Controversy Remains: ‘Eat Bulaga!’ Hosts Tito, Vic And Joey Bid TAPE Inc. Goodbye

The main hosts of the longest-running noontime show “Eat Bulaga!” – former Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon – announced on Wednesday, May 31, that they are parting ways with the show’s production company, Television and Production Exponent (TAPE) Inc.

During Wednesday’s episode of Eat Bulaga, which was streamed on YouTube but not aired on GMA 7, the trio said they have said goodbye to TAPE Inc.

“Pumasok po kaming lahat ngayong araw para magtrabaho pero hindi po kami pinayagan ng new management na umere ng live (We came today to work but the new management didn’t allow us to broadcast live on air),” Tito said. Instead, a replay of past shows were aired.

De Leon recalled that they started the show on July 30, 1979 and it has been running for 44 years. He then thanked the networks that had been their home for the past years – RPN 9 for nine years, ABS-CBN Channel 2 for six years and GMA 7 for 28 years.

“Nagpapasalamat din kami sa lahat ng advertisers mula 1979 na nagmahal, nagtiwala at sumuporta sa amin (We also thank all the advertisers since 1979 who loved, trusted and supported us),” Vic added.

Tito also expressed their gratitude to the “dabarkads (barkada or group of friends) and the viewers” of the show. “Sa inyong pagmamahal sa programang naging bahagi ng inyong tanghalian (For the love that you have shown to the program that has become part of your noon time),” he said.

“Lubos din ang aming pasasalamat kay Mr. Tony Tuviera sa pagkakaibigan at pagiging bahagi ng aming pamilya. At higit sa lahat, sa Panginoong Diyos na kahit kailan hindi kami pinabayaan (We would like to also extend our thanks to Mr. Tony Tuviera for the friendship and being part of our family. Most of all, to the Lord God for not ever leaving us),” he added.

“Hindi na po namin isa-isahin pa ang laman ng aming puso. Ang hangad lang po namin ay makapagtrabaho ng mapayapa, walang inaagrabyado at may respeto sa bawat isa (We will no longer enumerate what is in our hearts. We all just want to work smoothly, without offending anyone and maintaining respect for each other),” Vic said.

“Simula ngayong araw, May 31, 2023, kami po ay magpaalam na sa TAPE Incorporated. Karangalan po namin na kami ay nakapaghatid ng tuwa’t saya mula sa Batanes hanggang Jolo at naging bahagi ng buhay niyo. Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat. Hanggang sa muli (Starting today, May 31, 2023, we are saying goodbye to TAPE Incorporated. It has been an honor to bring joy and happiness to the viewers from Batanes to Jolo and be part of your lives. Thank you very much everyone. Until then),” Vic added.

“Saan man kami dalhin ng tadhana, tuloy ang isang libo’t isang tuwa (Wherever fate takes us, a thousand and one joys continue),” he concluded.

De Leon also posted a clip of their announcement on Instagram, saying “We’re not signing off… we are just taking a day off!”

Fellow Eat Bulaga hosts Allan K, Maine Medoza, Ryan Agoncillo, Wally Bayola, Jose Manalo, Paolo Ballesteros and Ryzza Mae Dizon can be seen in the video giving a group hug to the team.

GMA Network, for their part, issued a statement following the announcement.

“We are saddened by (Wednesday’s) unexpected turn of events with regard to Eat Bulaga. GMA has been the home of Eat Bulaga for many years and we still have a block time agreement with TAPE until the end of 2024 for the noontime slot,” it said.

“Together with all the Filipino fans, we pray for a smooth and swift resolution of their issues. Maraming salamat sa patuloy na suporta, mga Kapuso (Thank you for the continued support, Kapuso),” it added.

Eat Bulaga has been a subject of speculations since March. It began when veteran talk show host Cristy Fermin said Tuviera, the producer and co-owner of and TAPE Inc., was being eased out by business partner and former Zamboanga representative Romeo “Romy” Jalosjos Sr.

The issue further escalated when TAPE chief financial officer (CFO) and Dapitan Mayor Bullet Jalosjos made media appearances last April to address speculations such as the trio’s future, financial condition of the company and Tuviera’s departure.

This led to Tito and Vic breaking their silence, revealing TAPE Inc.’s debts to Vic and Joey, Tuviera’s forced “retirement,” and lost profits from election campaigns. Tito also disputed claims about Jalosjos Sr.’s creative control over the show’s segments.

While nothing is final, the trio will reportedly move to TV 5. Supposedly, they will be under Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez’s Brightlight Productions, which also produced now-defunct TV 5 noontime show Tropang LOL.

‘Here to stay’

Vic earlier said that despite controversies surrounding Eat Bulaga, people can expect their longtime variety show to remain on the air.

“Basta isa lang masasabi ko (I will only say one thing). ‘Eat Bulaga’ is here to stay,” Vic said on the sidelines of a recent press conference for one of the brands he is endorsing last month, as reported in various media outlets including The Philippine Star.

The 69-year old actor, singer and comedian confirmed that TAPE did owe him and De Leon millions in talent fees, but they had been paid.

Last April 25, Tito spoke out refuting the claims of Jalosjos amid talks that the longest-running noontime show is headed for a reinvention.

Among the statements Jalosjos made during his own media appearances was that the firm did not owe anyone working on the show talent fees. The elder Sotto denied this, citing records of unpaid salaries and tax deductions for Vic and De Leon. 

Tito likewise contradicted reports that Eat Bulaga has been losing money, prompting TAPE to consider a major overhaul for the show, which reportedly might affect the tenures of the famous trio.

The elder Sotto bared that in 2021, records from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) showed that TAPE, Inc. earned P230-million in net profits. It also received around P400-million worth of election advertisements from Eat Bulaga in 2022 that supposedly “vanished.”

“Hindi mo pwedeng sabihin (You cannot say that) in 2022 nalugi kami (we were losing money). Remember, (that was an) election year, campaign period. (During) campaign, ang (the) political ads ay napakarami (are plenty),” he told MJ Marfori in an interview over News 5. 

“So, nakakapagtaka (it was puzzling)...Dapat siguro sagutin ng TAPE, Inc. kung ano ang nangyari (I think TAPE, Inc. should explain what happened)... I say ‘vanished’ because we don’t know where it went,” added Tito, referring to the missing P400-million plus worth of income from political ads.

On concerns that the TVJ trio would follow suit after Tuviera’s exit, Tito said that was “highly debatable,” since a copyright issue would be involved because “TAPE Inc. is just a producer, it is not Eat Bulaga.”

“In 1979, we started ‘Eat Bulaga’. Joey invented the name; Vic and I agreed. Tony Tuviera agreed. Ganoon ang ginawa namin (That is what we did) na (and) it was produced by Production Specialists, Inc.,” Tito explained, recalling the history of the show.

When the original production company ran out of funds to bankroll the program, TAPE was established and took over in 1981. But the organization did not own the copyright of Eat Bulaga. That belongs to the original hosts who created the show, according to Tito.

In terms of creative control, Tito also clarified the Jalosjoses were never involved in it, especially when developing segments for the program. He said these were registered to their head writer, Jenny Ferre, and cleared by the trio with Tuviera before they aired. 

When asked if they would consider working with another production company, to the extent of transferring to another network, if the conflicts were not resolved, Tito said “that is a distinct possibility.”

Tito also mentioned what they are only after is for their business partners to remain “faithful to the agreements,” as they have done so, including the other members of the production team. He added they are likewise open to suggestions for improvement.

Pressed if they have plans to take these matters to the court, Tito said: “That depends. We’ll see how it goes, depending on the reactions in the discussion, whether what we have agreed upon will push through or not.”

In breaking his own silence on the issue, Vic told reporters he, De Leon and their entire group support everything that Tito said because that is the truth. “Lahat ng sinabi niya doon totoo. Walang dagdag, walang bawas (Everything he (Tito) said is true. Nothing extra, no deduction),” Vic said.