Former senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has spoken about the controversies surrounding Eat Bulaga!, the longest-running noontime show in the Philippines.
In a podcast released on Tuesday night (April 25), Sotto shared that the rumors about the rebranding stemmed from the belief of the show’s leaders that they were losing revenue, and many of his co-hosts were being asked to resign from the 44-year-old program.
During his interview with entertainment reporter Nelson Canlas on the Updated with Nelson Canlas podcast, Tito explained that while Tuviera is still with TAPE Inc., the organization has undergone changes.
“Ang sabi sa amin, nalulugi raw. Kailangan daw baguhin ang nagpapatakbo at kailangan daw i-reinvent ang Eat Bulaga! At mayroon daw mga portion na bored [ang mga board members]. Mayroon akong mga videos at mga statements upang patunayan ito.” Sotto said.
“Ginusto raw nung board, ayon sa taong nagsasalita sa amin – ang acting CEO o ang pangulo na nagpalit kay Tony Tuviera – ang gusto raw eh i-retire si Tony at pumasok ‘yung grupo nila para patakbuhin ‘yung production. Ganun ‘yung original na pinaplano,” he added.
When asked about whether the hosts of Eat Bulaga! will continue, Tito expressed his hurt over the statement “we will be retained.” “It’s like they can kick us out, but we are Eat Bulaga! We hope you’ll be careful with your choice of words because your words can hurt,” he added.
Former congressman Romy Jalosjos had previously spread news online calling for control over Television and Production Exponents (TAPE) Inc., the production company behind Eat Bulaga!, and the “rebranding” of the show by removing the three pioneer hosts, Tito, Vic, and Joey de Leon.
Willie Revillame, another veteran TV host in the country, was also involved in the reports suggesting that Romy wanted him to replace the three popular hosts.
However, Romy’s son, Bullet, who serves as the Chief Financial Officer of TAPE Inc., called it fake news. He assured the public that the three popular hosts, along with the other hosts, will definitely stay, as he stated in his interview with Boy Abunda.
In an interview with Canlas, Tito expressed his opposition to the changes in their show, as there was no problem with their current setup. “We feel sad. All of a sudden, out of the blue, there’s controversy, and Eat Bulaga! is shaken. Everything was doing well,” he admitted.
He further mentioned, “We are surprised that after 43 years, there is suddenly controversy, and Eat Bulaga! is disrupted, while everything was quiet and doing well.”
Although they have reached an agreement with their leaders, the issue escalated again when one of the board members provided inaccurate information to a news outlet.
Tito also stated that the corporation owes Vic and Joey a significant amount that remains unpaid. “There is a huge debt to Vic and Joey. They owe them over 30 million pesos, for 2022 alone.”
This was not favorable for Tito, especially when Bullet clarified that the news about the corporation having a 2 billion pesos debt to Vic was untrue. Tito also explained that TAPE Inc. made a net profit of 213 million pesos in 2021, which increased due to political advertisements during the elections.
The former Senate president also shared his dismay upon learning that less popular hosts and crew members with lower salaries were being asked to resign.
“Pinagreresign, pinagreretire, at i-rerehire naman daw. Sabi ko nga, ‘What is the guarantee that they will be rehired sa oras na nagretire na sila’. Eh kasi raw para maayos ang budget, mas mababa ang iswesweldo,” the former senate president said.
