Laking 5 and Up ka ba?

Then you were probably one of thousands of kids in the Philippines who tuned in every weekend to watch the most-awarded tele-magazine show on Philippine TV.

From 1992 to 2002, 5 and Up woke kids up every Saturday (and then Sunday) morning to new discoveries, new places, sports, interesting people and unique experiences of other kids. The show featured kid reporters, aged 10 to 14, learning about their world through travel, interviews and actual situations, inspiring viewers everywhere to do the same. Produced by Cheche Lazaro's Probe Productions Inc. (The Probe Team, GamePlan, Cheche Lazaro Presents), 5 and Up became the most awarded show of its kind, winning local and international awards, including the Prix Jeunesse --the Emmy Awards of children's programming.

The show first aired on ABC-5 then found its permanent home a year later on GMA-7. From the first time it aired as a special episode on the Probe Team, to its debut in May of 1992, the show aimed to show children at their most natural, most inquisitive and most curious. The hosts of the show were not child celebrities and did not wear make-up or fancy clothes. They were ordinary, bright kids with whom viewers could easily relate.

These kids asked the same questions and react to certain situations the same way the audiences would. This was one of the charms of the show: that every child knew they could have easily been that kid on tv experiencing the same thing! This is probably why the generation that grew up watching 5 and Up will never forget the program. It was a weekly get-together with a tv barkada that promised unforgettable adventures every time. It was easy to learn things and keep them in mind. Most of all it felt like one was learning with friends, which is why learning new things always seemed fun.

Because of 5 and Up's popularity, the show's hosts are an unforgettable group in the minds of the 5 and Up audiences. Some of the more popular hosts who have continued on in the broadcast, music and movie industries include Atom Araullo, Chynna Ortaleza, Jessica Gallegos, Rayver and Rodjun Cruz, Maxene Magalona and Enzo Marcos. Many more have made their mark in other fields and disciplines, and have reaped awards and recognition in their respective endeavors.

However the hosts, producers, and viewers of the show believe the biggest award should go to the brains behind the show: the person whose idea inspired the concept of 5 and Up. Zak Yuson and his classmates, then only eight years old, hit on the idea of forming a "Junior Probe Team Club" in school--all because they wanted free t-shirts. It was this idea that inspired Probe Productions Inc. to produce a "Junior Probe Team" special episode that would tackle interesting stories for kids, with kids themselves as reporters. And the rest was history. Soon after, Probe Productions launched 5 and Up. Ten years later, a generation of Pinoy kids are proudly proclaiming themselves "Laking 5 and Up"!

The show may have been off the air for four years now (the show folded in June of 2002) but the spirit still brings that generation of 5 and Up viewers, producers, and hosts together. It's through this new site that all those involved in 5 and Up continue to keep that spirit of discovery and friendship alive, and making sure they pass it on.