IN THE SPOTLIGHT: A look back at recent ‘Eat Bulaga’ lenten episodes

Eat Bulaga lenten. Images: Screengrabs from YouTube/Eat Bulaga

Two years after “Eat Bulaga” was born on television in 1979, it started a sort of Lenten tradition with an annual drama anthology that stars the longest-running noontime show’s hosts and guests. Dubbed the “Eat Bulaga Lenten Special,” the shows have since become a staple among Bulaga viewers during the Holy Week, as a break from gags and hilarity being offered by the comedic trio Tito and Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon, and their mainstay hosts.

The Eat Bulaga Lenten Special, airing daily from Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday, offered a kind of heartwarming entertainment that covers a myriad topics that made viewers reflect on their relationship with God and their loved ones, and sometimes even with themselves.

The anthology also had a long-winded story of its own — which started in 1981 before taking a short break in 2008. It returned in 2014 before going on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly though, a majority of the footage of its episodes in the 1980s to 1990s is hard to find, or probably kept in the archives of TAPE Inc., the former production studio of Eat Bulaga.

Eat Bulaga Lenten Special 2024 promises to be another another one for the books, as the show’s newest host, Atasha Muhlach — whose show biz bloodline is not something to sneer at — makes her debut acting performance.

With the return of “Eat Bulaga Lenten Special” in this year’s Holy Week, allow us to take a trip down memory lane at some of its most memorable episodes that made a mark in the hearts of viewers in recent years.

‘God Gave Me You’ (2016)

The height of the AlDub onscreen pairing is what led Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza to portray the love story of a flight attendant and pilot who fell in love after sharing a mutual pain over the loss of a loved one.

The Joyce Bernal-helmed series centers around Dani (Maine Mendoza) who mourns the death of her flight captain boyfriend Matthew (Jake Ejercito), who turned out to be the best friend of James (Alden Richards). As a way of celebrating Matthew’s life, Dani and James made it a point to fulfill a list of activities that he always wanted to do — which ultimately led to them catching feelings for each other.

‘The Manager’ (2003)

The titlecard of “The Manager.” Image: Screengrab from Eat Bulaga/YouTube

The father-and-daughter relationship of Francis and Maxene Magalona translated into the big screen, among their many joint appearances together, with “The Manager” as one of their most heartwarming projects together.

Francis took on the role of Bobby Valdez, a once-prolific actor who’s struggling to come to terms with his waning popularity. He instead turns to alcohol and cigarettes to down his sorrows about his once-successful career, much to the chagrin of his daughter (Maxene Magalona).

They soon cross paths with Charlie (Vic Sotto) who’s on the hunt for fresh talents to bring to the entertainment industry.

‘Inay’ (2017)

Paolo Ballesteros takes center stage in “Inay” which tells the story of Jules’ (Ballesteros) dedication to tend to his heartbroken mother Baby (played by Ai-Ai delas Alas), who’s unable to move forward from the loss of her husband. This loss, however, led her to mourn over the heartbreak which ultimately put Jules as the de facto head of the family.

However, Baby finds herself in jail after falling into her lover’s investment scam disguised as a real estate development opportunity. After bailing his mother out of jail, the wedge between the mother and son grew as Jules expressed his disappointment towards his mother for being too trusting of men.

‘Tahanan’ (2005)

Another father and son relationship translated into screen is witnessed in “Tahanan” with Joey and Keempee de Leon portraying the story of Jack (Keempee de Leon) coming home to beg for money to pay off his gambling debts.

Contrary to the heartwarming route of the Eat Bulaga lenten anthology, “Tahanan” ends in tragedy as Jack continues to fall deeper into the effects of gambling, almost to the point of targeting his father Peping (Joey de Leon) to get his inheritance money immediately. Jack eventually realized the gravity of his wrongdoings, but instead of being welcomed back into his father’s arms, he was kicked out of the house for good. Peping assured, however, that his son is forgiven.

‘Pinagpalang Ama’ (2015)

Another Joyce-Bernal helmed series, “Pinagpalang Ama” revolves around gay siblings Win-Win (Wally Bayola) and Jessie (Jose Manalo) who earn money by competing in beauty pageants — mainly to support the education of their youngest brother Edward (Ryan Agoncillo).

However, their father Lino (Joey de Leon) is unaware that Edward, too, is gay, and whose flamboyant mannerisms and even boyfriend he wanted to keep hidden. Despite Win-Win and Jessie being understanding of their youngest brother’s true self, they eventually accuse Edward of being ungrateful after being secretive of his relationship and other personal affairs.