The once-invincible Jarakay tribe is finally showing signs of vulnerability after they lost to the Naak for the first time after two consecutive victories. And in their first visit to the tribal council, the tribe voted out Cesar "Gigit" Sulit last Friday, October 3.
The 49-year-old web designer and mountaineer received five out of the tallied six votes, while Patani Daño got one. In his farewell message, Gigit insisted that voting him out is a mistake, considering that their competition is slowly catching up. "I think mawawala ‘yung competitive edge nila," he said. "Because as far as I'm concerned, ang prino-provide ko rito sa team, sa challenges lalo na, is a strong and viable support."
While Gigit's contribution in the tribe is unquestionable, his tribe mates may have found his strategizing too blatant. In an activity before the voting, where the castaways were asked to discuss what they think about their tribe mates, majority said that Gigit is manipulative. "Parang lagi siyang may hidden agenda... hindi mo mabasa kung ano yung ginagawa niya," Marlon Carmen said. On the other hand, the tribe agreed that Patani was a "character," and that all she wanted was television exposure. True to form, Patani later said, "matanggal man ako o hindi, masaya na ako, kasi may exposure na ako. The 20-year-old babysitter tried out for a slot in one of the seasons of Starstruck, GMA-7's celebrity reality search, but failed to make the cut.
The elimination almost didn't happen: a day before, mechanic John Anthony Lopez was removed from the camp for medical attention. And according to the rules, he will automatically be eliminated from the competition if he failed to return to the camp after 24 hours. Before his return, Jarakay was split in their opinion whether John should return or not. Gigit expressed concern that John is an essential member of the tribe and his elimination will further the downfall of their team. "As strong as Jarakay is, we're not exactly invincible," Gigit said. Charisse Yakapin, on the other hand, thought otherwise, saying they cannot expect John to perform his best after what happened. John returned to the camp later that day.
But the surprise isn't over yet. After the elimination, host Paolo Bediones asked the tribe to vote again, explaining two castaways from the same tribe can be eliminated in one tribal council at any given time.
Will a second elimination really happen, and will this finally even out the chances for Naak? Will Gigit's elimination really cement Jarakay's downfall? Watch Survivor Philippines on GMA-7, weekday nights after Ako si Kim Samsoon.