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The 38th PMPC Star Awards for TV: Early Release of Winners (with My Reaction)

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Last Thursday, I wrote on WordPress about how the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) has been desperately trying to cope with the post-ABS-CBN shutdown era. True enough, they proved my point last Sunday, March 16, when they released the winners on their official Facebook page ahead of the main event on March 23.

Why? Probably because they just didn't want to waste hours building suspense for an event that would be aired a month later. This kind of delay in broadcasting awards shows isn't new, but it does raise a few questions about the relevance and excitement of TV awards in the streaming age.

That said, they did hold back on revealing the “Big Seven” awards:

  • Best Drama Actor & Actress
  • Best Drama Supporting Actor & Actress
  • Best Male & Female TV Hosts
  • Best TV Station

These major categories will be saved for the main event in the Dolphy Theatre (probably the swan song for the venue before they face the wrecking ball)—perhaps to inject some suspense into an otherwise predictable event.

The Predictions vs. The Reality

In the days leading up to the awards, I had opened a Google Form for predictions, which is still open for submissions until this Sunday. Some winners matched public expectations, but others were a total surprise.

Here’s a breakdown of who won and how accurate the predictions were.

Program Winners

✅ BEST PRIMETIME SERIES: FPJ's Batang Quiapo (1/4 correct predictions)
✅ BEST DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: Abot-Kamay na Pangarap (1/3)
✅ BEST DRAMA ANTHOLOGY: Magpakailanman (2/3)
✅ BEST DRAMA MINI SERIES: Walang Matigas na Pulis sa Matinik na Misis (1/3)
✅ BEST COMEDY SHOW: Pepito Manaloto (3/3)
✅ BEST VARIETY SHOW: It's Showtime (3/3)
✅ BEST MUSICAL VARIETY SHOW: Letters and Music (3/3)
✅ BEST GAME SHOW: Wil to Win (0/3)
✅ BEST CELEBRITY TALK SHOW: My Mother, My Story (0/3)
✅ BEST SHOWBIZ-ORIENTED TALK SHOW: Fast Talk With Boy Abunda (3/3)
✅ BEST NEWS PROGRAM: Agenda (1/3)
✅ BEST PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM: Cayetano In Action With Boy Abunda & On Point (1/3, chose the latter)
✅ BEST MORNING SHOW: Unang Hirit (2/3)
✅ BEST PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAM: Wish Ko Lang (1/3)
✅ BEST DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM: The Atom Araullo Specials (2/3)
✅ BEST SPORTS SHOW: The Scorecard (2/3)
✅ BEST MAGAZINE SHOW: Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (2/3)
✅ BEST LIFESTYLE/TRAVEL SHOW: I Heart PH (0/3)
✅ BEST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM: Born To Be Wild (1/3)
✅ BEST CHILDREN'S SHOW: Talents Academy (0/2)

Surprise Wins and Snubs

Four categories threw everyone off. Three have clear picks:

  • Rainbow Rumble was expected to win Best Game Show.
  • Biyahe ni Drew seemed a clear choice for Best Lifestyle/Travel Show.
  • WikaHarian was a unanimous pick for Best Children's Show.

Personality Awards

✅ BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR: Paolo Contis (Magpakailanman: "A Son’s Karma") (0/2 correct)
✅ BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS: Gladys Reyes (Magpakailanman: "Inaanak, Inanakan") (1/2)
✅ BEST CHILD PERFORMER: Zion Cruz (2/3)
✅ BEST NEW MALE TV PERSONALITY: Andres Muhlach (1/3)
✅ BEST NEW FEMALE TV PERSONALITY: Fyang Smith (0/2)
✅ BEST COMEDY ACTOR: Roderick Paulate (0/3)
✅ BEST COMEDY ACTRESS: Maricel Soriano (0/3)
✅ BEST MUSICAL VARIETY HOST: Aikee (0/2)
✅ BEST GAME SHOW HOST: Dingdong Dantes (2/3)
✅ BEST TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM HOST: Rayver Cruz & Julie Anne San Jose (1/2)
✅ BEST REALITY SHOW HOST: PBB Gen 11 Hosts (3/4)
✅ BEST CELEBRITY TALK SHOW HOST: Boy Abunda (2/3)
✅ BEST SHOWBIZ-ORIENTED TALK SHOW HOST: Mr. Fu (3/3)
✅ BEST MALE NEWSCASTER: Noli de Castro (1/3)
✅ BEST FEMALE NEWSCASTER: Korina Sanchez (0/3)
✅ BEST PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM HOST: Cayetano in Action with Boy Abunda (1/3)
✅ BEST MORNING SHOW HOST: UH Barkada (3/3)
✅ BEST PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAM HOST: Edinel Calvario (0/3)
✅ BEST DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM HOST: i-Witness Crew (2/3)
✅ BEST SPORTS SHOW HOST: Anton Roxas (2/3)
✅ BEST MAGAZINE SHOW HOST: Marc Logan (0/3)
✅ BEST LIFESTYLE/TRAVEL SHOW HOST: Marie Lozano (0/3)
✅ BEST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM HOST: Dingdong Dantes (1/3)
✅ BEST CHILDREN'S SHOW HOST: Talents Academy Hosts (0/2)

Out of 24 personality awards, 10 had unexpected winners.

Some surprises included:

  • Paolo Contis. He's one of the most controversial artists due to his personal issues.
  • Roderick Paulate. It was a surprise win, despite his legal issues. The respondents unanimously picked Michael V.
  • Maricel Soriano. Like Paulate, the Diamond Star's win is unexpected. The respondents want either of the two ladies from Pepito Manaloto to win.
  • Korina Sanchez. Her win will not be credited to ABS-CBN but to Bilyonaryo News Channel (which has been running for less than a year now). But respondents picked Mel Tiangco.
  • Edinel Calvario. Respondent rooted for Emil Sumangil.
  • Marc Logan. The former funnyman correspondent from TV Patrol has the charm but people picked the experienced Jessica Soho.
  • Aikee winning Best Musical Variety Host—I’ll be honest, I don’t even know who he is.
  • Marie Lozano taking Best Lifestyle/Travel Show Host, even though she wasn’t the top pick. Drew Arellano was their bet.
  • Michelle Agas was the bet for the Best Children's Show Host but lost to Talents Academy kiddies.

What Does This Say About This?

PMPC is still adjusting post-ABS-CBN shutdown.

  • With GMA taking most of the wins, it’s clear that the media landscape has shifted.
  • TV5 and Net25 had some strong contenders, but they didn’t dominate.

The suspense gimmick feels outdated.

  • Holding back the “Big Seven” categories feels more like an attempt to create artificial hype.
  • Given that the winners were announced online, will anyone care about the telecast?

Filipino viewers are harder to predict now.

  • Even the predictions from respondents were all over the place, proving that audiences are shifting.
  • The influence of online platforms is stronger than ever.

Final Thoughts

The 38th PMPC Star Awards for TV shows that Philippine television is in a state of transition. While GMA dominates, new players like TV5, Net25, and online platforms are making waves. However, PMPC’s handling of the awards—early winner announcements, suspense tactics, and delayed telecasts—raises questions about whether TV awards still matter in the streaming era.

For now, I’ll leave the Google Form open for predictions until Sunday (for the Big Seven)—but at this rate, it seems like PMPC needs to rethink its strategy moving forward.

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