COMEDY GETS A LOT OF AIRTIME ON TV. CLICK HERE TO SEE PROGRAMMING DISTRIBUTION TABLE OF GMA AND ABS-CBN

WHAT makes people laugh? Is there such a thing as Filipino humor? Michael V once commented: "Whatever is real, whatever is true in real life makes people laugh. Filipinos are hard to please, though. We're unpredictable."

Al Tantay, the creator of "Ogag" explains, "Filipinos find visual comedy funny. That's probably why 'Mr. Bean' is so popular here. There's no language barrier, no gaps at all."

Edgar Mortiz, director of such shows as the pioneering "Tropang Trumpo" and the noontime show "MTB" stresses, "Nakakatawa 'yung hindi nagpapatawa." And the King of Comedy Dolphy, once said in an interview: "Ang Pilipino ganoon. Gusto nilang 'yung naaapi ang nagwawagi. Kita mo 'yan kay Nora Aunor. Gusto nila ang humor ng everyday life, medyo aping-gago, ganoon, tulad ng 'John en Marsha.'

''Maski mahirap ka, kahit pinakamahirap pa, 'yung pagmamahal at sense of humor nandoon. Iyon lang naman ang pinapakita namin. Parang ginagawang joke lang ang paghihirap, which is true in real life."

Filipinos do laugh a lot. We can find reasons to smile and laugh even in very distressing times.

After the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, when almost all of Pampanga were covered by lahar, we saw how Filipinos could still smile despite losing their houses and livelihood. Images of Filipinos waving and smiling on rooftops of their houses, oblivious of what was in store for them in the future, while TV cameras panned at them, would forever be etched in our minds.

Families seeking refuge in camps at Burnham Park in Baguio City after the devastating earthquake in 1990 looked like they were having ''fun,'' having a picnic after the unnerving experience where some of their loved ones nearly lost their lives.

Men, women and children living in sub-human conditions in the urban poor areas who can still smile when narrating how they survive the hard times, how they can live in those filthy and dirty surroundings without potable water and sewerage system. Admirable or pathetic?

Do Filipinos love to laugh, or do they simply like to escape the realities of their lives by laughing? If the popularity of sitcoms is the gauge, we can say that Filipinos do love to laugh. Whether they do this to escape their daily grind with poverty or a sub-human lifestyle or they sincerely think that everything is just fine, would be a good topic for future media research.

Looking at the programming of the two leading television networks in the country today, ABS-CBN and GMA, there is noticeably a tendency to cater to viewers' preference for comedy shows in the storytelling genre. ABS-CBN allots 18 hours, seven hours of which are given to comedy shows like "Oki Doki Doc," "Richard Loves Lucy," "Kaya ni Mister, Kaya ni Misis," "Pwedeng-pwede," and "Home Along Da Riles." GMA, on the other hand, devotes eight and a half hours of its 13.5 hours program schedule for narrative-based shows to comedy shows like "Ooopps," "Kool Ka Lang," "Beh Bote Nga," "1 For 3" and"Bubble Gang."

Comedy shows last longer than serious drama. If we look back at some of the longest-running programs in the history of television, we would see that comedy shows stay on air longer because people tend to watch them more, thus they are more advertiser-friendly.

"John en Marsha," created by the late comedy guru Ading Fernando lasted 16 years before it finally ended. "Chicks to Chicks," another Ading Fernando creation, was on the tube for nearly a decade. "Eh, Kasi Babae," stayed on for seven years while "Goin' Bananas" lasted eight years.

Aside from the fact that comedy shows are more popular, their production cost is lower than serious drama. While serious Dramas demand locations, comedy shows are shot inside the studio, under a controlled environment, with a minimum of three set-ups. Shooting comedy shows is easier and takes a shorter period of time.

"Kaya Ni Mister," for instance has three main sets, namely Aling Azon's Carinderia, Buboy and Mary Magtanggol's house and the police precinct where Buboy works. There is an additional set-up, usually the residence of guest stars or Betchay's or Jun-Jun's schools. There are a number of exterior scenes in every episode, but they are usually shot in the vicinity of the ABS-CBN studio compound or nearby commercial establishments.

At GMA, its sitcom "1 for 3" also uses three sets: the residence of the main cast, Vic Sotto, Rosanna Roces and Ai-Ai delas Alas; their neighbor's unit, and the school where Vic teaches, plus an episode guest's residence or place of work. The show does not go on locations.

Content-wise, almost all sitcoms follow the same narrative structure: the main lead characters live a pretty normal day-to-day life when, all of a sudden, they are disturbed by a guest character which usually becomes the main focus of the episode, to the detriment of the lead characters' development. Instead of using guest characters to contribute to the forward movement of the main plot, the story usually focuses on the guests, making the lead characters assume supporting roles.

In an episode of "Kaya ni Mister, Kaya ni Misis," Vilma Santos played a human rights lawyer who visited the police precinct where Buboy Magtanggol (Cesar Montano) worked. Santos checked on the condition of the cells and monitored how the law enforcers investigated cases. The sub-plot was Mary Magtanggol's (Maricel Soriano) involvement with jueteng and her subsequent brush with authorities. The story gave too much exposure to Vilma, which is understandable considering her star stature, the fact that she seldom portrays comedic roles on TV, and her talent fee was high.

"Kaya ni Mister" almost always ends up in the Magtanggol couple's bedroom, Which is apt since the show is about the nuances and trials of a married couple belonging to the lower socio-economic class. But what is disturbing is the fact that Mary almost always ends up apologizing to Buboy, as if women are the only ones who commit mistakes in a marriage! Add to this the stereotypical depiction of women as housewives who clean the house, take care of the kids, cater to their husbands' needs, etc.

While the show can be funny at times, thanks to good comedic timing of Maricel Soriano, Cesar Montano and Nova Villa, its predictable plot and generally stale style of comedy, from slapstick to sexy jokes, make watching it for one and a half hours quite taxing. You really have to like Maricel and Cesar a lot to survive the ordeal.