The showbiz industry continues to mourn the sudden demise of the diminutive comedienne Mahal.
On August 31, 2021, Mahal, 46, succumbed to COVID-19 and “gastro illness,” according to her sister.
With her signature laugh and giggles, not to mention her own brand of charm, Mahal easily endeared herself to fans when she entered showbiz in the early '90s.
The people who have known her, including the stars she had worked with, only have good words for Mahal.
The likeable three-foot star had had a colorful showbiz career.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) pays tribute to Mahal with this recollection of her memorable moments on Philippine television.
1. Mahal’s beginnings in Masayang Tanghali Bayan (2003)
It was this TV show that made Mahal a household name.
This was also where her duo with Mura was born.
Called the "Power Pek Twins,” Mahal and Mura also launched a single titled “Cutie Cute Cute.”
One of Mahal’s controversial moments in Masayang Tanghali Bayan was when Willie Revillame delivered a joke on her birthday.
Willie’s birthday wish for her was, “Sana ma-devirginize ka na.”
Unfortunately, the joke did not sit well with the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).
With the regulatory body poised to suspend the show, Willie decided to resign, and ABS-CBN terminated his contract to avert suspension of the show.
Mahal reasoned with MTRCB that Willie’s joke was just for laughs and she was not offended, and to please allow him to return to the show.
Mahal’s stint in MTB ended in 2004 when ABS-CBN decided to reformat the show.
2. Mahal and Jimboy’s love story
Remember her late ex-boyfriend, Jimboy Salazar?
Jimboy joined showbiz via the defunct That's Entertainment show of the late German Moreno.
But it was his relationship with Mahal that made him famous.
They broke up in 2003.
To this day, the video of Mahal lambasting Jimboy during her interview in the television talk show The Buzz remains one of the most-viewed on YouTube.
Years back, Jimboy filed a libel case against Mahal and Mura for using his name in their song “Ayoko Na Sa ‘Yo” with the lyrics “Jimboy / Jimboy / I Hate You.”
In an interview with The Buzz, host Phoemela Barranda asked Mahal and Mura about Jimboy’s decision.
The usually-calm Mahal lashed out at Jimboy for causing stress on her family, especially her father.
Mahal was so angry that her little voice became inaudible.
Phoemela tried to calm her down, and asked if Mura courted Mahal back then.
The video has currently more than 430K views on YouTube.
Jimboy would eventually withdraw the case in 2007.
Despite her love-hate relationship with Jimboy, Mahal cried buckets in Startalk when she was asked about Jimboy’s death in 2015.
3. Mahal’s reunion with Willie Revillame.
Her reunion with Willie happened in Wowowin in 2017.
She had her own way of shouting “Pera or Kahon?” that amused the viewers and Willie’s co-hosts Ariella Arida, Super Tekla, and Boobay.
A video of the segment generated more than one million views when it was uploaded on YouTube.
The comments were mostly about Mahal's distinct laugh and her lively repartee with Willie when he was handing her gift packages from the show’s sponsors, as well as his iconic jacket.
4. Mahal’s viral “Gentleman” dance.
In 2013, Mahal went viral for her dance cover of Psy’s “Gentleman.”
When she visited Jayson Gainza’s “Ihaw Na” segment in Banana Split, she gamely did a live sample.
At the same time, she also revealed the qualities of the man she would want to marry.
But the part that had the viewers in stitches was when Mahal mentioned the word “sofa."
Jason joked, “Bakit pag ikaw ang nagsasabi ng salitang sofa, parang nababastusan ako?”
Mahal answered with a laugh, “Sofa, upuan lang iyon, e!”
It is because sofa sounded like a Pinoy slang that had something to do with sex.
This video has more than 800k views on YouTube.
Indeed, Mahal and her brand of comedy will always be a funny memory.