Tawag ng Tanghalan

Tawag ng Tanghalan (originally known as Purico Amateur Hour) debuted as a radio talent-search program on the Republic Broadcasting System's (now GMA Network) DZBB-AM in 1954. Its second incarnation was originally hosted by Frankie Evangelista, Danny Javier and Nanette Inventor and aired on ABS-CBN, with dance and acting-contest portions which supported the main amateur singing competition, from March 8, 1987, to November 26, 1989. Season one ran from March 8, 1987, to January 17, 1988, season two from February 14 to December 25, 1988, and season three from January 15 to November 26, 1989.^[17][18]

Noted OPM artists such as Armand Panlilio, Nora Aunor, Novo Bono Jr., Pepe Pimentel, Edgar Mortiz and Diomedes Maturan^[19] were among the winners^[20] of the original show.^[21] Caloy Alde, later a noted Philippine comedian, joined the second version of Tawag ng Tanghalan in its acting contest.

Tawag ng Tanghalan returned as a daily segment on ABS-CBN's noontime variety program, It's Showtime, in 2016.^[22][23]

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From 1987 to 1989 and since 2016, contestants in Tawag ng Tanghalan perform before a live audience and are scored by a panel of judges which includes a punong hurado (head judge) and two to four other judges. If a contestant begins to sing out of tune, the head judge may eliminate them mid-performance with a hand signal to a gong-master who strikes a gong three times (ending the performance). The gong is not used on the kids' editions to avoid discouraging young performers, with decisions based on the judges' scores.^[24]

Adopted in seasons one, two, three, four, six, seven, nine, Celebrity Champions and Kids 1, the face-off format has three or four contestants representing Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Each performs a self-selected song daily. The contestant with the highest score advances to the face-off round to challenge the defending champion and attempt to win the golden microphone. The contestant with the highest score becomes the new defending champion, and may defend their title for up to ten consecutive days. The gong is not used, and decisions are based on the judges' scores.

If all daily contestants are gonged,^[25] no daily winner is declared; the defending champion automatically advances by default. A contestant who wins for five consecutive days qualifies for the semifinals; they may choose to opt out or continue until they are dethroned or have a ten-day winning streak. A contestant with ten consecutive wins enters the hall of fame and receives additional rewards, such as a cash prize, a recorded single, or an advantage in subsequent rounds. Each defending champion receives ₱25,000 per win.^[26]

Several versions of the face-off format have been introduced:

• Gong removal: The gong was removed from the kids' editions to avoid disheartening them, and judging relied on the judges' scores. In the first seventeen episodes, all three contestants could challenge the defending champion; eventually, contestants were limited to a five-day defense of the golden microphone.^[24]
• Three-way face-off: In seasons seven and nine, a tie resulted in both contestants being declared defending champions; the following day's winner challenged both champions. If another tie occurred, the defending champions continued competing until one was defeated, gonged, or advanced to the next round. This happened several times, including:
  • September 14–15, 2023: RG Mia and Judy Lou Benitez tied; both faced Jaica Cardino the following day. Benitez advanced, and Mia later qualified for the semifinals.^[27][28]
  • September 26–27, 2023: Rgin Deripas and Kenneth Garingo tied; Garingo won the next day, later advancing to the semifinals.^[29]
  • December 13–14, 2023: Kline Perez and Aeron Guanco tied; Guanco prevailed the next day, and reached the semifinals.^[30]

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Season three introduced OPM musicians Dulce, Randy Santiago, and Zsa Zsa Padilla as judges, with Dulce occasionally serving as head judge. It was the final season of Rico J. Puno, who died on October 30, 2018.^[31]

Season four saw the addition of Pilita Corrales to the panel.^[32] In season five, Angeline Quinto became a regular judge after a successful guest appearance.^[33] K Brosas, Rey Valera, and Randy Santiago did not return due to commitments with Sing Galing!.^[34] Klarisse de Guzman joined on June 28, 2021.^[35] Jaya announced her departure on July 3, 2021, due to her migration to the United States.^[36]

Season six introduced Marco Sison (November 1, 2022),^[37] Darren Espanto (February 21, 2023),^[38] and Jona Viray (April 17, 2023)^[39] as new judges.

In the first duet-edition finale, Mark Bautista and Christian Bautista were guest judges. This edition marked the airing of Tawag ng Tanghalan and It's Showtime on GTV.^[40][41]

Season seven saw the return of the five-member judging panel for daily rounds. Nonoy Zuñiga (July 5),^[42] Dingdong Avanzado (July 6),^[43] Kean Cipriano (July 7),^[44] and Bituin Escalante (July 8)^[45] joined the panel.

In the second all-star season, Pops Fernandez, Lani Misalucha, and Regine Velasquez joined the judging panel.^[46] Stell and Pablo of SB19 were the first two-in-one guest judges in series history.

Rey Valera stepped down in 2021 due to health concerns. In an interview with Bernadette Sembrano, he said that the guilt and pressure of being the gong-master caused stomach issues which led to hospitalizations and two surgeries. Although he had no conflicts with the show or its staff, he chose to prioritize his well-being and pursue lighter roles in the entertainment industry; his decision was not driven by animosity, but by a desire for a healthier lifestyle and a more relaxed work environment.^[47][48]

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Color key:

The first season premiered on January 2, 2016. Rey Valera was the main head judge for this season, with Louie Ocampo, Jaya, Ogie Alcasid, Yeng Constantino serving as substitute head judges. Billy Crawford, Karylle, Karla Estrada, K Brosas, Nyoy Volante, Mitoy Yonting, Rico J. Puno, Bobot Mortiz, Erik Santos, Kyla were the judges for the series. The season ended on March 11, 2017, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila in Pasay, when Noven Belleza of Visayas was the season's grand champion.^[49][1]

Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids was a special edition for aspiring Filipino singers aged 7 to 13. Auditions for this season began on December 4, 2016.^[50] The season premiered on March 13, 2017. It ended on June 10 of that year at ABS-CBN Studio 3, when Jhon Clyd Talili of Mindanao was the grand champion.^[2]

The second season premiered on June 12, 2017.^[51] Gary Valenciano was added to the judging panel. It was the first season with Global Tawag ng Tanghalan, a round for Filipino contestants from other countries.^[52] The season ended on June 2, 2018, at Aliw Theater in Pasay, when Janine Berdin from Visayas was the season's grand champion.^[3]

The third season premiered on June 25, 2018.^[53] The competition's 1975 champion Dulce,^[54] Randy Santiago^[55] and Zsa Zsa Padilla^[56] were added to the judging panel. The season ended on September 28, 2019, at the Caloocan Sports Complex in Bagumbong, Caloocan, when Elaine Duran of Mindanao was the season's grand champion.^[4]

Tawag ng Tanghalan: Celebrity Champions was a special series featuring celebrities competing to become the series' first Celebrity Grand Champion. It aired on October 7, 2019, as part of the month-long celebration of It's Showtime's 10th anniversary.^[57] It ended on November 9 of that year at ABS-CBN Studio 3, where Ethel Booba of Mindanao was the grand champion.^[5]

In Tawag ng Tanghalan: All-Star Grand Resbak, contestants from past seasons who had failed to advance to the grand finals vied to become the series' first Grand Resbak champion. It premiered on November 11, 2019^[58] and ended on December 21 of that year at ABS-CBN Studio 3, where Mark Michael Garcia of Metro Manila was the grand champion.^[6]

The series' fourth season premiered on January 4, 2020,^[59] and Pilita Corrales was added to the panel of judges.^[60] The season was put on hold March 15, 2020, due to the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic^[61] and on May 5 due to a network shutdown.^[62] The season resumed on June 13, 2020, three months after the Luzon lockdown.^[62] It ended on February 6, 2021, at ABS-CBN Studio 10 in Quezon City, when JM Yosures of Metro Manila became grand champion.^[7]

The fifth season premiered on February 8, 2021.^[63] Klarisse de Guzman^[35] and Angeline Quinto were added to the judging panel after Quinto was a guest judge during the previous season.

From March 18 to April 10, the season was halted when ABS-CBN decided to suspend daily live programs due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in the Greater Manila Area.^[64][65] It ended on September 18 at ABS-CBN Studio 3, where Reiven Umali of Luzon became grand champion. The season lasted seven months, the series' shortest.^[8]

The sixth season premiered on November 22, 2021.^[66] Marco Sison,^[37] Darren Espanto,^[38] and Jona Viray^[39] were added to the judging panel.

The season was suspended from January 6 to 15, 2022, due to another surge in COVID-19 cases, and resumed on January 17.^[67] It ended on May 6, 2023, at ABS-CBN Studio 10, where Lyka Estrella of Mindanao became grand champion. The 18-month season is the series' longest.^[9]

In Tawag ng Tanghalan: Duets, contestants from previous seasons returned for a duet-style competition. It premiered on May 8, 2023, two days after the sixth-season finale.^[68][69] Originally scheduled to run for four weeks as an interim segment before the seventh season, it was extended to eight weeks. This was the last season to air on TV5 and the first season to air on GTV.^[40][41] It ended on July 1, 2023, at ABS-CBN Studio 10, when the Sidlak Bisdak duo of Marielle Montellano and JM Dela Cerna were declared winners.^[10]

The seventh season premiered on July 3, 2023.^[70] Nonoy Zuñiga,^[42] Dingdong Avanzado,^[43] Kean Cipriano,^[44] and Bituin Escalante^[45] were added to the panel of judges. The season was suspended from October 14 to 27, 2023, by a Movie and Television Review and Classification Board decision.^[71] The season returned on October 30, 2023.^[72] It ended on January 27, 2024, at ABS-CBN Studio 10, when Rea Gen Villareal of Luzon became grand champion.^[11]

The second season of Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids premiered on January 29, 2024, almost seven years after the first Kids season.^[73] It ended on April 20 at ABS-CBN Studio 10, when Kim Hewitt of Visayas became grand champion.^[12]

In the eighth season, Tawag ng Tanghalan: The School Showdown, students from universities in the Philippines competed to become the season's grand champion. Preliminary auditions, held with the ninth season, began on April 15, 2024.^[74] It was the first regular season with the format first used during the second Kids season, and the first to air on both All TV and GMA Network.^[75][76][77] The season ended on January 18, 2025, at ABS-CBN Studio 10, where Carmelle Collado of King Thomas Learning Academy was named grand champion. Isay Olarte of City College of Calapan was runner-up, and Arvery Love Lagoring of Claret School of Lamitan finished third.^[13]

The second all-star season, Tawag ng Tanghalan: All-Star Grand Resbak 2025, premiered on March 10, 2025 (five years after the first all-star season).^[78] It was the first all-star season to air on both All TV and GMA Network. Pops Fernandez, Lani Misalucha, and Regine Velasquez were added to the panel of judges.^[79][80] Stell and Pablo of SB19 became the first two-in-one guest judges^{[clarification needed]} in series history.^[81] The season ended on April 26, 2025, with Marko Rudio of Team Agimat becoming grand champion. Ian Manibale of Team Alab was the runner-up, and Charizze Arnigo of Team Agimat finished third.^[14]

The ninth season premiered on April 28, 2025, two days after the second all-star season ended. Preliminary auditions began on February 3.^[82] The season concluded on November 8 at ABS-CBN Studio 10, when Kent Villarba of Visayas became grand champion. Lucky Nicole Galindez and Angelica Magno, both from Mindanao, placed second and third.^[15]

The second season of Tawag ng Tanghalan: Duets premiered on November 11, 2025. It ended on January 17, 2026, at ABS-CBN Studio 3, where the OST Dreamers duo of Arvery Love Lagoring and Christian Tibayan were declared winners.^[16][83] It was the first duets season to air on both All TV and GMA Network.^[84]

The tenth season premiered on January 19, 2026. Auditions for the season, announced on December 29, 2025, were scheduled to begin on January 2, 2026.^[85]

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Judge Rey Valera was criticized by viewers and critics for his comments to contestants about their physical appearance, body-shaming female contestants and failing to focus on contestants' vocal skills.^[86][87][88] Karla Estrada's qualifications as judge were questioned by viewers.^[89] Judges' scores and text-voting results were criticized by viewers for a lack of transparency, a system which failed to confirm their votes by SMS, and unfair judging^[90] In the 2017 grand final, actress Nora Aunor was scheduled to be the special judge but withdrew at the last minute due to a conflict with host Vice Ganda.^[91]

In the May 22, 2018 Ultimate Resbak rounds, Ato Arman and Aila Santos, Arman advanced to the second round. Vice Ganda defended Santos, however, and said that she was one of the two judges who voted for her.^[92]

Tawag ng Tanghalan has been cited since 2018 as a factor in the longer airtime of It's Showtime, which delays ABS-CBN's afternoon and prime-time programs.^[93][94][95] Semifinalist Shantal Cuizon posted a controversial tweet, saying "Composer ka lang" and "Hustisya."^[96] After she apologized, her post was deleted and her Twitter account deactivated.^[97]

After the second round of September 11, 2019 songs by Mariane Osabel and Mariko Ledesma, Ledesma took the seat of power. When the split-scoring screen appeared, Osabel's score was 16.50 percent and Ledesma's was 50 percent. The allegedly-rigged results were noted on Twitter.^[98] Three days later, judge Dulce addressed the controversial result.^[99][100] Osabel withdrew from the Final Resbak due to health issues, and Ledesma withdrew because of the public backlash.^[101]

In a March 26, 2025 Facebook post, Marco Adobas called Tawag ng Tanghalan a "cooking show" (implying that the winner was predetermined). Before announcing results, the hosts had said that a tie occurred and the judges had to break it (since only one winner was allowed per round). After the results were announced, Adobas said that Ayegee Paredes (his teammate on Team Alon) should have won instead of Marko Rudio of Team Agimat. He later deleted the post. The following day, producers discussed the possibility of removing Adobas for violating the rules and considered filing a lawsuit against him. At the end of that day's episode, it was announced that he had been disqualified from the competition. Adobas, replaced by Arvery Love Lagoring of the eliminated Team Amihan, later apologized for the post.^[102]

Date	Title	Venue	Country	Starring	Director	Ref.
July 28, 2018	TNT All Star Showdown	Smart Araneta Coliseum, Cubao, Quezon City	Philippines	TNT Artists	Joane Laygo	[103]
September 21, 2018	TNT All Star Showdown Cebu	Hoops Dome, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu				[104]
November 30, 2018	Listen: The Big Shot Concert	Smart Araneta Coliseum, Cubao, Quezon City		Francis Concepcion, Mackie Empuerto and Keifer Sanchez of TNT Boys	Bobet Vidanes	[105]
April 25, 2019	Listen: The World Tour	The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles, California	United States			[106]
April 27, 2019		Edmonton Expo Centre, Alberta	Canada
May 2, 20191		Chabot College, Hayward, California	United States			[106][107]
December 13, 2019	TNT Unplugged	ABS-CBN Dolphy Theatre	Philippines	Elaine Duran John Mark Saga JM Dela Cerna
April 27, 2024	NewGen Champs	Music Museum	Philippines	JM Yosures Lyka Estrella Reiven Umali [tl] Rea Gen Villareal Marielle Montellano JM Dela Cerna Khimo		[108]
May 9, 2025	BRAVO!: Voices of the Filipino	Alex Theatre, Glendale, California	United States	Sofronio Vasquez Jed Madela Bituin Escalante Lyka Estrella		[109]
May 11, 2025		City National Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
May 16, 2025		Fox Theatre, Redwood City, California
May 18, 2025		Historic BAL Theater, San Leandro, California

Notes:

1. ^ ^a The concert, planned for April 23, 2019, was moved.

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
2018	Best Choice Awards 2018	Most Successful Singing Talent Competition in Philippine Television	Tawag ng Tanghalan	Won	[110]