“I don’t know,” the popular son of President Rodrigo Duterte answered when we asked him after the press conference for Lakbai piloting tomorrow night at 8:45 p.m. after the PBA games.
“I never wanted to be in show business, even before my father became President, although I have a rock band in which I am also the lead vocalist apart from playing some of the instruments, I never thought of bringing to a level in which I’d be in the limelight. I write songs and the music we make are of a variety of genres,” he said.
How did he end up co-hosting Lakbai?
He said when he was offered the show his natural reaction was to reject it. “I don’t see myself as a TV personality. I avoid the limelight whenever possible, so the offer really scared me.”
But, the guys over at TV5 were persistent. Mel Yazon-Tolentino, TV5 head of Content and Programming acknowledged it took them nearly half a year to convince the elusive presidential son to say “yes” finally.
“It wouldn’t be had it not been for friends like Alexis Lumabatan, a lawyer, Sboi Malicay, and Andrei Apostol,” he added.
When Baste agreed, Yazon-Tolentino immediately decided to start videotaping initial episodes for the show. “We had to do it immediately or Baste might change his mind,” she said.
And so Lakbai gets on the right track and TV 5 crafted at least five episodes that can extend to eight after which everything will depend on how the audience will accept the first son as a TV personality.
TV 5 asks the audience, how would you like to go on a Philippine adventure with presidential son, Baste Duterte, Bogart the Explorer and friends?
If you’re among the scores of thousands of women who liked Baste the first time you saw him in social media, you’d answer “yes” and you will watch Lakbai.
It is the newest reality adventure show on TV5.
Lakbai, short for lakaw ta, bai, which translates to lakad tayo, kaibigan. It is a bi-lingual show with Bisaya or Hiligaynon as a principal language with Tagalog or Filipino subtitles.
According to Baste, it is a one of a kind TV show because it is basically unscripted. He related how at one point of the shoot when the process had him puzzled. “I was asking why we should be doing things again after we did it the first time. And they told me that they’d take it from a different angle. It really made me wonder.”
But, Baste has been able to adjust rather quickly to the barebones of being a television host. Many members of the press even asked him if he’d accept offers to appear in a TV series or an independent movie to which Baste said politely, “I am not an actor. It would be embarrassing if I accepted and not do well.”
The show, said Baste, takes the viewers to picturesque travel spots in the Philippines. He added, “First of all, this is not just another travel program showcasing the country’s views and food. This is a reality-adventure show that will feature a group of friends going on their travel adventures together while showing the audience the Philippines in a whole new light. In every episode, the hosts will explore a local spot through challenging quests that will test their will and strength.”
For the first time ever in this eight-week special, viewers will get to discover the adventurous side of Baste and see more of his personality as he interacts with the local people they meet.
For the first season of Lakbai, the fearless four’s thirst for adventure will take them to Davao, Bukidnon, Surigao del Norte, Surigao Sur, Dumaguete Siquijor Island, Bohol, llocos and the Mountain Province. Their must-see quests include spelunking in Magku-Kuob Cave located in Surigao Del Norte, exploring all 24 islands of the Brittania Group in Surigao Del Sur, and getting inked by one of the country’s living treasures, the legendary tattoo artist, Whang Od.
★★★★★
Amid the summer heat, GMA Network’s hottest stars made April a month to remember for fans when they joined Bangus, Pistay Dayat, Mango-Bamboo, and Panaad festivals.
The cast of Mulawin vs. Ravena was in Dagupan City for the month-long celebration of Bangus Festival. Kapuso love teams BiGuel and DerBea—Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali; and Derrick Monasterio and Bea Binene—led the Kapuso Float Parade and Kapuso Fiesta together with their co-star Kiko Estrada at Dagupan City Plaza on April 21.
On April 28, the cast of the GMA Afternoon Prime’s Legally Blind saw to it that the Kapusong Pangasinense at the CSI The City Mall had a blast during its Kapuso Mall Show. Janine Gutierrez, Mikael Daez, and Marc Abaya treated their fans with various song numbers. Joining them were the stars of the upcoming remake of Impostora – Kris Bernal and Vaness del Moral.
The cast of Encantadia greeted their Pangasinense fans avisala on April 30. Glaiza de Castro, Rocco Nacino, Rochelle Pangilinan, Carlo Gonzales, Phytos Ramirez, and Arra San Agustin led the Kapuso Night at the Judge de Venecia Highway.
In San Carlos, Pangasinan, the cast of the hit romcom Meant To Be made the Mango-Bamboo Festival sweeter. Barbie Forteza with Jak Roberto, Ivan Dorschner, Addy Raj, and Ken Chan sang and danced during the Kapuso Fiesta at Plaza on April 25.
Meanwhile, in Lingayen, Asia’s Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose and Benjamin Alves, Aicelle Santos, and TOP were the stars in the Kapuso Night on May 1.
