He is one of a few celebrities that could juggle so many things at once, and brilliantly at that. Aside from being an actor, writer, TV host and creative director, Michael V – also known in showbiz as ‘Bitoy’ — is also, foremost, a father and a husband. As a family man, the adage “behind every successful man is a woman” holds true for Bitoy, who looks up to his wife and talent manager Carol. She helps him find balance in everything, including his finances, of course.
“Sa aming dalawa siya ’yung into business eh. Kumbaga ako ’yung show, siya ’yung business,” he said.
The 44-year-old former rapper further related how his wife successfully invested in several food franchises. He has no such luck doing the same. He tried putting up a resto in 2005, along with several other “Bubble Gang co-stars, but if failed only after two years. Asked if he would be willing to try again, he simply said, “Ayoko pang sirain ang peace of mind ko.”
Sitcoms now and then If anything, Bitoy is still very much swamped with TV work. With his interest in it far from waning, he says he still finds TV challenging, especially now that it has to compete with other forms of entertainment like social media.
“Before kasi ’yung buong family nanunuod ng sitcom habang kumakain. Ngayon kasi halos wala na ‘yun…,” he said. As a gag writer, he is also wary about people nowadays being more sensitive about issues.“Hindi natin alam kung tutulungan nila tayo or sisirain dahil konting kibot mo lang magrereklamo sila tapos maraming papatol at makikisawsaw,” he said.
As a creative director of “Bubble Gang,” Michael V. maintained that he is more cautious when it comes to depicting situational comedy onscreen. “Hindi pwedeng mag all- out,” he said. “Even the names hindi mo pwedeng banggitin…” Despite the hurdles, Bitoy maintains they make it a point to come up with quality episodes.
“Kasi kapag napatawa mo si Aling Tasing, ’yung term natin dun sa Class C and D ng society, ang susunod mong iisipin eh kung paano siya matututo,” he said. Michael V. believes that no one can replace his best pal and former co-star Ogie Alcasid on “Bubble Gang.” “Pwede kang gumawa (o magpasikat) ng ibang comedian, pero hindi mo pwedeng palitan si Ogie.” He is not the only who misses Ogie on the show, sharing how people still ask him about the duo of Yaya (Michael V.) and Angelina (Ogie), characters they created that became so popular it crossed over to the big screen. “Nagkakasama naman kami pero ‘di sa show,” Bitoy said of his friend who is now a signed to TV5.
Like a library
Aside from “Bubble Gang,” Michael V is also busy with his other baby, “Pepito Manaloto: Ang Tunay Na Buhay,” a show that has been running for almost four years now. Proudly describing it as a library of sorts, said of the show, “’Yung mga characters kasi dito ay interesting, maski minor, kasi even ’yung mga past pwede mong balikan, pwede mong I-expand ang story nila.”
The actor gets a kick out of the positive feedback they get from followers via social media.
“Nakaka-relate sila eh,” he said. “Masaya sila kasi minsan parang nangyari na sa kanila ’yung eksena.” “Pepito Manaloto: Ang Tunay Na Buhay” airs every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. on GMA-7.
