In the past 16 years, "It’s Showtime" has lived up to its promise of bringing love, joy, and hope to Filipinos. And with the arrival of the 'ber' months this year came a new segment, Laro Laro Pick, which has ‘sleighed’ that mission by giving contestants from all walks of life a chance to share their stories and take a daring shot at the jackPOT money.
And throughout the segment, the “It’s Showtime” hosts have shown what the spirit of giving is truly about, as they extend moving acts of generosity and become a vessel of hope in someone's story. As the holidays remind us to give from the heart, let’s look back on the real-life Santa moments that unfolded on the game arena.
In one episode, we met Jovie, a loving father who roams the streets each night selling balut to support his family. His story of hard work and sacrifices moved Vice Ganda, who promised to pay his family’s house rent for a year, sparing him the heavy burden of raising ₱3,500 each month. Vice said ₱₱3,500 a month may sound ordinary to some, but it's surely had always been difficult to pull together from a balut vendor's small earnings. Tatay Jovie broke down in tears as he thanked Vice and the 'Showtime' family.
Viewers’ hearts were also touched by Ondo’s story as a houseboy from Davao staying with his employers in Las Piñas. He earns ₱8,000 a month and still manages to send support to three of his 14 siblings back home. Having spent all his life putting his family's needs first, Ondo doesn’t even know what dreams to chase for himself anymore. When asked his Christmas wish, he said all he really hopes for is to finally see his loved ones in Davao after nearly 15 years. Hearing this, Vice Ganda promised to cover his fare and add on more gifts, as she wanted nothing more than for Ondo to come home and experience his happiest Christmas yet.
When a group of ‘sorbeteros’ or ice cream vendors were invited to play in the game arena, we got to hear the story of Tatay Armando from General Trias, Cavite, who's been selling ice cream since the 1970s. Now 72, traces of hard work could be seen in his wrinkled skin, but still, he keeps pushing his ice cream cart every single day. He doesn’t earn much, but finds joy in making his own ice cream and sharing it with kids, sometimes for free. Tatay Armando's wife, who was present in the studio, expressed how proud she is of her husband, who never gives up on their family no matter how tough life gets. Vice Ganda, proud of Tatay Armando's big-heartedness, vowed to make their Christmas memorable. She’ll make sure his family enjoys a good Noche Buena together, and that his grandchildren receive toys as gifts—just as he has always tried to do from his small earnings as an ice cream vendor.
At just 14 years old, Ronron gave up school to help his family, working as a 'kargador' or porter for the past nine years and earning just enough to get by through heavy labor at the port area. His story prompted Vice Ganda to reflect on how workers like Ronron, who live honestly and fight fairly, are often the ones most unfairly taken from. To lift some of the weight off his shoulders, Jhong Hilario and Vhong Navarro promised to gift him clothes and shoes, while Vice herself offered ₱20,000 worth of groceries and assist in his mother's medical care.
It wasn’t just the “It’s Showtime” family who extended acts of generosity on the Laro Laro Pick stage, as even celebrities outside the show were moved to help. During an episode where ‘kariton’ vendors were invited to play, one of them brought home the ₱150,000 jackpot prize, and shortly after the episode aired, “Roja” star Donny Pangilinan personally reached out to Vice Ganda to say he wanted to donate ₱300,000, which was then evenly divided among 20 vendors who participated in the game.
Vice shared that Donny’s heart broke for the players, and he couldn’t stand the thought of not helping them. One of the players was Nanay Rosie, who had been living on the streets. Aside
from the monetary support, Vice also helped her find a home and eventually shared that a permanent place had already been secure for her.
And of course, we can’t forget the MagPASKOsikat weeklong anniversary special, where the spirit of giving overflowed—prizes poured in, tears of joy were shed, and the “It’s Showtime” family came together to uplift not just their loyal viewers but also those who needed help the most.
For five days straight, Laro Laro Pick raised the stakes with ₱1 million in POT money up for grabs each day. When a group of calamity victims from Catanduanes, Isabela, and Aurora played, the offer for the Li-POT reached ₱300,000—the highest ever made in the game. The final player, Banang, accepted the offer and ended the round. The remaining ₱700,000 from the day’s jackpot was then evenly divided among the other players so no one would walk away empty-handed.
On the fourth day of the anniversary special, over ₱2 million worth of prizes were given away to players who were also calamity victims—this time from Cebu and Negros Occidental. Vice Ganda lived up to the name of one of the segment’s games, “It’s Giving,” quite literally, because instead of sticking to the original mechanics where players were required to give answers based on a specific category, she made it easier for everyone by letting them just say any random item. Each time a player survived a round, they received an additional ₱5,000 on top of the ₱20,000 that was already given to each of them before the game even started.
In the jackpot round, Vice Ganda encouraged the player, Disyang, to go for the POT question, assuring her it would be easy. True enough, she asked her the simplest question possible—“One plus one?”—which Disyang answered correctly, winning the ₱1 million jackPOT. And in a bigger display of generosity, the hosts pooled together another ₱1 million, which was then distributed among the remaining players.
Vice also gave special assistance to Lolo Ricky, whose sincerity and kindness moved her. She promised to support the schooling of his grandchildren.
A few more acts of giving that touched our hearts on Laro Laro Pick was Vice Ganda’s promise to grant the dream Noche Buena of a parol vendor, plus her ₱5,000 giveaways to each senior citizen contestant in one episode and to working students in another.
Generosity really runs deep in this family, as every one of them knows how to give from the heart. When Vice Ganda wasn't around due to other work commitments, her co-hosts stepped in more than once, like the time Jhong handed a ₱3,000 bonus to a cheerful market vendor whose optimism were just too contagious to ignore.
In another episode featuring fish vendors, Jhong was amazed by the strength of a 65-year-old grandmother who continues to sell fish to support her grandchildren, so he promised to send gifts for all seven of them. Ryan Bang also pitched in by treating her to a well-deserved makeover.
Jhong also extended help to Mhore, a gasoline attendant and part-time tricycle driver, by shouldering two months of medical treatment for his mother who’s battling Alzheimer’s.
Free romantic date—that was Kim Chiu’s gift to Tatay War and his wife, while Karylle added to the surprise by giving them $100. Tatay War, a sidewalk ‘sapatero’ or shoemaker became homeless during the pandemic. In a more recent episode, Kim also promised to fulfill the dream tri-wheeler of a ‘buko’ vendor named Pacquiao.
Catch more good vibes from "It's Showtime," Mondays to Saturdays, 12 NN on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, GMA 7, and iWant.