MANILA — “Nalaglag ‘yung puso ko,” were the words of Tawag ng Tanghalan judge Erik Santos after finalist Shantal Cuizon narrowly survived the dreaded “gong” that signals instant elimination.

Cuizon is one of the seven aspirants competing in the week-long Quarter 4 semifinals, which will fill in two more slots in the grand finals scheduled in September.

On Friday, the semifinalists performed songs assigned by the judges, headed by Louie Ocampo.

Cuizon took on the Joni Mitchell hit “Both Sides Now,” which proved to be a challenging undertaking, with nerves apparently overwhelming the Batangas singer.

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During Cuizon’s performance, Ocampo was seen repeatedly shaking his head, as he raised his fingers one by one to count moments when she would go off-key.

Cuizon was nearing the end of her performance when Ocampo already had three fingers up, meaning she was one count away from a raised fist, signaling the banging of the gong.

The performance, however, wasn’t yet over. As Cuizon sang the last few lines, Ocampo was seen covering his ears, mouthing, “No, no, no.”

“Ang daming kaba na nangyari dito. ‘Yung puso namin!” host Vhong Navarro told Cuizon after she finished her number. “Nanonood kami ng tennis sa inyo: [tumitingin kami] kay Sir Louie, sa ‘yo, kay Sir Louie, sa ‘yo.”

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When told by host Jhong Hilario that Ocampo had counted three, Cuizon appeared surprised.

Taking his turn to comment on the performance, Ocampo told the finalist, “You were so close… But I will stand up for you because it’s not easy to sing when a hurado puts up his hand.”

“I have so much respect for you,” he added.

Judge Santos, meanwhile, said his “heart dropped” when Ocampo nearly stopped Cuizon’s performance, “kasi ayaw kitang ma-gong, kasi alam kong may ibubuga ka pa.”

“Sobra lang talaga ‘yung kaba mo,” Santos said. “For someone na ipakanta namin ‘yung totally hindi mo alam, at nabigyan mo siya ng ibang atake, you sang it your style, hinahangaan kita doon.”

‘MAY RULES KAMI’

Ocampo went on to explain that his strict counting stems from the mechanics of Tawag ng Tanghalan.

“The only reason I had to raise my fingers, meron kaming mga parameters, may rules kami. To be fair, we have to take notice of the imperfections and let you know. Pero to be honest, kung live concert ‘yan, pasado ka,” he said.

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Aside from Cuizon, another semifinalist, Dior Bronia, was admittedly affected by nerves as he took the stage with “I Dreamed a Dream,” leading to a number of mistakes. Bronia was more fortunate; Ocampo only counted once.

Fan-favorite Violeta Bayawa, too, appeared to have an off-day, as her rendition of “Where Do I Begin?” prompted Ocampo to count three times.

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“Kayo na po ‘yung pangatlong nasenyasan!” host Amy Perez told Bayawa after her performance.

Mariane Osabel was the fourth to get a count from Ocampo, who noticed an off note in her version of Barbra Streisand’s “A Piece of Sky.”

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“Ano ba ang meron sa araw na ‘to?” Navarro said at one point, referring to the fifth day of the semifinals having a string of tense moments.

• 'Tawag' hopeful forgets lyrics, stopped by gong, returns with same song
• WATCH: Mental block costs ‘Tawag’ defending champion’s spot

A finalist getting eliminated via “gong” is nothing new on Tawag ng Tanghalan. In August 2017, semifinalist Lalaine Araña exited prematurely when she forgot the lyrics of her assigned song.

Similarly, in August 2018, defending champion Jonar Rementizo, had a mental block on stage, costing him his chance to enter the semifinals.