Celebrities who are considered reliable and bankable are often tapped to star in television shows—whether for a teleserye or for a hosting job.
These multi-talented stars are allowed by their mother network to showcase their abilities in as many programs as they can in order to hone their craft.
This gives rise to the question: Are these celebrities already overexposed?
Definitely, fans of these celebrities are happy to see their idols more than five times a week.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) lists down 10 GMA-7 stars who are seen in several TV shows six to seven days a week during the first six months of 2018.
To determine how visible these stars are in their network, PEP.ph used these parameters: total number of TV shows, total number of days their TV shows are airing (or were aired), and its total airtime and period of each show's run from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018.
This does not include commercials, endorsements, and guest appearances in anthologies and/or talk shows.
The list also does not include news and current affairs personalities.
1. Jak Roberto
TV Shows: Bubble Gang (Fridays, 1 hour and 15 minutes present)
Sunday PINASaya (Sundays, 3 hours, present)
Pepito Manaloto (Saturdays, 1 hour, present)
Contessa (Mondays to Saturdays, 50 minutes, March 19, 2018 to present)
Jak Roberto tops PEP.ph's list as GMA-7's most visible star for the first half of 2018, as he was able to juggle his time among four TV shows with different genres.
Since 2016, Jak has been part of the comedy-gag show Bubble Gang and the Sunday variety program Sunday PINASaya.
It was also in this same year when Jak was dubbed as the Kapuso network's Pambansang Abs, after he bared his ala "pandesal" toned abs in the Sunday program Dear Uge.
However, he had to leave the show when he was being groomed as a drama actor for GMA-7 teleseryes. However, he would still occasionally show his "pandesal" in Bubble Gang and Sunday PINASaya.
Since March 2018, Jak was assigned to do a more serious role via the heavy drama series Contessa, which airs from Mondays to Saturdays on GMA's Afternoon Prime block. He plays the role of Jong, the best friend of Contessa (Glaiza de Castro) who has secret feelings for her.
Currently, the actor can also be seen in a supporting role in the sitcom Pepito Manaloto.
2. Julie Anne San Jose
TV Shows: Sunday PINASaya (Sundays, 3 hours, present)
Pepito Manaloto (Saturdays, 1 hour, present)
My Guitar Princess (Mondays to Fridays, 30 minutes, May 7 to July 13, 2018)
Ranking second on the list is actress/TV host/singer Julie Anne San Jose, who has been seen in three shows for the first half of 2018.
Since 2013, Julie Anne plays an important role in the situational comedy series Pepito Manaloto, as the love interest of Jake Vargas. She has also been a performer and TV host in the variety program Sunday PINASaya since 2015.
In May 2018, Julie Anne top-billed her own romantic-comedy series titled My Guitar Princess in GMA-7's morning block, which aired until July 13, 2018.
3. Andre Paras
TV Shows: Sunday PINASaya (Sundays, 3 hours, present)
Sirkus (Sundays, 1 hour, January 21 to April 15, 2018)
Sherlock Jr. (Mondays to Fridays, 45 minutes, January 29 to April 27, 2018)
Andre Paras has been a regular host of Sunday PINASaya since 2016, while he was busy doing other hosting jobs and drama series.
In January 2017, Andre became a major cast member of two new shows: the weekly fantasy series Sirkus, where he played the love interest of Mikee Quintos, and Sherlock Jr., where he played a policeman. Both shows ended after a 13-week run.
Currently, Andre is a host of the weekend singing competition The Clash.
4. Alden Richards
TV Shows: Eat Bulaga (Mondays to Saturdays, 3 hours, present)
Sunday PINASaya (Sundays, 3 hours, present)
Alden Richards did not have an acting project in the first half of 2018, but he is seen seven times a week because of his hosting duties for Eat Bulaga and Sunday PINASaya. He has been part of both shows since 2015.
Alden returned to acting via the prime-time series Victor Magtanggol, which premiered last July 30.
5. Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo
TV Shows: Eat Bulaga (Mondays to Saturdays, 3 hours, present)
Sunday PINASaya (Sundays, 3 hours, present)
The duo of Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo is seen seven times a week because of their variety programs Eat Bulaga and Sunday PINASaya.
Currently, Wally and Jose are not doing any other shows with the network, but they are still able to showcase their acting chops when Eat Bulaga airs a telemovie, particularly during Lenten season.
6. Bianca Umali and Miguel Tanfelix
TV Shows: Kambal Karibal (Mondays to Fridays, 45 minutes, January 1 to August 3, 2018)
Sunday PINASaya (Sundays, 3 hours, present)
The love team of Bianca Umali and Miguel Tanfelix were the lead stars of prime-time series Kambal Karibal, which started airing in November 2017. Due to its warm reception, its original eight-week run was extended until May 2018 before ending on August 3.
The success of BiGuel's GMA teleserye earned them a spot to become regular cast members of the Sunday variety program Sunday Pinasaya early this year. In the past, they would only do guest appearances in the series.
7. Ruru Madrid
TV Shows: Sunday PINASaya (Sundays, 3 hours, present)
Sherlock Jr. (Mondays to Fridays, 45 minutes, January 29 to April 27, 2018)
Ruru Madrid became a regular cast member of Sunday PINASaya in 2016, the time when he became a part of the prime-time series Encantadia.
While doing regular hosting and performing jobs in the variety show, Ruru was tapped to play his first title role on prime-time through the investigative action series Sherlock Jr. In the show, he played Jack, a man investigating the crime that led to the death of his girlfriend, played by Janine Gutierrez. The show ran for 13 weeks from January to April 2018.
In July 2018, Ruru was reunited with Encantadia love-team partner Kylie Padilla in the last few weeks of Sherlock Jr.'s replacement show, The Cure. However, his inclusion in the series is not counted anymore in this list since it was already part of 2018's second half.
8. Ai-Ai delas Alas
TV Shows: Sunday PINASaya (Sundays, 3 hours, present)
Sherlock Jr. (Mondays to Fridays, 45 minutes, January 29 to April 27, 2018)
Since 2016, Ai-Ai has been inactive in doing GMA teleseryes, and only focused on her hosting job in Sunday PINASaya, apart from other talk-variety programs and sitcoms.
In January 2018, the GMA-7 star returned to acting via the prime-time series Sherlock Jr. as the mother of Ruru Madrid's character. The show ran from January 29 to April 28, 2018.
9. Barbie Forteza
TV Shows: Sunday Pinasaya (Sundays, 3 hours, present)
Inday Will Always Love You (Mondays to Fridays, 45 minutes, May 21, 2018 to present)
In May 2018, Barbie returned to prime-time television via the romantic-comedy series Inday Will Always Love You, where he is paired with Derrick Monasterio. The show received high ratings that its original 13-week run was extended for another season. GMA-7's Primetime Queen Marian Rivera even dubbed Barbie as the network's Primetime Princess.
Apart from Inday Will Always Love You, Barbie continues to hone her hosting and comedy skills via Sunday PINASaya, where she became known as Kris Aquino's impersonator. Her impersonation earned her the PEP List Year 4 Comedy Actress of the Year award.
10. Michael V.
TV Shows: Bubble Gang (Fridays, 1 hour and 15 minutes, present)
Pepito Manaloto (Saturdays, 1 hour, present)
Lip Sync Battle Season 3 (Sundays, 1 hour, April 1 to July 1, 2018)
Michael V. might only be seen during weekends, but his shows have been airing for the past several years. These include the comedy gag show Bubble Gang, which has been lording over its Friday timeslot since 1995, and the situational comedy Pepito Manaloto, which has been receiving awards since it began airing in 2012.
In April 2018, Michael V. began hosting GMA-7's local franchise of Lip Sync Battle along with Iya Villania. The show had to end its run after 14 episodes due to Iya's second pregnancy.
