“Pepito Manaloto” lead stars bid adieu, long-time show to air its season finale

“Pepito Manaloto” lead stars bid adieu, long-time show to air its season finale
(Image: GMA Network)

The current season of the eleven-year strong “Pepito Manaloto” is set to wrap up this Saturday, May 29, with a prequel season being set up in its place.

That’s what creator, showrunner, and lead star Michael V. said during a virtual media conference on Tuesday, where he also shared the difficulties of keeping the show relevant despite tough times.

Nu’ng nag-start ang pandemic, aminin ko, nahirapan talaga kami and we have to find ways to keep with the times, and at the same time makapagbigay ng quality entertainment sa audience,” the comedian, who plays the titular character, said. 

“We have to step back and reassess kung ano ang puwedeng gawin dito sa situation na ito. We’ve come up with something better and that would be the next book or the next chapter ng Pepito.”

Singer-actress Manilyn Reynes, who plays Pepito’s wife Elsa, concurred with the comedian’s sentiments. She shared that despite difficulties, the cast, crew, and most importantly, their audience, kept their smiles and carried on. “Happy pa rin naman kami na kahit paano, ang mga tao, hindi bumibiw. Nandiyan pa rin sila simula noon hanggang ngayon na nakakapagbigay kami ng entertainment sa panahon na ito.”

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(Image: Pepito Manaloto)

The show’s current season, “Pepito Manaloto: Kuwento Kuwento” will soon be replaced by a new season, “Unang Kwento,” which will focus on the heydays of Pepito and Elsa’s blooming love story in the 1980s. The new series is scheduled to broadcast in July.

“Pepito Manaloto” debuted on GMA on March 2010. It rebranded in 2012 to, “Pepito Manaloto: Ang Tunay na Kuwento” and has since won various awards, including a handful of Outstanding Comedy Program nods and a coveted Anak TV Seal Award in 2019. 

A creative brain-child of Michael V., the family-oriented show has been a staple source of wholesome fun and genuine life lessons for Filipino families through the years. It follows Pepito Manaloto, whose victory in the lottery forces him to navigate his new life as a millionaire, tackling lifestyle changes and the challenge of a growing family. With the pandemic persisting, the show has been pushed to air replays until September of last year. 

While not much has been revealed about the upcoming season, fans have both mourned and speculated about the series’ future, crying that the beloved family will be scratched in the prequel, and that a younger version of Pepito and Elsa will entail new cast members to step in.

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