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Bitag: X-Treme / Bahala si Bitag
Format Investigative show
Created by Ben Tulfo
Starring Ben Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo
Country of origin Philippines
Production
Running time 1 hr
Broadcast
Original channel ABC, IBC, UNTV-37
Original run 2002 – present

Bitag (Trap in Filipino) is an investigative program hosted by Ben Tulfo that originally aired on television network Associated Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 14, 2002 before moving the following year to its present TV network Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC). Ben Tulfo (born October 26 1968 is a Filipino newspaper columnist and radio newscaster Ben Tulfo (born October 26 1968 is a Filipino newspaper columnist and radio newscaster The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP For the former ITV company in the United Kingdom, see Associated British Corporation. Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC is a Philippine VHF Television network of the Government Communications Group headed by the Press Secretary UNTV (DWAO-TV 37 is a UHF Television station in the Philippines operated by the Progressive Broadcasting Corporation, the same company that See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Filipino is the national and an Official language of the Philippines as designated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Ben Tulfo (born October 26 1968 is a Filipino newspaper columnist and radio newscaster A television network is a distribution network for Television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many Television stations For the former ITV company in the United Kingdom, see Associated British Corporation. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC is a Philippine VHF Television network of the Government Communications Group headed by the Press Secretary During its launch, Ben described it as an investigative show like no other that strays away from the "packaged" aggressive image that the Tulfo clan is known for by adopting a more cut-throat, in-your-face approach. Its success also spawned a recap show that airs during weekdays on UNTV-37. UNTV (DWAO-TV 37 is a UHF Television station in the Philippines operated by the Progressive Broadcasting Corporation, the same company that

Contents

Format

An episode usually contains 3 different cases set to stock film music and industrial sound effects sardonically narrated by Ben before wrapping it up with an educational segment sponsored by PAGCOR. Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR is the Philippines second largest contributor of revenue after the Tax Authority Bitag operates semi-autonomously, conducting reconnaissance and surveillance and deploys their own agents as undercovers. Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information Surveillance is the monitoring of Behavior. Systems surveillance is the process of monitoring the behavior of people objects or processes within systems for conformity Undercovers (occasionally misspelled Undercover) is an album of Cover songs released by melodic rock band Trixter in 1994 When enough intelligence is gathered, Ben coordinates with the local authorities to plan the manner of arrest and follows them with his convoy of security back-ups and camera men to document the entire procedure and its aftermath. In accordance with Bens eschewal of "drama" and production in favor of "real reality", most cases air days after the shoot with minor cuts and editing used only to fit the documented footage under 10 minute segments. A minute is a Unit of measurement of Time or of Angle. The minute is a unit of Time equal to 1/60th of an Hour or 60 This is further proven by Ben's occasional absence in his Bahala si Bitag show in UNTV on weekdays, when he personally oversees certain case operations.

The programs segments are classified according to their nature:

For safety reasons, the Bitag strike force is fully-armed and trained in self-defense disciplines (including Tulfo) and comprises of professional security personnel. They are also allowed to carry their firearms in airplanes and vessels provided they surrender it prior to departure. However, the team still makes it a point to request assistance from the local authorities when dwelling in unfamiliar territory in accordance with the law.

Bitag was originally pitched to other TV networks but an unidentified "Tulfo" was opposed to it [1]

Bahala si Bitag

In 2004, UNTV-37 provided Ben with his own daily morning show, Bahala si Bitag (taking its name from his bi-weekly newspaper column of the same name) where Ben fields questions and complaints from callers in addition to showing re-runs of cases for the purpose of alerting the public. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " UNTV (DWAO-TV 37 is a UHF Television station in the Philippines operated by the Progressive Broadcasting Corporation, the same company that

BST went through a series of changes lately in conjunction with their tagline of "continuous change for the better", incorporating their Kilos Pronto segment (from Bitag) into their show as a live help line and updated the stale set with a more modern look - most noticeably their use of a Plasma TV backdrop. A plasma display panel (PDP is a type of Flat panel display now commonly used for large TV displays (typically above 37-inch or 940 mm They also add a religious portion Biblically Speaking hosted by Bro. Eli Soriano. Eliseo Fernando Soriano (born April 4 1947 a controversial Filipino evangelist is presiding minister of the Philippines -based Members Church of God International

In 2007, Ben started prefacing lectures with "were taking care of business" when showing his subjects how Bitag would deal with the matter. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Consequently, Takin Care of Business by Bachman-Turner Overdrive is used as the theme song on one of their remixed ads. Bachman-Turner Overdrive (frequently known as BTO) is a Canadian rock group from Winnipeg, Manitoba, that enjoyed a string of hit albums

Bahala si Bitag theme song (help·info)

Erwin Tulfos arrival

In 2006, Erwin Tulfo, Ben's brother and a contracted but underused employee of ABS-CBN, officially joined Bitag and BSTs title was changed to Bahala sina Ben at Erwin as both would answer calls and discuss subjects on air equally in addition to having his own segment (under the motif Mission-X) on its main show. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation ( (ABS-CBN " A lto B roadcasting S ystem- C hronicle B roadcasting N etwork" The pairing did not last long and BSTs title has since reverted to the previous title after Erwin left to team up with his other brothers Ramon and Raffy in the show Isumbong mo sa Tulfo Brothers on RPN-9. Ramon "Mon" Tulfo is a TV host, Radio broadcaster and Columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Raffy Tulfo is a Filipino Broadcast journalist whose work focuses on Government and Private sector issues The latter aired its final episode on August 12, 2006 [2]

Currently unemployed and facing charges of libel, Erwin re-joined Bitag on March 1, 2007 albeit in a lesser capacity. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Erwin often accompany Ben during high-profile cases or works individually, no longer sharing hosting duties on BST. Erwin still maintains his subgroup Mission-X, as well as its own separate action center, that sometimes peer with Bitag's.

Ben and Erwin sometimes combine their workforce (Bitag and Mission-X) when necessary. Erwin sometimes handle Bitag cases and encounters the suspects themselves in lieu of Ben, particularly in sensitive cases that requires a little more restraint.

Unique elements

Although the concept of investigative and public service programs are hardly new on local television, there are still differences between the show and most of its rivals. While their peers are restricted entirely to the confines of their studio/shooting location or function exclusively as "hosts", Ben considers himself as an "investigator" (not a media personality), and is on the field most of the time while still regarding his prey with the same unabashed contempt, regardless of proximity. Most importantly, the show doesn't discriminate and has handled cases both small and large and is nonchalant with regards to the background of the felons they pursue - be it the child of a network executive, high-ranking police officers, government institutions, city mayors, foreigners, relatives of influential entities or huge crime syndicates - as host Ben Tulfo always says, "Walang sinasantot walang sinisino ang patibong ng Bitag!" (The snare of Bitag recognizes and discriminates no one!)

The Host

Perhaps the shows main draw is its host (and also producer and director) Ben Tulfo who subscribes to the adage "it takes a wolf to catch a wolf" which, more often that not, leads to precarious situations that he immerses himself with gusto. In Common law legal systems a felony is a serious Crime, often contrasted with a Misdemeanor. Ben Tulfo (born October 26 1968 is a Filipino newspaper columnist and radio newscaster Each case, Ben finds himself getting in the face of his subjects, be it ordinary suspects or policemen - sparring verbally (often laced with profanity) and at times, physically. Being the shows producer as well, he prefers an approach and presentation that lets the viewers see the true face of reality, no matter how grim or disturbing it is - the lack of a formal script means no dramatizations or re-enactments, as said by the shows tagline, "Hindi ito drama, di tulad ng iba!", and guarantees audiences of raw, documented footage of events as they happened.

Ben, at one point, adapts his show title as his monicker or nickname, calling himself Bitag.

Reaction and Controversy

As a result of his brazenfaced exploits, Ben has received generous praise from supporters who find his brand of crusaders zeal efficient when dealing with the scourges of society, and also jeers from those who consider his behavior repulsive and inappropriate for a media personality.

Positive fandom of Ben's efforts has led to the creation of a fansite dedicated to the show, and unofficial feeds of its episodes to YouTube. At first, praising the existence of its videos in YouTube, Ben later asked that episodes of Bitag not be uploaded, apparently in favor of a streaming video webcast facility in UNTV.

His abovementioned recklessness has also led to several tension-filled incidents that range from minor physical confrontations to an actual firearm being pointed at him and his staff, prompting many to speculate if he will ever tone down his approach in the interest of his own public image and safety. These gripes are regularly brought up by furious viewers in his radio program, Bahala si Bitag, to which Ben contends that as long as his actions are for the greater good, he will continue to press on with his methods regardless.

A rival network, ABS-CBN, launched an investigative show of their own called XXX that airs at the same timeslot. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation ( (ABS-CBN " A lto B roadcasting S ystem- C hronicle B roadcasting N etwork" Ex-Bitag operatives comprise most of its staff and the shows title lampoons the suffix "X-treme" in Bitag.

Principles

Tulfos guiding principles are plain and simple, which he iterates at the end of the program:

“ Makikita ang katotohanan kung sumbungan ang pag-uusapan sa Bitag. Ang pagtitiwalay nakakamit dahil sa resulta - GAWA, HINDI NGAWA. Dito nakakamit ang salitang RESPETO.

If youre talking about complaints and public service, Bitag addresses and reveals the truth and reality. Results earn you trust - walk the walk, not talk the talk. Not whining on the problem, just acting upon the solution. It is through this that you earn respect.

”

Episodes

For more details on this topic, see List of Bitag episodes. The following is a list of episodes for the investigative show Bitag Season One 2002 Season Two 2003 Season Three 2004

Awards and recognitions

References

  1. ^ Regines Toronto Concert Cancelled?; The Other Tulfo The Philippine Star. September 2, 2002
  2. ^ Nagsusumbong ang ISUMBONG MO! Abante Tonight July 28, 2006

External links

See also

Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This is a list of television shows and Television programs that are produced in the Philippines.
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