Launched: March, 1998
Discontinued: 30 April 2005
When the videoke became a huge craze in the 90's, it didn't take long before ABC jumped the gun on other networks and produced the first-of-its-kind videoke gameshow in the country. Thus, Sing-Galing was born. It piloted in March, 1998 with hosts sing-along master Allan K and beauty queen Kristine Florendo.
The show's mechanics were simple. The contestants must know the right lyrics to any randomly chosen song, be it Filipino or foreign without going out of tune. If the contestant fails to sing the right lyrics and in tune, an animated genie would pop up on the screen and strike an animated gong to signal the end of the unfortunate aspirant's chance at instant wealth and glory.
A Tandem that Worked
After a few months, ABC chose comedienne extraordinaire AiAi de las Alas to replace Florendo as Allan K's co-host. It was a serendipitous choice - AiAi and Allan were best friends and they had perfect chemistry. The show was a big success during the incumbency of this team which lasted a long time. It was the "golden era" for Sing Galing.
Musical Chairs
Then Allan K had to leave and John "Sweet" Lapus took his place. Aiai and John took Sing-Galing to a new level; the title and mechanics were altered. Sing-Galing the Trio-Oke Showdown, the tweaked version, premiered in March 2004.
Instead of four individual contestants vying for the "Videoke Singing Star of the Night" title, the new Sing-Galing had three groups with three members each to compete in the elimination round. The trio must have something in common - like the same occupation. They could be a group of beauticians, clerks or drivers and so forth. In the elimination round, the three members of each group will take turns in singing a portion of the song assigned by the pachinko machine.
It wasn't long before the show would lose Aiai because her mother network suddenly invoked an exclusivity clause in their contract. ABC retained John Lapus, however, and got Pops Fernandez, who used to star in a self-titled musical in ABC in the early 90s to co-host with John. In October 2004, Pops and Sweet gave a new spin to Sing-Galing which then became Sing-Galing ni Pops.
An Icon For Originality
Since its premiere in 1998, Sing-Galing had become a household name and a constant top-rated show on ABC until it bowed out in 2005. Sing-Galing enjoys recognition as one of the most successful, original and innovative shows in Philippine television history.
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