcasid, Wendell Ramos, and Antonio Aquitania.
A lot of people think the Sexballs give off a Chippendales vibe, but the concept actually came from Bubble Gang’s very own Antonio Aquitania “kasi nakakatawa siya pag sumasayaw,” Michael V says.
Of course, the idea also takes off from the SexBomb phenomenon, which was taking over showbiz at that time.
“Kasi nung pumuputok ‘yung SexBomb, ang daming gumaya,” Bitoy said.
“We were kind of trying to figure out kung ano ba ‘tong SexBomb na ‘to. Bakit biglang sumikat? Bakit ang daming naging followers? ‘Yun ‘yung naging thrust na siguro kukuha tayo ng counterpart na lalaki naman. Baka mag-work.” he adds.
“And it turned out na nag-work. At ang inspiration, si Antonio.”
According to Michael V, the main idea for
the Sexballs was to make music that sounds:
They also have to present it with the right “angas,” as if you were this overwhelmingly desirable man with a beautiful body and all the girls are after you.
“‘Yun ‘yung parang identity ng mga SexBalls dati. ‘Yung talagang makakatanggi sa’min.”
Michael V stressed that confidence is key, not just in comedy but for showbiz in general.
“Isa sa mga kailangan mong isipin, kung artista ka, I think you have to leave your ego sa front door bago ka pumasok ng studio,” he said.
“Tanggalin mo na ‘yung ego mo. Tanggalin mo na lahat ng inhibitions mo. And if the role calls for you to dress up that way, so be it,” he added.
“Advantage kina Wendell at kay Antonio kasi magaganda ‘yung mga katawan nila. Advantage din sa’min ni Ogie kasi nakakatawa kaming tingnan, so the segment just works that way.”
“Natatawa lang sila,” he said.
“‘Yung anak ko ‘yung nag-sum up niyan eh. ‘Yung daddy nila, si Bitoy, si Michael V. Work niya lang ‘yun. So at an early age, alam nila na pagka nakita nila a TV, ‘oh daddy’s working.’“
In a rap battle setting, Ogie Alcasid plays a breezy, laidback character who beats back challengers for the affections of Sam Pinto's Neneng B.
Boy Pick-Up’s dialogue doesn’t always make sense, but the crowd still hypes him up as if he dropped the most fire lines they’ve ever heard.
After the popularity of the sketch, fans have now taken to expressing their admiration with just one word: Boom!
Giving credit to his former castmate, Michael V said Ogie always had the ability to make something sound funnier than it seems.
“Si Ogie kasi, meron siyang magnet duon sa mga stuff na sobrang ridiculous na bordering on hindi na nakakatawa. Siguro sa confidence niya, duon lumabas ‘yung parang nakita ng tao yung humor behind what he’s doing kaya siguro nag-work.”
As Michael V recalls, Boy Pick-Up’s cool way of speaking was partly based on actor-host Eri Neeman.
If you really look at it, Neneng B actually utters only one line — “Bakit?”
Bubble Gang head writer and director Caesar Cosme also explains that “neneng” is the female counterpart of “totoy,” which is usually used to refer to Filipino boys.
Not only did “Boy Pick-Up'' become an online hit, it even inspired a popular song about “Neneng B.” But despite the explicit lyrics of that song, the Bubble Gang creators clarify that sexualizing the female character was never their intention.
In “Ang Spoiled Brat,” Ogie Alcasid and Michael V breathe life into a hard-headed girl named Angelina and her strong-willed yet caring Yaya.
Apart from the dedicated performance from BG’s comedic duo, the winning catchphrase “Yaya, you’re such a loser” also caught on. After dominating the small screen, Bubble Gang hit theaters with the 2009 film “Yaya & Angelina: The Spoiled Brat The Movie.”
Bubble Gang head writer and director Caesar Cosme originally wanted to make a sketch about a mother and child after watching Carole Burnett and Whoopi Goldberg in action.
The late director Rosauro 'Uro' Dela Cruz suggested something better. “[During] brainstorming, Direk Uro said: ‘Imbes na nanay, gawin nating yaya,” Direk Caesar says.
Michael V based his character on his family’s own beloved house helper, while Ogie figured out how to play Angelina thanks to his kids.
“During that time, Direk Uro was frustrated over kids growing up with only their yayas to guide them,” Michael V says.
The Gang, however, made sure to find a way to make the audience laugh without putting hard-working domestic helpers in a bad light.
“As far as education is concerned, that’s a job for the parents,” Bitoy says. “That’s their responsibility, and if your kids end up learning wrong, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”
“Buti na lang mabait si Yaya,” he adds.
When someone says, “Balitang Ina,” you say “Balitang Ina n'yo rin.” A punchline in itself, the brilliant title for Bubble Gang’s fictional news program for moms came to life as regulations for TV started to feel stricter and stricter.
“‘Balitang Ina is just wanting to push the boundaries, but not crossing the fine line,” creative director and sketch writer Michael V says.
The hosts Mommy Vicky (Valeen Montenegro) and Mommy Karen (Chariz Solomon) delight the audience with hilarious, cleverly written scripts with phrases like “makatang ina,” “pulutang ina” and “mapag-alipustang ina.”
It sounds like a walk on eggshells, but Bitoy got some helpful advice from a very famous comedian and host who has been in the business for years. “Basta mapapatunayan mo,” he recalls the comedian saying.
“[Basta] maipapakita mo sa audience na hindi ‘yun ‘yung ibig mong sabihin, na hindi ka nagmumura, at ang sinasabi mo ay tungkol sa balita na dinedeliver ng mga nanay, lululusot ka.”
For the past 25 years, Michael V has appeared on Bubble Gang many times as different characters.
Sometimes, he’s a macho but fabulous host named Bonggang Bonggang Bongbong; a tough-but-fair matriarch named Doña Yna Moran; or even a strangely irritable man named Mr. Assimo who often throws the phrase “Hiyang hiya naman ako sa’yo” at a person he meets.
Bitoy, however, felt a personal connection with one particular character: Junie Lee.
Junie Lee would catch his interviewee off-guard with his shy, awkward and nervous persona when asking questions.
According to Michael V, the character shows us “another side” of him. “Lahat naman ng ini-interview ko, hindi ako kumportable,” he admits.
“Nagawan [namin ni Direk Caesar Cosme] ng character, ng itsura na iba. Dun lang siya nakakapag-peform nang maayos. At OK lang magkamali,” he adds.
“Pagka ako, as myself ‘yung magi-interview, may bashers na. Malamang na-bash na ako noon. Pero dahil nga character ‘yung kausap nila, eh wala silang choice kung hindi sumakay.”
The name was inspired by Julie Yap Daza, a respected journalist and author who is known for conducting fierce interviews — the exact opposite of Junie.
Writer-director Caesar Cosme also notes the “very Pinoy” ring to it, with “Junie” possibly coming from junior and “Lee” coming from the character’s supposed “backstory” wherein he grew up somewhere in the Spratlys.
Listen to Michael V and Direk Caesar Cosme break down 25 years of hilarity on The Howie Severino Podcast!
