TV5’s winsome threesome

FROM left: Ramon Bautista, Jun Sabayton and Lourd de Veyra

MAKE way for TV5’s awesome threesome—Internet celebrity Ramon Bautista, satirist Jun Sabayton and newsman Lourd de Veyra—in “Barangay Utakan” (Sundays, 9 p.m.) on its second season.

Cohosted by Bea Benedicto and Nikki Veron, the innovative news quiz show showcases Pinoy bayanihan in different barangays. The contestants of each team try to outsmart each other by answering questions drawn from current news and public events.

What better time to be well-informed than now that we are on the verge of change (or “chained”) as we welcome our new president?

Here’s my chat with Ramon (R), Jun (J) and Lourd (L):

What makes your trio engaging?

R: It’s our normalness. We’re not movie-star-handsome and maybe they are curious why we’re on TV.

J: We have the combined charms of Alden Richards, Piolo Pascual and John Lloyd Cruz.

How do you manage not to upstage each other?

R: Our banters are usually based on spontaneous conversations on camera, and it’s our director RA Rivera’s job to edit.

J: We respect each other because of our long-standing friendship.

What’s your unsolicited advice to our next president?

L: Before you take oath, go to Baseco, the communities under Delpan Bridge and the ones around Payatas. Take pictures … Use these photos as wallpaper for your phone, to remind you that your job is never finished as long as these images exist.

You have no right to praise yourself or the economy under your government while they’re still out there.

R: Take it easy on people like us; we’re all here to uplift the lives of the Filipino people.

J: Umayos ka! (Get your act together!)

In what way do you complement each other in your show?

L: I am a fan of my cohosts, and I have great trust in their instinct and timing.

J: By jousting.

R: Lourd is the smart guy, Jun is like the istambay, and I’m the good-looking one.

Why must Pinoys catch your show?

L: Never has a show on national television taken on the term “edu-tainment” more seriously. It melds the Pinoy penchant for games and fiesta with the urgency of news and public affairs.

R: It’s a good and fun way to catch up with the news. I think stuffing news information into a game show played by barangay folk is a great idea.

J: Educational, current events and loads of “undies” as prizes.

How do you handle it when competing groups get unruly and rowdy?

L: The loveliest part always teeters on that point between unbridled revelry and total anarchy. But strangely, there’s something about the sound of our cheap buzzers and the P20 bills that calm them down.

J: We just maintain the happy vibe and make sure nobody gets irked.

R: [It] really hasn’t escalated to an alarming level.

If you become a barangay captain, what would you call your barangay?

L: Barangay Inuman. (There’s an actual place in Antipolo.)

R: Barangay Pogi.

J: Barangay Bayawan.

What’s your advice to aspiring writers?

L: Read, write, revise. Repeat.

J: Just keep writing. Your time will come to get published.

R: Just keep writing, even if others tell you your work is crap. It’s your life and passion.

What are you most proud of?

L: I’m not sure. I’ve recorded three albums with my band. I’ve written eight books. I’ve received awards for writing and television work.

R: I’m proud to be working with Lourd and Jun.

J: My tummy.

If you write your autobiography, what would the title be?

L: “Mein Kampf 2016.”

J: “Bayawgraphy.”

R: (Two titles) “How to Be an Internet Action Star in 10 Steps” and “Techniques on How to Love and Be Stupid and How to Forget and to Love Again.”