Magandang Tanghali Bayan - Segments - Pera O Bayong

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 Kuwarta O Kahon (Cash or Box) which aired Sundays on RPN-9.

The original version of the game started with 50 players 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 bayongs marked M, T, or B (for the show's title). Each bayong contain a concealed piece of cardboard on which is written what the contestant in playing for.

There is a bargaining session when the host (usually Willie Revillame) 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 vary 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 1 million pesos, a house and lot, a living room showcase, an entertainment showcase, to fruits and vegetables (like one watermelon).

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 try 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 actually opened.

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.