Back-to-back premieres on TV5

FREDDIE Aguilar in a 2013 episode of “Face the People” photo: SCOOPBOY.COM

Two new weekday shows started telecasting on TV5 on June 8. At 10:15 a.m., a revised “Face the People” had hosts Gelli de Belen and Tintin Babao sharing the screen with … Edu Manzano, no less.

At 11:15 a.m., “Let’s Ask Pilipinas” was revived, with original host Aga Muhlach being  replaced by Ogie Alcasid.

“Face the People” got all het up over the family feud between Freddie Aguilar and his children over his new love, who’s younger than his offspring. A lot of painful words have been exchanged, Maegan has left Ka Freddie’s home and it has been a sad and ugly scene all around.

Best efforts

Did the show help the Aguilars patch things up and start the process of forgiving and healing? Despite its best efforts, the sad news is, it didn’t. Contacted by the show’s staffers, Ka Freddie didn’t agree to face his aggrieved relatives—but he did leave the door slightly open for a rapprochement sometime in the future. In spite of everything, he said, he still cared for his family.

Well, that wasn’t as definitive a development as the show wanted to effect, but at least the issues have been threshed out, some of the people involved had their say, and the show’s hosts and resource persons have given their advice.

The hope is that the Aguilars won’t be the only beneficiaries of their wise counsel but also viewers who are struggling to amicably settle family feuds of their own.

What about Edu’s participation—has it made the show more interesting and viewable? Uh, not yet. He has to express himself more assertively on the show, which could make good use of his unique perspective on the wide range of “combustible” relationship problems that the program tackles. (On Tuesday and Wednesday, he fared better.)

Light handling

As for “Let’s Ask Pilipinas,” the new host’s “light handling” of the revived quiz show made its first telecast a fun view. It was also “idiosyncratically” informative about Filipinos’ typical preferences, which sometimes say a lot about our unique temperament and mindset.

For instance, at a kids’ party, what do dads believe to be the most popular dish—spaghetti, cake, hot dog or fried chicken? (If you chose the first dish, you got it right.)

Competing that day were singers Jaya, Noel Cabangon, Jireh Lim and Pops Fernandez, with Lim emerging champ—and generously donating his winnings to Alagang Kapatid Foundation.

“Let’s Ask Pilipinas” fared well with Aga hosting. Now that he has been replaced by Ogie, the program’s “tone” has changed, but it should continue to click with viewers because of its typically Pinoy revelations—which are fun to know—and learn from.