Filipinos are crazy about the lottery. Winning millions of pesos is everyone’s wildest dream so when GMA premiered Pepito Manaloto in 2010, Filipinos instantly loved it. In fact, we’re just gonna come out and say it: it’s the best Filipino sitcom of its generation.
Seasoned with realistic family banter from top-notch actors, the show has perfected the recipe for an enduring, relevant, and inspiring family sitcom. After several relaunches over a span of twelve years, the original ensemble is back again to give laughs every Sunday night.
No cap, every character in the series was perfectly cast. The story wouldn’t be complete without any of them, but even die-hard fans have to admit that some are just a bit more hilarious than others. We ranked these iconic Pepito Manaloto characters according to who gives us the loudest laughs:
8. Mimi (Nova Villa)
Your typical busybody grandma, Mimi is that neighbor who likes asking for ulam and snooping around. Some might find her annoying but she’s actually a hoot. She lives with her daughter Deedee and their helper Berta — both of whom test her patience on the daily.
7. Baby (Mosang)
Baby is one of the Manaloto family’s house helpers. She is the only rational person among the staff who has the ability to balance the chaos within the house. Her chemistry with each of the characters make her one of the pillars of the show. Baby is the only one who truly knows and understands everyone and she can use this to her advantage when she has to.
6. Robert (Arthur Solinap)
Robert is the Manaloto family’s driver. Though super muscular, everyone thought that he was gay because of his soft and tender personality. So when he reveals that (spoiler alert) he got Berta pregnant, everybody was shocked! His naive quips are just too much to handle!
5. Maria (Janna Dominguez)
Of course, we have to talk about Maria. Slowest of the slows, Maria’s innocence and gullibility makes every scene comical. Her silliness is always forgiven, though, because she’s a lovely person to everyone in the house, even if you do have to explain even the most basic things to her.
4. Berta (Jen Rosendahl)
She’s not a robot but she talks like one. Remember Janet from The Good Place? Yes, she’s like that, minus the encyclopedic knowledge. Though she isn’t aware of it, Berta is full of humor and wit. She loves stating the obvious in the most awkward situations. Just a reminder though: she’s got some anger issues and tends to take things literally.
3. Tommy (Ronnie Henares)
“Pepito, my friend!” is probably the most iconic line from the show, and we’ve got Tommy to thank for it. Tommy is that shrewd old man who loves to hang out with rich people so he could borrow some money. Disclaimer: he’s not an actual scammer but he’d make a pretty good one because he’s definitely got the acting chops. What we like about Tommy is that he is business-minded, even if he does always have to ask Pepito for the capital. Ang tawag dyan, wais.
2. Patrick (John Feir)
Patrick is Pepito’s best friend. He’s got a huge fascination with hotdogs and is the classic loveable comedian, always there to give a good laugh. The Manalotos treat him as family and Patrick loves it because of the free food! He has a good relationship with everybody except for Baby. They are mortal enemies, which makes their scenes even more hilarious.
1. Pepito (Michael V.)
How can we forget about Pepito? He is the star – a good husband, father, friend, and boss. His deadpan one-liners and dad jokes are just the best and can easily get the room bursting with laughter. But his funniest scenes are with his wife, Elsa. How she manages to silence him with just one look is hilarious.
We hope that Pepito Manaloto never ends. You can catch it every Saturday on GMA or stream on YouTube!
Do you agree with our ranking? Who’s your favorite character? Leave us a comment!
