Any kid who grew up through the ‘80s and early ‘90s know a special place called Batibot. Pre-cable television, pre-mobile phones and pre-Facebook applications, these kids—without being told to—sat in front of their TVs from 9:30 to 10am and attentively watched their TV playmates like Pong Pagong, Kikong Matsing, Ningning and Gingging, among others, interact with Kuya Bodjie, Ate Sienna, Kuya Mario, Ate Isay, Kuya Ching and Kuya Pilo in the neighborhood called Batibot, learning a lot of things along the way. Batibot was every parent’s and babysitter’s dream, as even for a short time, they could breathe a sigh of relief and could have time for themselves, instead of chasing the kids running around the house, causing chaos. The show was such a hit at the time that the lyrics to its theme song—Tayo nang magpunta, tuklasin sa Batibot, ang tuwa, ang say—were sang at every street corner, lines such as Perlas na bilog, huwag kang tutulog-tulog, became part of everyday dialogue and Kuya Bodjie became every kid’s favorite storyteller.
Produced by the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) and Philippine Children’s Television Foundation, Inc. (PCTVF), Batibot was the Philippines’ answer to the widely popular children’s program Sesame Street. Though plagued by a few problems when it went on the air in 1984 until it signed off in 1998 including being passed on from station to station, timeslot to timeslot and licensing conflicts with two of the main characters, the show became one of the longest-running local children’s show in the country.
Batibot also served as a platform for today’s respected actors and actresses who have made their mark in films, TV and theater: Bodjie Pascua, Sienna Olaso, Adriana Agcaoili, Isay Alvarez, Junix Inocian, Dwight Gaston, Eugene Domingo and Soliman Cruz.
Recently, it was announced that the newly revamped TV5 (formerly ABC 5) had acquired the rights to the show and will be making a comeback in June of this year to be produced by Feny Bautista, who also served as producer of the show when it first went on air, and this piece of news was met with a lot of excitement, not only from those who were kids back then (some of whom are parents themselves now) but also from the kids of today who look forward to watching something other than canned foreign kid’s shows like Blues Clues and Dora the Explorer.
The comebacking show will be a mix of the old and new in a full 30 minutes on weekends, with short segments throughout the week daily, and there will be a new generation of muppets and live actors combined with the old. And of course, Batibot won’t be complete without storytelling!
The return of Batibot also thrilled people from the showbiz industry, including noted writer Bibsy M. Carballo who wrote in Philstar.com,"It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to claim that Batibot was the iconic Filipino children’s show that took off from Sesame Street and in the end surpassed it."
True, Batibot was a co-production deal with the CTW and PCTVF and many of the show’s characters were based on its US counterpart (e.g., Pong Pagong was based on Big Bird, Kikong Matsing was based on Oscar the Grouch, Ningning and Gingging were based on Ernie and Bert), but the show employed variety, humor, animation, black theater, muppets, short action films and features, music and stories—all injected with the unique Filipino quality, values and characteristics that through the show, the kids developed a sense of appreciation and pride for their culture and heritage.
Feny, who is more popularly known as "Teacher Feny" is considered by many as a savant when it comes to educational television in the country. And for Batibot’s return to TV, she is hopeful. "Batibot offers both the earning potential and the social redeeming value already proven in the past," she states. For sure, everyone—the kids and the kids at heart--can’t wait to visit. (AJPress)
( Published April 23, 2010 in RedCarpet Magazine p. 2 )
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