Pinoy Ang Dating: Mga Kwento ng IBC 13

February 24, 2017

How would you like to see the first TV programs during the early days of television in the Philippines?

On Oct. 19, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. will take viewers down memory lane when it airs the exclusive documentary on the history of Philippine television, Limampung Taong Ligawan: The Pinoy TV Story. The different TV programs produced by ABS-CBN throughout the 50 years will feature how the different genres of drama, comedy, variety, musical, game and talk shows have evolved through the years.

The documentary promises a nostalgic look on memorable shows on television, which were first seen through the country&#146;s first broadcast network. The contents of the documentary were culled from ABS-CBN&#146;s archive, considered the storeroom of the history of Philippine television.

One of this is the full-length play of Fr. James Reuters, Cyrano de Bergerac, which is the first play mounted on TV in 1953. It was shot in a makeshift studio without air conditioning and actors had to put anti-perspirant on their faces to control their sweat.

The documentary will also feature the first Filipino talent show and originator of amateur talent search contests,Tawag ng Tanghalan with Lopito and Patsy. Talents such as Diomedes Maturan, Nora Aunor and Pepe Pimentel would be discovered in this show. Entertainment shows like The Eddie Ilarde Show and Hamon sa Kampeon hosted by Pepe Pimentel and Dely Magpayo are also included in the documentary.

Videotapes of these programs have been recovered from the ABS-CBN archive, which have lost a number of copies of taped-shows during Martial Law. Soon after the military took over the network in 1972, files of films and videotapes of ABS-CBN&#146;s TV shows were missing and unaccounted for. None exists today, except for shows that began airing in 1986 when ABS-CBN reopened during the EDSA I revolution.

Fortunately, a few minutes of the network&#146;s shows staged in 1969 were found at ABC News Channel in New York, USA. They were taken by veteran broadcaster Ted Koeppel&#146;s team while covering ex-President Ferdinand Marcos&#146; 1969 presidential campaign. At that time, Marcos&#146; campaign pre-empted eight hours of programming. Among the recovered videotapes contained scenes from Stop, Look and Listen and The Baby O&#146;Brien Show, which may be the only surviving footage of the shows before 1986.

Aside from the TV shows, the documentary will also feature stories of the fathers of Philippine television: James Lindenberg, the American engineer who set up the first TV broadcast network, Bolinao Electronics Corp. (BEC); Judge Antonio Quirino, younger brother of ex-President Elpidio Quirino, who owned the first Filipino TV network, Alto Broadcasting System (ABS); and Eugenio "Geny" Lopez Jr., the man who sired the Golden Age of Philippine Television. Geny Lopez&#146; trial during Martial Law will likewise be seen for the first time on this documentary.

Testimonies to the evolution of Pinoy TV will also be heard through the collective stories of other TV stars who have contributed to the history of the local TV industry like Pilita Corrales, Subas Herrero, Noel Trinidad, Pete Roa, Boots Anson-Roa, Gloria Romero, Marita Zobel, Maria Montelibano, Tina Revilla, Ariel Ureta, Tiya Dely, Sonny Cortez and many more.

There will also be a cast reunion of D Sensations featuring Vilma Santos, Edgar Mortiz, Perla Adea, Romy Mallari, Tony Santos Jr., Angge, and Darius Razon; plus the gag show Laff In with stars Ramon Zamora, Maya Valdez and June Keithley.

Dolphy, who first starred in ABS-CBN in the weekly primetime show Buhay Artista will be the main host of the documentary. Joining him are Vilma Santos, Sharon Cuneta, Charo Santos-Concio, Bayani Agbayani, Nova Villa, Claudine Barreto, Piolo Pascual, Gloria Romero, Jericho Rosales, Maricel Soriano, Vandolph, Jean Garcia and Eula Valdez.

The production team of Limampung Taong Ligawan: The Pinoy TV Story led by co-executive producers Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala and Veronica Alcaneses-Pantig had to preview and work with more than 15,000 minutes worth of material. The creative staff is a combination of the best talents from television, advertising and film.

Alikpala and Pantig are managing directors of Asian Eye Productions and have been producing TV documentaries/specials for ABS-CBN in the last five years. They produced the award-winning Batas Militar, which was aired on the network. They are joined by Jeffrey Jeturian as director; Marlon Rivera, creative director; Videlle "Lee" Meily, cinematographer, assisted by Martin Jimenez; Leo Abaya, production designer; Jaime Fabregas, musical scorer; Jo Atienza and Ed Lingao, writers; with Ampi Tinga-Pe, post production supervisor.