Istambay sa Looban: A Poor Man’s ‘Boy Pick-Up’

For the past few years, the ‘Pick-Up Lines’ segment served as a highlight of the gag show ‘Bubble Gang‘. But when Ogie Alcasid left GMA for rival TV5, the writers sought a new sketch that will serve as a worthy replacement. Thus came a new musical sketch called ‘Istambay sa Looban’.

The segment basically centered on a song ‘Istambay sa Looban’, with the lyrics modified by Michael V to fit in with a particular sketch. The song itself is performed by Michael V, with instrumental backing from Antonio Aquitania, Sef Cadayona and Roadfill Obeso. The title card was inspired from the ‘Pick-Up Lines’ sketch, featuring the same ‘spray paint on the wall’ sequence. In between the four choruses, a sketch related to the reworked song is performed by the cast, with the theme usually revolving on relationships and incidents revolving around the barangay.

In contrast to the hip-hop inspired gear worn in the ‘Pick-Up Lines’ sketch, the characters on ‘Istambay sa Looban’ wear stereotypical urban poor attire, with sleeveless shirts, denims and slippers. And from time to time, extras will also get involved in the skit.

‘Istambay sa Looban’ is a fresh and exciting concept worth watching. Here is the latest segment from last Friday, which centers on Paolo Contis as the father, Boy 2 Quizon as the alleged snatcher, and Carla Abellana (in her first televised appearance since the conclusion of ‘My Husband’s Lover’) as the snatcher’s girlfriend.

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.