VICE Ganda scores another well-deserved hit on It’s Showtime’s newest and most-talked about segment “Reina Ng Tahanan,” which she developed and conceptualized in close collaboration with the show’s hard-working staff.
While a huge chunk of Vice’s creative brilliance is manifested in her comedy through infectious, witty, and snappy punchlines that continues to set trends and define Pinoy pop-culture, the laughter and merriment of noontime entertainment didn’t exactly fuel the conception of “Reina Ng Tahanan.”
“I wanted a new segment that would excite me since I’ve been doing Showtime for so many years,” says Vice. “Research is very important every time we try to create a new segment. A recent research that we conducted resulted to the information that a lot of mothers lost their sense of purpose because of the pandemic. Their routines at home are turned upside down and they are all tired as they are all simultaneously taking care of their families and their households. Because of stress, pumangit, napagod, at na-haggard ang marami sa ating mga nanay.”
Vice wanted a segment that would help in restoring the self-esteem and energy of mothers – a segment that would empower every woman to remember her essence as a person since the multi-faceted nature of womanhood is not merely defined by being a mother. “We need to remind every mother that she is beautiful and she has a talent that she could be proud of. We need to remind every mother to rest and take a break,” says Vice.
Though ABS-CBN management initially was not keen to the idea of another beauty pageant on television, Vice and the Showtime staff insistent on an unconventional pageant that is set apart from others because of its question and answer portion where an important person in a contestant’s life will be the one to ask a question that aims to resolve personal issues, thus infusing the elements of a beauty contest and the tenets of reality television into a unique and innovative segment.
ABS-CBN gave Showtime the greenlight to air the segment every day after watching the initial episode of the segment. “It was supposed to air three times a week but management was so impressed with the output of the initial material that we taped. They clearly saw our vision to honor all mothers. We wanted to pay tribute to these amazing women because it is really my advocacy to promote love, care, and respect to all mothers,” reveals Vice.
Vice also discloses that she fought hard to incorporate a talent portion in the daily competition because she believes that every woman has a talent that took a back seat in her life the moment she became a mother. “Mothers are talented individuals aside from being great homemakers. It’s so fulfilling to give them the chance to sing again, to dance again, to act again. Mothers are not just good in cooking, washing clothes, and nagging their children to always do the right thing. They are all also very talented as what we could enjoy on the segment,” says Vice.
Though the segment is heavily seasoned with Vice’s wit and humor, the heart and soul of the segment is really anchored valuable life lessons.
“I cried on the first episode when a contestant’s son asked his mother if there was a time that she stopped believing in him after multiple failed attempts in securing a job in the hopes of providing for their family,” says Vice. “It’s not that he wasn’t trying. The fact is it’s really difficult to find a job nowadays. I was touched because we all want to prove something to our families and not everybody is blessed to make their dreams a reality.”
Vice continues, “I felt the pain of the son because my sister Babot sometimes feel that she is not contributing financially to our family. I’d always tell her that each of us have a purpose and a role to play in our family. I may be the one providing financially but she is the one taking care of the kids and our house while my other sister is taking care of our mother – something that I cannot do because of my hectic schedule. We all have roles and we need to remind each other that our roles are important. Our contributions in our family are all of equal importance.”
And in a wider perspective, Vice is fully aware of the contribution she needs to give to a bigger family that she is a part of – the family of millions and millions of Kapamilyas not only here in the country but around the world as well.
Vice’s crucial contribution is to provide laughter which she does every day on Showtime. And the frequency of the dosages of happiness that she gives is now made daily with the pilot weekend of Everybody Sing on June 5 and 6.
“25 contestants will vie for the grand prize of Php500K in this reality singing competition,” says Vice. “I am so happy that I am able to banter with all of them as it has been over a year since we lost our live audience due to the pandemic. I live on the energy and laughter of the audience and this is one party that I am happy to be a part of every weekend.”
Aside from her daily duties on Showtime coupled with her weekly hosting gig on Everybody Sing, Vice is also gearing up for the ultimate online party of the year –the highly anticipated concert of the year Gandemic: The VG-Tal Concert, which is set to stream on July 17 (9: 00 p.m. Manila Time – World Premiere) and July 18 (11:00 a.m. Manila Time – Worldwide Screening).
With special guests Anne Curtis, Ice Seguerra, MC & Lassy, Negie & Petite, Awra & Argie, and Payatas Children’s Choir; with musical direction by Marvin Querido; and with stage and TV direction by Paul Basinillo, Vice Ganda is all pumped up to deliver another out-of-this-world and fierce performance that is guaranteed to shower every netizen a much needed splash of happiness, laughter, and good vibes.
“If making people happy and giving positive cheer to the world is the role that I assigned to me, then I gladly take it. I simply love it,” says a beaming Vice Ganda.
Gandemic: The VG-Tal Concert streams live on ktx.ph, TFC, and iWantTFC and it could also be viewed on Sky PPV. Tickets are priced at Php1,500.00 (limited VIP slots with meet and greet in the world premiere) and Php1,000.00. For ticket inquiries call Viva Live at (+632) 8687-7236 or (+63908) 814-4601.
