Magandang Tanghali Bayan/Esep-Esep (1998–2003)

As ABS-CBN decided to axe Sang Linggo nAPO Sila, the management decided to produce 2 noontime variety shows, one airing daily and one airing weekly. ABS-CBN's new daily noontime show Magandang Tanghali Bayan started premiering on November 30, 1998, airing from 12 noon to 1:30 pm, Philippine time. The weekly noontime show, APO Hiking Society's "Sabado Live" occupied the Saturday timeslot. Original hosts of "MTB" are Randy Santiago, John Estrada, Willie Revillame, Christine Jacob-Sandejas (now with CNN Philippines), Roderick Paulate, Vanessa del Bianco and Amy Perez. The show aired live from Studio 3 of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City. This marks the return of Christine Jacob to ABS-CBN since she left when she was a co-host of now rival Eat Bulaga! which moved from the network to the rival GMA Network in 1995.

The show assumed most of the segments and staff from its predecessor "'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila" during its first season. Meanwhile, former "Tropang Trumpo" director Edgar Mortiz also joined the show as the show's creative consultant. Among the most popular segments from APO's previous noontime show was "Calendar Girl", a daily pageant where girls 15–21 years of age participate in the talent and question and answer portions hosted by Estrada, Santiago and Revillame. To continue the chronology of the pageant (where monthly winners from January to December of the previous year converge to compete in the Grand Finals of the following year), management decided to include the January–November monthly winners from the defunct "APO" show in the "MTB" grand coronation that happened on January 2, 1999.

In December 1998, Pera o Bayong (transl. Money or Basket) debuted on TV as MTB's highlight game portion. The engaging elimination round and the suspense-filled jackpot round won the hearts of most viewers. It gave "MTB" better overall ratings than 'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila, and the show even overtook IBC's Chopsuey Espesyal (which was later replaced by Alas Dose sa Trese and Lunch Break) and GMA's Eat Bulaga! as the top weekday noontime variety show from early 1999 until Revillame's ouster in March 2001. This led the management to cancel Sabado Live! on Saturday timeslot and replace it with "MTB"'s Saturday edition, which started to air on March 6, 1999, airing from 12 noon to 2:30 pm. Mortiz was promoted as the noontime show's new director along with Bobet Vidanes.

"MTB" also had its share of controversies. The Calendar Girl portion became notorious for the main hosts' risqué jokes which subsequently got warnings from Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), then headed by veteran actress Armida Siguion-Reyna. Eventually, the ABS-CBN management intervened and suspended the three main hosts indefinitely. With their suspension in August 1999, the show was temporarily renamed to Esep-Esep for almost a month. Estrada, Santiago, and Revillame returned with a bang after their suspension a week later.

On January 1, 2000, the show covered the millennium celebration at Times Square in New York City, United States.

In the year 2000, the phenomenal game portion "Pera o Bayong" faced stiff competition from Eat Bulaga! when the long-running noontime show produced a segment called "Meron o Wala" (Something or Nothing). But despite the move from the rival show, "Pera o Bayong" continued to enthrall viewers. The popular catchphrases coined by the hosts eventually became part of Filipino pop culture. Because of its immense popularity, Pera o Bayong was made into a movie version entitled Pera o Bayong not da TV by Star Cinema that year, with the whole MTB cast included.

Changes were suddenly made after the February 7, 2001 episode, when main host Willie Revillame was axed from the show after citing creative differences between him and the staff. Matinee idols Marvin Agustin, Dominic Ochoa, and Rico Yan (collectively known as "Whattamen") replaced him on the show. Top-notch stand-up comedians Marissa Sanchez and Ai-Ai delas Alas also joined the show as new female co-hosts. On March 12 of the same year, the show was reformatted without Revillame and expanded to 2 hours on weekdays. "MTB" also started doing out-of-town shows abroad during that same year to promote ABS-CBN's international channel TFC.

In March 2002, MTB lost a co-host, Rico Yan, who died during his Holy Week vacation in Dos Palmas Resort, Palawan. The show aired a week-long tribute for him.

That same year, the show introduced new faces to join the growing MTB family. The quintet Power Boys, the dance group G-Girls, morning traffic angel Pia Guanio, and upcoming teen star Maoui David were among those who joined in the fun. That time, Christine Jacob-Sandejas left the show to focus on her family. At the same time, original mainstay and regular voice-over announcer Gary Lim was also relieved from the show to focus on his acting career. During the 4th anniversary of the show in November 2002, the show underwent a major revamp with new game portions and some established ABS-CBN stars (Judy Ann Santos, Edu Manzano, Ryan Agoncillo) co-hosting every week. By this time, the show had lost its luster in the ratings game to "Eat Bulaga!" following the rising popularity of the reality portion "Sige Ano Kaya Mo?" and creating new sensations out of the Sexbomb Dancers.

"Magandang Tanghali Bayan" ended its four-year run on February 21, 2003, coinciding with the departures of co-hosts Roderick Paulate and Amy Perez from the noontime slot to give way to Willie Revillame's TV comeback on the same timeslot. The title of the replacement show ("Masayang Tanghali Bayan") and Willie's co-hosts (among them Randy Santiago and John Estrada) were not revealed until 12:00nn of February 22, 2003.

Masayang Tanghali Bayan (2003–2004)

Before the start of the show, ABS-CBN drummed up month-long promotions for the show where they only revealed Willie Revillame, the JaBoom Twins, and Cindy Kurleto as mainstays and had the audience guess the rest of his co-hosts through a nationwide raffle promo. The title of the show was also kept under wraps as well.

It was on the initial telecast on February 22, 2003, when Willie Revillame revealed the title "Masayang Tanghali Bayan" and his co-hosts through an elaborate opening number. He was joined by Randy Santiago, John Estrada, Dennis Padilla, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Bayani Agbayani, Mickey Ferriols, and Aubrey Miles. Resident comedians Tado and Bentong also came on board as well. The show was directed by ace TV director Johnny Manahan. The show had more game portions giving out big cash prizes through "Super Jack en Poy" and "Urong Sulong" which gives out P2 million as the highest possible jackpot prize. It was also touted as the biggest noontime show of ABS-CBN, with a simultaneous airing on the Kapamilya Network's UHF channel, Studio 23.

Like its predecessor, the second version of "MTB" also courted controversy when John Estrada and Willie Revillame were suspended because of delivering their usual green jokes during the "Super Jack en Poy" jackpot round. The show's family also grew with the inclusion of former Kapuso comedians Long Mejia and Dagul.

However, before 2003 was about to end, Willie Revillame resigned from the show after a public outcry when he delivered a derogatory joke on midget co-host Mahal during her birthday.

The show continued to air until February 2004 with comedian Vhong Navarro and actor-host Edu Manzano taking over Willie's place. However, "Masayang Tanghali Bayan" failed to sustain viewership and was given the axe on February 20, 2004.

MTB Ang Saya Saya (2004–2005)

The ABS-CBN management capitalized on Ai-Ai delas Alas' rising popularity following her box-office triumph in Star Cinema's Ang Tanging Ina. She was named the main host, together with Edu Manzano and former GMA Network resident game show host Arnell Ignacio in the third incarnation of MTB. Mickey Ferriols and Tado were also retained from the former show and were joined by the Viva Hot Babes, and newcomers BJ Manalo, Jeni Hernandez, and Empoy.

MTB Ang Saya Saya premiered on February 21, 2004, with more reality-based talent search segments launched. TV Idol (You're the Man!) and "Luv Idol: Ur D Pair" gained popularity among the viewers and gave birth to the showbiz careers of Ahron Villena, AJ Dee, and JE Estrada. The show also made household names out of Joross Gamboa, Roxanne Guinoo, and Sandara Park fresh from their winning stints in the reality show Star Circle Quest. However, these efforts were overshadowed by rival "Eat Bulaga!" which celebrated its 25th anniversary on television with a Silver Special.

On November 15, 2004, MTB Ang Saya Saya lost its prime 12:00nn slot to Kris Aquino's Pilipinas, Game KNB? and started airing as an afternoon variety show on a 1:00 pm. time slot. Soon after, main host Edu Manzano resigned in January 2005 to concentrate on his duties as chairman of the Optical Media Board (OMB).

The show ended on February 4, 2005, and was replaced by Wowowee, hosted by Willie Revillame, who made his third comeback on the ABS-CBN noontime slot due to public clamor.

In January 2011, ABS-CBN announced through its Push.com site that a new noontime show, hosted by ex-MTB hosts Santiago and Estrada as well as Toni Gonzaga and ex-Wowowee host Mariel Rodriguez, was in the works.^[1] However, the new noontime show is called Happy Yipee Yehey!, which it premiered on February 12, 2011.

Pera o Bayong

Pera o Bayong became one of the more popular segments on MTB. The game's concept came from another Philippine TV show Kwarta o Kahon (Cash or Box) which aired on Sundays on RPN.

The original version of the game started with 50 players (originally 36) answering a series of multiple-choice questions (A, B, C, or D), hoping to eliminate all others until only one remains. The most popular type of question involved the scientific names of plants and animals, with at least two of the four choices noticeably joke answers.

If two people remain in the game and both choose the correct answer, the first person to arrive at his/her choice is declared the winner.

The winner of the elimination round then moves on to the jackpot round where he or she begins by choosing one of three bayongss marked M, T, or B (for the show's title) [But during the suspension of Santiago, Estrada and Revillame, M and T replaces with P and O]. Each bayong contains a concealed piece of cardboard on which is written what the contestant is playing for.

There is a bargaining session when the host (usually Willie Revillame and later Dominic Ochoa on the show's reformat) would offer cash (pera) in exchange for the contestant abandoning the prize hidden in the bayong. After each offer, Amy Perez and Dick Paulate lead the crowd in asking "Pera o Bayong?" and the contestant declares his or her choice.

The number of bargaining sessions varies from day to day, depending on the mood/emotional status of both the host and the contestant. The prizes in the bayong would range from nothing to electronics, to appliances, to a house and lot, to a showcase of the day, to a grocery package, to a trip, to a tricycle, to a car, to fruits and vegetables (e.g. Watermelon), to food, to gears, to toys (e.g. Doll), to clothes (e.g. T-shirt), to footwears (e.g. Bakya) or to various cheaper objects and later to one million pesos on the reformat.

In its early days, the prize that was inside the chosen bayong was revealed to the audience during the sessions. Sometimes family members went to a TV inside the cafeteria at the ABS-CBN studios to see what the prize was, then tried to influence the crowd to beg for the contestant to take whatever was in the bayong. After this was discovered the TV was switched off during the round. Later the prize was not revealed to anyone until it was opened.

There is a celebrity edition where several celebrities (e.g. actors, actresses, singers, and hosts) and/or prominent personalities (e.g. newscasters, reporters, athletes, disc jockeys, and politicians) are playing every Saturday.

After the cancellation of MTB, an improved version of Pera o Bayong debuted as a part of Wowowee, retitled "Bigtime" Pera o Bayong.

This segment is also played in Happy Yipee Yehey!, with the same name.

This segment is also played in It's Showtime Pera O Bayong

The winner of the elimination round then moves on to the jackpot round where he or she begins by choosing one of 7 bayongs Each bayong contains an Inside The Bayong Rattan Bags Number Cards Of 1 Or 0 Places on which is written what the contestant in playing for.

This segment is brought back as a digital game show on the Kumu app, produced by ABS-CBN Regional.^[2]

The game also Aired on the Launching of PIE Channel on May 26, 2022, as of the Programming Block, Pie-Nalo.

Calendar Girl

A pageant contest for beautiful girls aged 15 to 21 years old. In the daily rounds, contestants paraded the MTB stage wearing a two-piece bikini/swimsuit while in the weekly/monthly finals, the pageant transforms into a more formal portion, with a grand "themed" opening number featuring contestants in various costumes, but still retaining the swimsuit portion. The grand coronation of "Calendar Girls" airs usually in the first half of January, featuring all the monthly winners of the past year who will vie for the title.

The said portion gained notoriety, where the contestants were subjected to double entendre questions and risqué jokes thrown by main hosts Randy, John, and Willie Revillame. After their suspension, the daily contests were toned down, with the contestants wearing a cloth around their waists to cover the lower portion of their bodies.

Wansa Funny Taym

A comedy skit segment performed by the hosts and featuring a storyline. The storylines provided were mostly spoofs on Pop culture and everyday life.

Other segments

Other popular segments included: Sa Pula, Sa Puti (Tanggal ang Mali), Pakita Mo Puppet Mo, Munting Miss U, Super Lolo, Bulilit Japorms, Mr. Ador-able, Sing It, Milenyonaryo and Winner Take All. When the show reformatted in the later years, other segments that made an impact were: Sing Alis, Ano Ka, Hilo?, Oo, Kaya Ko! and MTBGo.

Magandang Tanghali Bayan

First airing date: November 30, 1998
Last airing date: February 21, 2003

Masayang Tanghali Bayan

First airing date: February 22, 2003
Last airing date: February 20, 2004

MTB: Ang Saya Saya

First airing date: February 21, 2004
Last airing date: February 4, 2005

Directors

• Danni Caparas (1998–1999)
• Edgar Mortiz (Monday to Friday) (1999–2003)
• Bobet Vidanes (Saturday) (1999–2003)
• Willy Cuevas (for MTB Lenten Specials) (1999–2004)
• Johnny Manahan (Masayang Tanghali Bayan) (2003–2004)
• Arnel Natividad (MTB: Ang Saya Saya) (2004–2005)