“Pagmulat ng mata, langit nakatawa sa Batibot…”

Long before numerous cable shows aired 24/7 on TV, these are the lines greeting young viewers at around 9 o’clock in the morning. Filled with humor and original Filipino stories, the Batibot show was part of every Pinoy kid’s life from the early 80s to the mid-90s.

For the very young, Batibot is the local alternative to “Sesame Street” some decades ago.

Originally named “Sesame!” when it premiered on TV in early 1980s, Batibot was produced by Philippine Children’s Television Foundation in partnership with Children’s Television Workshop, the creator of Sesame Street. Years after, the show’s name changed to Batibot and followed an all-Filipino format until its last year in 1998.

Kids stay glued to the TV in the morning to watch stories, music and features as hosted by Kuya Bodgie and Ate Sienna. Add to that a lively, colorful bunch of talking animal puppets.

I bet the generation who grew up with just five channels watched Batibot as a daily ritual. Mornings are spent with Pong Pagong, a big turtle with baseball cap likened to Big Bird; Kiko Matsing, a purple monkey likened to Kermit the Frog; Manang Bola, the fortune-teller with crystal ball, twins Ningning and Gingging and Irma Daldal, a talkative actress with chuwariwap dancers.

As I was channel surfing in the morning, I looked back a decade ago when kids would stop playing under the sun to catch a glimpse of these characters, learn a story and memorize a song. Some of these kids like me still remember these stories and songs.

In Tagalog, Batibot is said to mean “small but strong robust,” which is true of its production then. The show was an initiative of two nonprofit organizations and produced by Fely De Los Angeles-Bautista. It was sad the influx of canned cable shows from Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, and newer children’s show from some local stations made it harder for Batibot to redeem its glory. Add to that several licensing issues which up to now are left unresolved.

At present, the Sesame Street still finds airtime in local stations in the afternoon and I thought again of the plight of Batibot. I was sad and happy. I am sad that the show is left only in memory and nothing but a tale to tell kids of today. I am happy that in the early 1990s at five, I stayed glued on my seat during 9 in the morning and sang “Pagmulat ng mata, langit nakatawa sa Batibot…”

What’s your fond memory of Batibot?