ABOVE: Inquirer employees play the thrilling game with show hosts (third from left) Saida Diola, Mr. Fu,Valeen Montenegro and Alison Andres.
Believe it or not, the hosts of the new TV5 game show “Jeepney Jackpot: Pera o Para” have actually tried riding the ubiquitous public transport in the past.
“When I was a student and, even after graduation, when I started working as a news reporter (on RPN 9), I often took the jeepney,” Mr. Fu told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The radio jock has surely gone a long way and he now cohosts a game show set inside a jeepney, along with fellow TV5 talent Valeen Montenegro.
Valeen remembered her first time to ride a jeepney with fondness. “I was 11 years old then and my yaya took me on an adventure to Quiapo. I was so excited that I was grinning from ear to ear throughout the ride.”
As was witnessed by the Inquirer staffers who joined the game when the show visited the paper’s Makati office recently, this particular jeepney trip could be likened to a roller-coaster ride, complete with thrills, chills and a slew of surprises.
Whenever the jeepney stops too abruptly or turns too sharply, it’s not uncommon for Mr. Fu and Valeen to slip from their seats.
“We need to wear helmets and seatbelts,” Valeen quipped, in jest.
One contestant pulled too forcefully—dismantling the handle-bar/buzzer.
The show’s hunky driver, model-actor Alison Andres, recalled that the jeepney had stalled only once in the middle of taping.
“The alternator broke down,” Alison recounted. “Fortunately, we stopped near a videoke joint along Timog (in Quezon City).”
As luck would have it, the episode’s contestants consisted of seasoned singers Claire de la Fuente, Victor Wood, Anthony Castelo and Imelda Papin.
“They decided to hang out in the videoke bar, as we waited for the mechanic to fix the jeepney,” Alison said.
THE COLORFUL jeepney never fails to attract attention on the chaotic city streets.
Although Alison took public transport as a teenager, it was his first time to drive a jeepney on Manila’s chaotic streets.
As a security measure, a convoy of vehicles usually trails the jeepney.
“An ambulance and motorcycle-riding traffic enforcers (from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) follow us plus at least seven vans from the production,” said Alison.
Inside the jeepney, at least eight cameras were set up to capture every twist and turn.
“We picked up one contestant on the street,” Valeen related. “She was on her way to the sari-sari store to buy baby powder. She ended up winning P50,000.”
That would be worth boxes and boxes of baby powder.
Photos by Edwin Bacasmas
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