Nearly a decade after one of the most unforgettable mishaps in noontime television, Jose Manalo is once again laughing about the moment he accidentally fell into a canal during Eat Bulaga’s “Sugod Bahay” segment — though he admitted the experience left a lasting mark on him long after the cameras stopped rolling.
Speaking in an interview on Toni Talks, the veteran host-comedian recalled the incident as the most memorable of all his “Sugod Bahay” appearances, saying it was something he could never forget because of the brief trauma it caused him at the time.
When asked by Toni Gonzaga which “Sugod Bahay” moment stood out the most in his mind, Jose did not hesitate to name the now-viral accident.
For Jose, the fall was not just shocking — it was instinctively terrifying. He said that as soon as it happened, his immediate reaction was to keep his mouth shut, hold his breath, and get out as fast as he could. What made the incident even more bizarre, he noted, was that the exact fall was not clearly captured on the main camera, although footage of it still existed.
Despite the unpleasant experience, Jose being Jose found a way to turn the chaos into comedy. He shared that shortly after the incident, one of their bosses called to check on him and asked whether he had suffered any open wounds. In his usual playful manner, Jose joked about the injury on his face before being reminded that people were genuinely worried about his condition.
That was when he seized the moment for a different kind of recovery plan: asking management for a salary increase.
With his trademark humor, Jose said that when he was asked what he wanted, he replied with a straight-faced appeal for higher pay — transforming what could have remained an embarrassing accident into another classic comedic anecdote.
Still, the incident was not all laughs. Jose admitted that for some time after the fall, the memory lingered in an unusually vivid way. He even recalled dreaming about the smell of the canal while asleep, underscoring just how intense the experience had been for him.
The accident happened in June 2016, and nine years later, it remains one of the most talked-about unscripted moments associated with the long-running noontime program. For many viewers, it was pure television chaos. For Jose, it became a strange mix of trauma, survival instinct, and comedy — the kind of real-life moment only a seasoned entertainer could eventually turn into a punchline.