King of Talk Boy Abunda

Despite the cutthroat race for the ratings among the noontime shows, the Philippines' King of Talk Boy Abunda said the competition prevailing now "can fuel excellence and lead to better things."

"Totoo yun kasi you're on your toes eh. Hindi ka pwedeng magpabaya. Hindi ka pwedeng hindi magaling. Hindi pwede na ang principal actors of the noontime shows ay magpahinga. They really have to keep on discovering, inventing and doing new stuff dahil marami ng choices ang audience," Boy pointed out.

(It's true. They should be on their toes. They can't take things for granted. They can't be mediocre. There's no rest for the prinicipal actors. They have to keep on discovering, inventing, and doing new stuff because the audience has many choices.)

The veteran host believes the current situation is a win-win for the Filipino audience and the networks. He noted that the move of the friends and followers of noontime show hosts to take sides is a "natural reaction" and that "things will eventually settle down."

"It's a very complex business, and I will not pretend to know the root cause of all this. But after a while, napag-uusapan naman lahat yan," he stressed.

Tito Boy gave this opinion after the mediacon of "Battle of the Judges" which will air on GMA Network this Saturday, July 15. Alden Richards will be hosting a show where Boy will compete against other judges such as Kapuso top executive Annette Gozon-Valdes, premier leading lady Bea Alonzo, and powerhouse comedian Jose Manalo.

The King of Talk said this is the third talent show he accepted in his long career. Ironically, he was never a noontime show host. "Maybe it's because I wake up late," he quipped.

Tito Boy with his colleagues in 'Battle Of The Judges' (from left): GMA senior vice-president Annette Gozon-Valdes, Bea Alonzo, an Alden Richards

The role of the judges is to mentor and prepare their squad for the three levels of the ultimate talent competition: the elimination round, the semifinals and the championship. In the final round, the six remaining performers will face each other and be voted the winner.

Tito Boy was all praises for Jose, who is part of the Jowapao trio of the newly-launched E.A.T. and now  "Battle of the Judges."

"I'm so glad I worked with Jose. I gained a lot of insights. Yung hindi pinapahirapan ang mga bagay-bagay, hindi nag-ooverthink pero tama ang timpla. He uses a very peculiar, special lens. Kilala nya ang audience. Magaling,"

(Jose doesn't make things hard, he doesn't overthink, but his execution is perfect. He knows his audience. He's good.)

Talking about his other fellow judges, Tito Boy said: "Annette understands the power of where she is. When she says 'you can do TV, you can be in the movies' - she knows where she's coming from my discovery about Bea in the Battle of the Judges is that she's not only beautiful and smart, she also campaigns like no other."

Tito Boy said his many years as a talent manager comes in handy as he carries out his task, the "Battle Of The Judges."

"You know a winner when you see one," he closed.

Like any talent competition, this show’s unique format involves strategy as much as performance.

The competition between judges begins as they mentor and prepare their squad members for the three levels of competition: Battle of the Best or the elimination round, is the thrilling encounter of 24 squad members who will fight it out in 12 Battles. Battle to the Top is the semifinal round where the four judges will continue to guide the remaining 12 performers who will compete against each other in 6 battles in order to move forward to the final level, The Ultimate Battle, or the Championship round.  Here, the remaining six performers will face each other to conquer the battle stage and be voted as the one and only ultimate champion!

Who will conquer all three levels of the country’s ultimate talent competition and win the title of ultimate champion? Find out in Battle of the Judges beginning this Saturday, July 15, on GMA Network.