Whether or not she is present, Anne Curtis is apparently the favorite “bunot” or topic of her co-hosts in “It’s Showtime.” Aside from her frequent absences, her eye-catching wide lips, and her unique vocal prowess, there were also instances over the past years when they brought up the running joke about her birthday being one of the special occasions that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) hope to not miss.
With her birthday—February 17—fast-approaching, let us revisit five of her funniest “OFW moments” on the well-loved long-running noontime program that absolutely brought us good vibes in this edition of Kapamilya Update!
Those who have been dutifully watching “It’s Showtime” in the past 16 years could probably recall that it all started in that iconic moment from the “Tawag ng Tanghalan” segment in 2017 when Anne and Vice Ganda interviewed a male OFW who expressed his desire to celebrate Christmas with his family.
“Alam mo, bukod sa hirap ng trabaho sa ibang bansa, ang pinakamahirap na hinaharap ng mga Pilipino doon ay ‘yung pagka-miss nila sa pamilya nila sa Pilipinas. ‘Yong homesick, 'di ba?” the Unkabogable Star remarked.
As Anne added, “Lalo na during Christmas, family celebrations na you’re meant to be together,” Vice continued with “Birthday mo,” which confused her and prompted her to ask, “Birthday ko?” Seeing the perplexity on the face of her ‘sisterette,’ Vice was about to explain it, which made Anne burst out laughing upon realizing that she just didn’t get it.
The Unkabogable Star asked, “Sa palagay mo, bakit mami-miss ng OFW ‘yong birthday mo?” and went on to demonstrate scenarios of OFWs expressing their regret for not being able to return to the Philippines on her birthday. A hilarious argument between them ensued as Anne tried to defend herself, which made Vice convey in jest, “Pasensya na sa lahat ng OFW kung hindi kayo makauwi ‘pag birthday ni Anne. Alam po namin na ‘yan ang kinakaharap ninyong ang bigat-bigat sa dibdib,” which drew boisterous laughter from everyone, including Anne herself.
A few years might have already passed, but the madlang people apparently haven’t moved on yet from that “lutang” moment of Anne. In fact, there were OFWs who rode along with it by posting on social media pictures of their plane tickets to the Philippines as their way of showing their excitement to be home on her birthday month. The Multimedia Superstar acknowledged them and expressed her appreciation to them in an episode of “It’s Showtime.”
“Maraming salamat sa mga kababayan natin na uuwi para sa birthday ko,” she uttered. “Talagang mga loko-loko kayo, ‘no? Pino-post n’yo talaga ang mga ticket ninyo at ‘yong mga caption nila, ‘Yan, uuwi kami para sa birthday ni Anne.’”
Fresh from her attendance in the Australia leg of Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” Anne brought that unforgettable concert experience on the “It’s Showtime” stage by mounting a birthday production number inspired by it that she dedicated to OFWs in 2024. Tears seemingly ricocheted and were replaced with laughter when she committed another funny blunder while delivering her heartfelt message to them. As she said, “I hope during times na you feel sad kasi nga nami-miss n’yo ang mga pamilya ko,” she was cut off by Vice, who exaggeratedly pointed out why OFWs would miss her family.
Just a couple of days after her birthday that same year, an OFW from South Korea named Seonwoo joined the “Expecially For You” segment as a searchee. Upon hearing that he came from abroad, Anne immediately gave him a hug as a way of welcoming and thanking him for swinging by the show.
And lastly, it seemed that Anne was finally exposed in one of her appearances on “It’s Showtime” in December 2024 when she regarded OFWs as her “kapwa” while promoting Vice’s movie, “And The Breadwinner Is.” This prompted Vice to poke fun at her by commenting that Anne did it as her way of adjusting for OFWs who couldn’t go home on her birthday and asking how long her working contract was.
“Dati pinapauwi mo lang ang mga OFW, ngayon kapwa-OFW mo na. ‘Di mo naman sinabi na kaya ka pala laging wala rito, nangibang-bansa ka. Sana sinabi mo agad para hindi ka namin niloloko. Grabe ang sakripisyo mo para sa bayang ito,” the Unkabogable Star jokingly said.
Are we going to witness another “OFW moment” of Anne Curtis on her next return to “It’s Showtime”? Will she be present on her upcoming birthday? Well, you better not miss an episode to find out!