He may be great in tickling our funny bones as a host-comedian of It’s Showtime, but Vice Ganda is able to prove that he also has a talent in touching the hearts and jostling the minds of the viewers via his Magpasikat performances through the years, such as the one he and co-host Amy Perez presented on Thursday, November 17.

It may be shorter compared to the previous entries that we had seen this week, yet it was able to satisfy us and pierce our souls through the powerful message that they incorporated in every part of their breathtaking and heartwarming production.

They’re able to instantly catch our attention through the invigorating and amazingly synchronized dance number courtesy of the talented A-Team dancers. A montage of people doing blue-collared jobs was then flashed on the screen, with Vice expressing through voiceover that they dedicate their presentation to those people who are using their mostly their hands at work.

He stated, “Ito ay para sa lahat ng nagsusumikap gamit ang kanilang mga kamay sa gitna ng paghihirap. Ito ay para sa lahat ng mga lumalaban nang patas gamit ang kanilang mga kamay para harapin ang mapanubok na bukas. Ito ay para sa mga napagkaitan, ngunit gamit ang kanilang mga kamay, ay tinugunan ang kawalan. Ito ay pagbibigay-pugay sa mga taong pumupukaw ng ating mga puso gamit ang kanilang mga kamay.”

Tiyang Amy was the first one to appear onstage, showing off her dancing skills in a black embellished dress and full-on makeup. Along with the dancers, with the ladies wearing tiered pink skirts, they did routines that resembled sewing and measuring lengths, which made us assume that that segment represents tailors. Our jaws then dropped when she did a quick costume change onstage and began to dance ballroom in her glittery red frock with their guest star Enchong Dee, who was then wearing a red pair of pants and bolero that exposed his finely-chiseled abs.

After Tiyang Amy’s splendid dance number, Vice then dominated the stage in his black and gold avant-garde number and blonde short coif. He was joined by the dancers in gold costumes, who were able to perfectly execute their coordinated hand routines and successfully created an illusion behind him as he sang “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras.

The dancers also did a great job in creatively revealing KZ Tandingan, who was also dressed in a black and gold outfit, through their choreography as she joined him onstage and wowed us with her vocals. Since this segment began with someone putting glitters on the Unkabogable Star’s studded gold fingernails, not to mention the dancers and KZ also wore gold nails on their fingers, we can say that it was for our beloved manicuristas.

They also paid tribute to construction workers by having some of the dancers act like them, which served as an introduction to Tiyang Amy’s second dance number, wherein she and the dancers amazed us with their synchronized hand and hip-hop routines while in their heavy-duty suits. It was actually a delightful sight when viewed from above.

Vice returned to the stage, but this time in a white maillot with black sheer coverup and enormous white headdress. He was accompanied by differently-abled dancers in wheelchairs, who were able to astound us with how talented they are even though they couldn’t their steps on their feet. The rest of dancers went back on stage afterwards, who once again wowed us with their harmonious arm routines.

As the upbeat music subsided, a deafening silence permeated the studio for 50 seconds as Jasmine Gabriel spoke to the madlang people through sign language, which inexplicably spoke to our hearts and souls despite not understanding it. Everyone onstage went on to do sign languages that convey “put your hand on me”, “applause”, and “I love you.” Tyang Amy, who was in a different dress, and Enchong returned to the stage and continued dancing, as well as KZ who belted out a portion of their final song.

The short yet stirring Magpasikat 2022 entry of Vice and Amy received a round of applause from the madlang people, who were also wearing white gloves like theirs. During the post-performance interview, the Unkabogable Host revealed that their concept sprang up at the time when he was reading a lot of fake news and malicious speculations about him online.

That made him think why there are people who use their hands to bash and spread lies and negativities, instead of using them in more productive that could help their families and other people. At the same time, there are hardworking people who probably wish to have another pair of hands, or those who lost or do not have hands yet still do whatever they can in order to provide for their families.

With regards to that almost one-minute silence, Vice explained that it’s their way of showing appreciation to deaf people after his encounter with one of them, who loves to watch It’s Showtime despite not understanding anything that the hosts say. He refused to put a subtitle onscreen as he wanted to give that little moment to the deaf community and for the hearing people to experience what it feels like to not understand whatever they’re watching. He also imparted that it coincides with the commemoration of Deaf Awareness Week from November 11 to 16.

Aside from delivering a touching and fascinating Magpasikat number, Vice also pledged to give away 300,000 to the staff and crew of It’s Showtime, as well as 10 wheelchairs to everyone who need one.

“TRESElebrate” marks the return of the traditional week-long It’s Showtime celebration, two years after it was only held for a day due to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The hurados for Magpasikat 2022 are John Arcilla, Baron Geisler, Pia Magalona, Janice de Belen, Darren Espanto, and ABS-CBN Foundation Head and Executive Director for Advocacy, Creative Programs Inc. President, and G Diaries host Ernie Lopez as the punong hurado.

The next group to perform (Friday) is Team Karylle-Ogie. Team Anne-Jackie-Ion already performed last Monday, while Team Jhong-Ryan last Tuesday and Team Jugs-Teddy-Kim last Wednesday. Whichever team wins this year’s competition will have a chance to donate Php 500,000 to their chosen charity.