MANILA — “I’m not sure if what I did was right, but it felt so right.”

These were Vice Ganda’s tearful words in the Sunday episode of “Everybody, Sing,” as he let a group of factory workers win the jackpot prize of P500,000 by giving them the correct answer, with only a second left on the game clock.

The batch of 25 laborers, many of whom had been retrenched, were able to guess nine song titles correctly, but were clueless as to the final one.

As the timer reached its final few seconds, it was clear to Vice Ganda that the contestants wouldn’t get the jackpot prize.

Engaging the last contestant, Jane, in conversation about nursery tunes, Vice Ganda mentioned a number of known titles, with emphasis on one: “Pop Goes the Weasel.”

Jane took the cue, answered that same title, and sealed the group’s shared cash prize of half a million pesos.

Seeing the 25 workers erupt in cheers, Vice Ganda, too, turned emotional.

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“I am so happy. Masayang masaya kayo, at masayang masaya kami, kahit siguro ‘yung mga nanonood sa bahay… Hindi ko kayo kilalang lahat, hindi ko alam kung ano ang nangyayari sa bahay ninyo, pero nararamdaman ko kayo,” he said.

“Maliit na tulong ito, itong bigay namin sa inyo. Bukod sa fun, bukod sa entertainment, gusto namin kayong tulungan. Kung puwede lang namin kayo tulungan lahat. Maliit lang naman ‘yan, pero ang sarap sa pakiramdam.”

Vice Ganda explained he was so moved by the story of Harra, another contestant, that he felt they all deserved to get the jackpot.

“Hindi ko kasi kaya ‘yung istorya ni Harra. Hindi kumakain ‘yung nanay at tatay niya kasi hindi sapat. Hindi ko kaya ‘yun, na uuwi siya, tapos mangyayari na naman ‘yun sa kanila,” Vice Ganda said.

Earlier in the episode, Harra shared that she was retrenched from her factory job amid the lasting impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Without that source of income, her family of nine would hardly have enough food to share.

Her parents, she said, would sacrifice not eating, so they could feed her younger siblings, including a months-old baby.

Hearing of Harra’s story, Vice Ganda was visibly upset.

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“Hindi nakakakain ‘yung nanay at tatay mo dahil hindi talaga kasya. Nakakadurog iyon ng puso, tapos may mababalitaan ka na may mga government officials na hindi pa sapat ‘yung yaman nila, kumukuha pa ng pera,” he said, referring to recent headlines of widescale corruption in the government, amid a global health crisis.

“Dapat pinaghahati-hatian niyo na ‘yun, eh, iyong ilang bilyon na nawawala, pero hindi natin maipaliwanag kung kanino napunta, kung sino ang guminhawa doon.”

He then pledged to help Harra pay for her rent, once she gets a prospective job situated far from her family home.

At the close of the program, a tearful Vice Ganda said he hopes the laborers’ win will extend beyond their “Everybody, Sing” jackpot — and will reach the national elections in 2022.

“Ang sarap sa pakiramdam ng nananalo, ‘no? Kung puwede lang sana tayong nananalo every day. Kaya sana sa eleksyon, tayo ang manalo. Hirap na hirap na kayo, o. Kaya sana sa eleksyon tayo ang manalo,” he said.

The community of factory workers became the latest “Songbayanan” to win the jackpot of “Everybody, Sing” since its June 5 premiere, after the batch of community pantry volunteers, massage therapists, teachers, drivers, and call center agents.

“Everybody, Sing” airs Saturdays and Sundays at 7 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, iWantTFC, and A2Z Channel 11.