MANILA, Philippines – Comedian Joey de Leon on Thursday, June 15, teased fans of Eat Bulaga! with a clipped video of the show’s theme song minus the last two words of the noontime variety show’s lyrics, keeping viewers guessing whether their new show on TV5 will still carry the same name.

“Buong bansa…buong daigdig…NAGHIHINTAY (The whole country…the whole world…waiting),” he said. De Leon invented the show’s name, and he has a pending trademark application with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to use it for entertainment shows and merchandising.

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On Wednesday, June 14, actor-host Ryan Agoncillo went live on TVJ’s new Facebook page to show them having lunch in TV5’s studio on Reliance Street in Mandaluyong City with network executives led its president Guido Zaballero and news chief Luchi Cruz-Valdes. 

“This is the first lunch na nagsamasama kami ulit dito sa TV5 and nagpipictorial kami at naghahanda para sa bagong sorpresa na inyong mapapanood mga kapatid at mga Dabarkads,” Agoncillo said. 

(This is the first time we have gotten together here in TV5 and we’re having a pictorial and getting ready for the new surprise that you’ll be able to watch, brothers and sisters and Dabarkads.)

When he turned to De Leon, the comedian quipped, “Live pa rin yan? Ayaw namin ng tape (TAPE), basta live.” (Is that live? We don’t want tape, only live.)

Other Dabarkads who joined the lunch were Paolo Ballesteros, Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Allan K., and production staff who also left Television and Production Exponents Incorporated (TAPE), the producer and blocktimer of Eat Bulaga! on GMA Network Incorporated.

They left TAPE on May 31 after a bitter dispute with the Jalosjos family over how to run the Philippines’ longest noontime which airs on the the Kapuso network, GMA.  

“We’re taking videos, pictures para sa paghahanda ng debut ng mga Dabarkads sa Kapatid network. So, malapit na malapit na yan,” he said in a separate live video.

(We’re taking videos, pictures as we prepare for the debut of the Dabarkads on the Kapatid network. That’s going to be very soon.)

On Tuesday, June 13, another Dabarkads, actress-social media influencer Maine Mendoza, also posted videos of their preparation in TV5’s studio. 

“Nalalapit na ang pagbabalik,” she said. (Our return is very near.) 

Sotto earlier predicted that their show on TV5 would air last week of June or first week of July, at the latest.

“Tito, Vic, and Joey #TVJ at iba pang legit Dabarkads, winelcome sa kanilang first official visit sa bago nilang tahanan sa #TV5 Mga Kapatid,” TV5 said on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

(Tito, Vic, and Joey and other legitimate Dabarkads were welcomed on their first official visit in their new home, TV5, brothers and sisters.)

TVJ signed a deal with MediaQuest on June 7 to produce content for various platforms of the businessman and sports patron Manny Pangilinan’s media holding company. – Rappler.com