The Tulfo Brothers and Pickup Lines

It has been months since the ‘Pick-Up Lines‘ segment on ‘Bubble Gang‘ ended upon Ogie Alcasid‘s defection to TV5, but its enduring popularity spread beyond the GMA gag show. In fact, even the Tulfo brothers of T3: Reload have ended most of their episodes with these pickup lines.

While the trio composed of Ben, Erwin and Raffy Tulfo were known for being serious and hard-hitting when it comes to solving all kinds of criminal mischief, on some occasions they can also showcase their softer and humorous side. Thus the cheesy lines concept came to my attention, in a sense that it normally ends T3: Reload on a more positive note.

The segment debuted last July, but with only Raffy and Ben hosting the said segments. In these segments they read the cheesy love lines made up by viewers off of T3: Reload’s Facebook account. As Erwin returned from vacation, these segments expanded to include pickup lines against criminals and political offenders. Here are some of the examples which you can access via the News5 website.

http://n5e.interaksyon.com/videos/5664048FF3734F6/cheesy-lines-ng-mga-netizen-para-sa-tulfo-brothers

http://n5e.interaksyon.com/videos/C393CFF98D9D47D/tol-raffy-erwin-at-ben-humirit-na-naman-ng-cheesy-lines

I wonder if the Tulfo brothers were to trade their suits in favor of baggie pants, baseball caps and oversized shirts while doing this segment. It would have made the segment even better. But even in their suits, and in Ben’s case shades, they can still elicit a laugh or two from the audience, in a way that it helps lower their stress levels at the end of T3: Reload.

Social Media and ‘Ikaw at ang Ina’

In a world where social media is becoming a force in the history of technology, television programs tried to take advantage of this new medium. ‘Bubble Gang”s ‘Ikaw at ang Ina’ is no exception.

During each sketch, the titular character Donya Ina (Michael V) questions her children’s use of social media with the phrase ‘paki-explain’, only to finish with an exclamatory ‘labyu’ with a confused reaction from her children. The sketch immediately proved popular from the first skit, due to Donya Ina’s amusing and timely delivery of jokes. And even when ‘Bubble Gang’ was off the air, Donya Ina continued to deliver the jokes through her Facebook fanpage.

In the previous week’s episode of ‘Bubble Gang’, Donya Ina criticized her daughter (Sef Cadayona) for using Facebook and Instagram for her personal enjoyment. In case you missed this joke, watch the video below.

Throughout its 18-year history, ‘Bubble Gang’ has found new ways to adapt to changes in culture and society, taking advantage of recent trends and styles. With the use of social media, it is no wonder why the writers decided to use it as a skit for ‘Ikaw at ang Ina’. And in keeping with the times, ‘Bubble Gang’ has been able to maintain its status as the top gag show in the country today.

More Napoles News and Jokes

The week in news is all about the Pork Barrel, and its whistleblower Janet Napoles. Monday witnessed the Million People March at the Quirino Grandstand, then Wednesday night saw the voluntary surrender of Napoles at Malacanang. The narrative did not end there, however.

On Friday night the court finally approved the transfer of Janet Napoles from the Makati City Jail to the Fort Sto. Domingo facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It was the same complex that housed former president and Manila mayor Joseph Estrada during his plunder case a decade ago. The court approved the move citing security concerns within the Makati City Jail.

Throughout the week all major television networks extensively the issue of Pork Barrel and the surrender of Janet Napoles. Some segments took exception to the issue by presenting it in a light-hearted manner. On the TV5 program T3: Reload, the Tulfo brothers Ben, Erwin and Raffy decided to make fun of the issue with the use of social media, presenting memes and pick-up lines relating to Janet Napoles and the Pork Barrel scam. Then on the ‘Word of the Lourd’ segment by Lourd de Veyra, he presented a photo of Napoles and asked several people to identify the subject, with one mistakenly identifying the subject as the Korean rapper Psy.

Despite the serious nature of the issue, people still found a way to lighten up the mood of the nation by presenting them in a humorous manner. That ability to construct humor amidst the negativity of the situation enabled the Philippines to rank among the top 10 in the happiest countries poll last year. And that humor overcomes all the poverty and hardship that the country experiences these days.

Meanwhile, more news about Janet Napoles’s transfer will be reported over the next few days, so stay tuned.