Lois Anne B.

Leal

December 4, 2015

ENG 1 F-4R
AlDub in the Spotlight
Eat Bulaga as the longest noon-time variety show in the Philippines, spanning 36 years of
service in the show business industry created a segment called Juan for All, All for Juan which
promotes the spirit of communal effort or bayanihan and was hosted primarily by Jose Manalo,
Wally Bayola and Paolo Balesteros. The Problem Solving part was added in the segment and in
this part, Wally Bayola, one of the comedian hosts, portrayed the role of Doktora Dora the
Explorer, whose role was to give solutions to the problems of the people and later used faked
medicines to add comedy. However, the story changed when Doktora Dora the Explorer needed
to attend a seminar in South Africa and was then replaced by the characters of Lola Nidora who
was a rich, old woman which was also portrayed by Wally with Yaya Dub or Maine Mendoza as
a new face as her maid (Wikia, 2015). In that newly born segment of Lola Nidora and Yaya Dub
with the previous co-hosts, some staff secretly knew that Yaya Dub had a crush on Alden
Richards who was also part of the Dabarkads or the shows family. When Alden was having his
lunch, they set him up to prove if it was really true by asking Alden to go to the front row and
display a charming aura when the camera pointed to him (Tuviera, 2015). Yaya Dubs role was to
portray a grumpier character than Lola Nidora but when Alden came in sight, she got distracted
and gradually became shy (Quilantang, 2015). The emotion that she showed was genuine and
that started it all, in an accident (Felicitas, 2015).
Maine Mendoza was not a nobody when it comes to popularity, actually she was already
a hit before coming to the show. From uploading a video that went viral overnight was a glorious
record, her skillful dubsmashing really gained interests to a lot of people and proclaim her as the
Queen of the Philippine Dubsmashing. Opportunities started to come to her and one of them was
the casting as Yaya Dub who was the maid of Lola Nidora who only talk through dubsmashing in
Eat Bulaga (Patnugot, 2015). People can understand what they were saying through dubsmashing
because they used popular and common songs and lines from the movies.
As the Dabarkads continued to tease them and because many were fascinated with the
excitement it brought, Eat Bulaga decided to support and added them to the segment (Periodic).

Alden Richards was based in Broadway Centrum Eat Bulaga while Yaya Dub was on a remote
location, usually a visited barangay. It was then called Kalyeserye or a portmanteau of the
Tagalog words kalye meaning street and serye meaning series and the loveteam was then
known as AlDub (Wikipedia, 2015). The split-screen romance was leveled up by the difficulty
of only communicating with dubsmash and written messages. The two admitted they do not see
each other off the camera and was not briefed or rehearsed before the show (Rivera, 2015). It
was not forbidden, but the reason why they do not communicate off cam at the start was to
maintain the magic of the Kalyeserye. The feel of excitement of seeing each other only in
screens and the jolt of getting to know each other made the segment came out naturally.
(Felicitas, 2015). Audience became hooked and all were rooting to make that split-screenromance into reality (Guidote, 2015). Signaturing their fandom was the Pabebe Wave which
was inspired from the viral video of the group of girls named Pabebe Girls. Pabebe Wave
means a cute delicate hand wave. It was first seen at their first episode when Yaya Dub got
distracted and put up a cute hand gesture for Alden (Gani, 2015).
The crowd became continually drawn by the loveteam because it was innovative,
spontaneous, unique and funny (Bais, 2015). It was the first time that a Teleserye was aired live
on the national television; thus the storys unpredictability contributes to its success (Fagar,
2015). Because the 30-minute segment all contained the right mix of thrill and laughter along
with other emotions such as drama, suspense, and impatience, AlDub became a hit. The
production team was also challenged to continue to work hard so the people would not get tired
of the segment (Bais, 2015). As a result, the storyline now gave us more exciting episodes such
as Lola Nidoras hindering their love, Yaya Dub having a fixed marriage with Frankie, a rich
young man, the mystery behind Lola Nidoras secret diary, the coming of other casts such as
Senyora Celia, Duhrizz and Rihanna, their dates and monthsaries, the challenges Alden did for
their love, the added comedy of the coming of other Lolas namely Lola Tinidora casted by Jose
Manalo and Lola Isadora portrayed by Paolo Balesteros with their bodyguards, etc. (Wikipedia,
2015).
Aside from its unique presentation and packaging, the commonality of the values they
communicate and reminding the public about the forgotten virtues made people appreciate the
show (CBCP News, 2015). People were reminisced that when dealing with people, one should be

genuine in his ways, meaning not scripted (Tan, 2015) which was shown on loveteams
affections and made their chemistry stronger (Camus, 2015). It also gave us a gist that the elders
strictness was for a good reason. Lola Nidora wanting them to undergo the traditional courtship
reminded the younger people that love should not be taken lightly and they should work hard to
attain it despite the advances of technology (Dabu, 2015). Because of the traditional courtship, it
can be seen that AlDub practiced perseverance and self-control in order to obey the orders of the
elders. Respect and obedience for the elders were sadly being conceived as old-fashioned in our
modern generation but we all knew that these conducts like pagmamano were right and should
be followed no matter how old it was. The bond between Yaya Dub, Lola Nidora, Lola Tinidora
and Lola Isadora also harken the public back that Filipinos knew the importance of a family. In
one of the episodes, Yaya Dub chose to give Lola Nidora her medicine despite the date she was
into. Knowing priorities and putting the family on top of that was one of the values that should
be remembered. (Rodriguez, 2015). For our elders know that everything has its right time, the
concept of the episode Sa Tamang Panahon reminded many that people should be patient and
should not rush things because there is a right time for everything (Herrera, 2015). As waiting for
the right time, men was being recalled to persevere and to work hard which was shown when
Alden tried to do all Lola Nidoras challenges to win her approval(Semi-periodic). For the
women, the show teaches prudence and modesty. We saw it when Lola Nidora taught Yaya Dub
to dress and put make-up properly, taught her table manners and gave tips for her date with
Alden (Padilla, 2015). Above all the success the loveteam received, the virtue of being down-toearth possessed by the loveteam was applauded by many. A lot of people know that some famous
celebrities let their fame get into their heads but what makes AlDub trending was that though
they were already famous, the fans still distinguished them as the same as to what they were
before (Villavicencio, 2015). The vast connections in the social media made it possible for all
people to watch the Kalyeserye. Aside from the television, Eat Bulaga posted their videos
continually in their Facebook Page, replays can also be found in Youtube and Twitter posts were
also updated from time to time.
AlDubs uprising fame like other famous personalities possessed their very own
fans clubs. Some of them are AlDub Fanatics Worldwide leaded by Mark Brozo, MaiDenatics
leaded by Christian Monzon, AlDub Nation and SG Pinoy Teens (GMA News, 2015). Some of
the fans made their very own gifts for the loveteam. There are two famous songs made for the

loveteam: The Aldub Song written and performed by PhilPop 2012 finalist Keiko Necesario
and YouTube sensation sibling The Antonio Duo (Sallan, 2015) and Yaya written and
performed by the acoustic singer Jimmy Bondoc (Inquirer.net, 2015). Some of them did artworks
like sketched pictures and cartooned versions of the loveteam (GMA Network, 2015). Because of
the millions of supporters, the loveteam created a great impact on its housing network, GMA
Network Inc., achieving the height of 50.8% in their ratings during their Sa Tamang Panahon
concert in the Philippine Arena (Anarcon, 2015). Some of these millions of supporters are known
personalities of different television networks (Loose). In the Kapuso Network, celebrities like
Marian Rivera, Tom Rodriguez, Rhian Ramos, Carla Abellana, Gabby Concepcion, etc. and also
some Kapuso News anchors commended the loveteam. In the Kapamilya Network, Charice
Pempengco, Jhong Hilario, Lea Salonga, Sarah Geronimo, K Brosas, Bea Alonzo, Jodi Sta.
Maria, etc. cannot also escaped the AlDub fever. In the Kapatid Network, Ramon Bautista,
Lorde, etc. also lauded AlDub. Some other known personalities like radio DJ Papa Dudut, the
Team Gilas, UAAP stars like Terrence Romeo and Jeron Teng, Mother Lily Montaverde, the
CBCP etc. also complimented the loveteam (GMA Network, 2015). Not only locally, the AlDub
phenomenon has reached globally. By frequently participating Twitters Worldwide Trends, the
global audience was hooked by the fandom. Twitter Executive Rishie Jaitly personally gave a
personal recognition on the two by earning such millions of tweets (Rappler, 2015) where the
highest number of tweets recorded was over 41 million tweets which surpassed the Fifa World
Cup record of over 36 million tweets (Mendoza, 2015). Some international news such as BBC
News (Jimenez, 2015), Singapore News Site (Dabu, 2015), Bloomberg (Pandong, 2015), and
Morning News USA (Almo, 2015) also got hooked on the phenomenon. Other foreign
entertainment sites like KoreanStarTV and Buzzfeed also reacted. Aside from the local
celebrities, international celebrities Barbie Xiu, God Gave Me You singer Bryan White (GMA
News, 2015), Dessert singer Darwin (Dabu, 2015), Vin Diesel (PhilStar, 2015), Charlie Puth
(Dabu, 2015), American broadway producer Shea Ander (De Guzman, 2015), Lifehouse Bass
player Bryce Soderberg (GMA News, 2015), etc. got caught on the global phenomenon.
Eat Bulagas AlDub not only shared genuine romance and comedy by their exquisite
productions but also reminded the public, locally and globally, about the values they should not
forget in this modern age.

Bibliography
Almo, N. (2015, October 19). US News Website Compares AlDub To Hollywood Stars.
Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.pep.ph/news/59000/alden-richards-and-mainemendoza-compared-by-us-news-website-to-ryan-gosling-and-emma-stone
Anarcon, J. (2015, October 28). #ALDubEBTamangPanahon And #ShowtimeAnimversary In
Ratings Game. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.pep.ph/guide/tv/21352/how-didaldubebtamangpanahon-and-showtimeanimversary-fare-in-ratings-game
Bais, A. (2015, August 15). AlDub's innovative surprises. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://entertainment.inquirer.net/176524/aldubs-innovative-surprises
CBCP. (25, September 25). CBCP News. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
https://twitter.com/cbcpnews/status/647635800692121606?ref_src=twsrc^tfw
Dabu, B. (2015, October 4). Alden Richards and See You Again singer Charlie Puth do Pabebe
Wave. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/539489/showbiz/alden-richards-and-see-you-againsinger-charlie-puth-do-pabebe-wave
Dabu, B. (2015, October 14). Dessert singer Dawin wants dance-off with Lola Nidora.
Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/540628/showbiz/dessert-singer-dawin-wants-dance-offwith-lola-nidora
Dabu, B. (2015, October 27). Why AlDub is here to stay, according to sociology professor.
Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/542143/lifestyle/artandculture/why-aldub-is-here-tostay-according-to-sociology-professor
Dabu, B. (2015, November 1). AlDub featured on Singapore news site. Retrieved December 3,
2015, from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/542788/showbiz/aldub-featured-onsingapore-news-site
De Guzman, F. (2015, September 8). Maine Mendoza, type ng Broadway producer na si Shea
Arender. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.pinoyparazzi.com/maine-mendoza-typeng-broadway-producer-na-si-shea-arender/
Felicitas, P. (2015, October 4). AlDub split-screen romance: Real or fake? (Part I). Retrieved
December 3, 2015, from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/lifestyle/2015/10/04/aldub-splitscreen-romance-real-or-fake-part-i-433902
GMA Network. (2015, August 13). Celebrity fans of AlDub | GMANetwork.com - Entertainment
- Home of Kapuso shows and stars - Photos. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/entertainment/gma/photos/2015-08-13/3869/45168/TerrenceRomeo
GMA Network. (2015, August 30). The Best of #AlDub fan art | GMANetwork.com Entertainment - Home of Kapuso shows and stars - Videos. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/entertainment/gma/videos/2015-08-30/41972/The-Best-of-AlDubfan-art
GMA News. (2015, September 21). Ilang international celebrities, nakiki- AlDub na rin.
Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/341939/24oras/ilang-international-celebrities-nakiki-aldub-na-rin

GMA News. (2015, October 4). UB: Fans club ng AlDub, mabilis dumami ang miyembro nang
magsimulang sumikat ang Kalyeserye. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqJH1OdxBzo
GMA News. (2015, October 8). WATCH: Lifehouse band member's message for Maine
Mendoza. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/540013/showbiz/chikaminute/lifehouse-band-memberleaves-message-for-maine-mendoza
Gani, A. (2015, October 30). Pabebe: What is the Filipino craze that has gone viral online?
Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/30/pabebewhat-is-filipino-craze-gone-viral-online
Guidote, C. (2015, October 6). Split-Screen Romance Jumpstarts AlDub Twitter Mania - See
more at: Http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/split-screen-romance-jumpstarts-aldub-twittermania/#sthash.cBxJ0tky.dpuf. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/split-screen-romance-jumpstarts-aldub-twitter-mania/
Inquirer.Net. (2015, September 28). WATCH: Jimmy Bondoc sings. Retrieved December 3,
2015, from http://entertainment.inquirer.net/179759/watch-jimmy-bondoc-sings-yaya-anoriginal-aldub-song
Jimenez, J. (2015, October 29). BBC News describes Aldub a 'social media phenomenon'
Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2015/10/29/1516151/bbc-news-describes-aldub-socialmedia-phenomenon
Mendoza, A. (2015, October 25). 'AlDub' breaks Fifa World Cup's Twitter record. Retrieved
December 3, 2015, from http://entertainment.inquirer.net/181811/aldub-breaks-fifa-world-cupstwitter-record
Padilla, D. (2015, September 28). 8 Family Values We Are Re-Learning from "AlDub" Retrieved
December 3, 2015, from http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/parenting/parenting-reads/8-familyvalues-we-are-re-learning-from-aldub
Pandong. (2015, October 29). Watch: AlDub Featured in Two International News, BBC News
and Bloomberg (Video) | Taho News. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://www.tahonews.com/watch-aldub-featured-in-two-international-news-bbc-news-andbloomberg-video/
Patnugot, V. (2015, May 14). Pinoy News Blogger: Pretty Filipina Queen of Dubsmash is
breaking social media. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://pinoynewsblogger.blogspot.com/2015/05/pretty-filipina-queen-of-dubsmash-is.html
PhilStar. (2015, October 22). WATCH: Vin Diesel does 'pabebe wave' Retrieved December 3,
2015, from http://www.philstar.com/news-feature/2015/10/22/1512897/watch-vin-diesel-doespabebe-wave
Quilantang, A. (2015, October 7). ALLAN K @ TWAC 10.07.2015. Retrieved December 3,
2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omyhk-02WVc
Rappler. (2015, October 13). Rappler Talk: Twitter's Rishi Jaitly on 'global phenomenon'
#AlDub. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.rappler.com/video/entertainmentlifestyle/109054-rapplertal-twitter-rishi-jaitly-aldub-phenomenon
Rodriguez, T. (2015, September 28). 8 Family Values We Are Re-Learning from "AlDub"
Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/parenting/parentingreads/8-family-values-we-are-re-learning-from-aldub

Sallan, E. (2015, September 24). WATCH | AlDub-inspired original song goes viral on YouTube.
Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.interaksyon.com/entertainment/watch-aldubinspired-original-song-goes-viral-on-youtube/
Tan, C. (2015, October 20). Can we learn any values by watching AlDub? Retrieved December
3, 2015, from http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/can-we-learn-any-values-by-watching-aldub/
Villavicencio, J. (2015, September 17). AlDub Fever: What Makes A Viral Sensation Click
Worldwide? Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.thebitbag.com/aldub-fever-whatmakes-a-viral-sensation-click-worldwide/116985
Wikia. (2015, July 4). Doktora Dora the Explorer. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
http://kalyeserye.wikia.com/wiki/Doktora_Dora_the_Explorer
Wikipedia. (2015, November 1). Kalyeserye. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalyeserye