TAPE Inc. Left With No Hosts, May Lose ‘Eat Bulaga!’ Trademark As Well?

The other hosts and staff of “Eat Bulaga!” have left the show following the departure of former Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Vic Sotto and Joey De Leon, also known as TVJ. And the three main hosts  are planning to take the Eat Bulaga title with them as well.

On Thursday, June 1, Paolo Ballesteros, Jose Manalo, Maine Mendoza, Ryzza Mae Dizon, Wally Bayola, Ryan Agoncillo and Allan K released the resignation letter addressed to Television and Production Exponents (TAPE) Inc. they signed a few hours after TVJ’s farewell aired on YouTube on Wednesday, May 31.

“Dahil po sa mga nangyari, kami po ay magpapaalam na rin sa TAPE Inc. simula ngayong araw, (Because of what happened, we will also say goodbye to TAPE Inc. starting today), May 31, 2023 May 31, 2023),” the letter read.

On Instagram, Vic’s wife and former host Pauleen Luna-Sotto also said “all the hosts, writers, sales, production (teams) and cameramen followed suit after TVJ’s resignation.”

With the mass resignation,  Tito told “Julius and Tintin: Para Sa Pamilyang Pilipino” over One PH on Thursday that TAPE cannot continue the segments created by its former staff. Tito explained that based on “supreme jurisprudence,” people get to own whatever they created or invented.

Copyright wise, he said TAPE is only limited to Eat Bulaga merchandise covered by Sections 16, 21, and 25 of the Intellectual Property Law. But the trio is claiming ownership of the title of the show itself based on Section 41 of the same law. This is because they were the ones who came up with the name decades ago, according to Tito.

“Kaya sige, gamitin muna nila habang nag-iisip pa kami kung anong susunod naming steps. Pagkatapos eh bayaran. Dali lang naman maningil eh. Singilin natin mga gumagamit ng property natin (Sure, they can use the Eat Bulaga name while we think of our next steps. It’s easy to ask them what they owe. We should always get our money from people who use our property),” he said.

Tito revealed that TAPE’s trademark registration for Eat Bulaga with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPO) already expired on June 14, 2023. He said Antonio “Tony” Tuviera, former TAPE president and CEO, filed for ownership of the Eat Bulaga trademark before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Feb. 27, 2023.

PEP.ph reported that De Leon also filed for ownership of the trademark before the WIPO on March 22, 2023. Both applications are pending.

Moving on

As for the trio, Tito revealed getting offers in “less than two hours” from three stations after the farewell. When asked about Tuviera, Tito said it is best to ask him directly if he will come back and join them in the future. Tuviera was earlier forced to resign to give way to the new management, Tito said.

While nothing is final, Tito stressed their future network should have people who know how to go along, unlike the new TAPE management. He said they barely interacted with the new management and these meetings included the time when TAPE’s president and CEO, Romeo “Jonjon” Jalosjos Jr. , paid the company’s debts to Vic and De Leon.

“Kami nagpakisamahan nila Tony Tuviera, walang kontrata. Kaya itong mga bagong salta, ‘di ko maintindihan kung paano makakarating sa ganung usapan. (TVJ and Tony Tuviera, we got along even if we had no contracts (with TAPE or GMA 7). So the new TAPE management, I do not understand why they allowed us to get here) Laking bagay ‘yan [for their next network], matinong kausap. ‘Yun ‘yung tinatawag na brotherly love, (Being decent to talk to is a huge consideration for our next home. That’s what they call brotherly love),” Tito said.

Tito disclosed they are in talks with Net25, where they have individual shows. He added that conversations with Cignal TV, One PH and TV5 are also being held.

They have also been asked by Channel 9, or Nine Media if they are considering the network as new home, Tito noted.

Tito revealed the prospects of having a new network is already between 80 and 95 percent when asked by hosts Julius and Christine Babao.

But he emphasized that meetings are still ongoing.

For programs, Tito refused to elaborate any further. He did admit that his photo with Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez involved conversations to revive “Okay Lang,” a 1972 gag show where TVJ first worked together.

While keeping plans vague, Tito assured the public that their new program would likely launch before Eat Bulaga’s July 30 anniversary. He hopes this pushes through so that their staff and crew would not wait long for a new job.

Grateful for the support

Aside from their future likely secured, Tito said he was also touched by the “99.9 percent” positive feedback they received after their farewell. In fact, even advertisers personally called to assure them of their support.

“Nakakatuwa kasi narinig ko rin ‘yan [support] sa mga kliyente, sa mga advertisers. ‘Di lang mga kwento, may mga tawag sa ‘min ang sales, na kung (saan) kami, susuporta sila, (It’s nice because I hear the support even from clients, advertisers. These are not just stories, they really call us to say they will be with us wherever we go),” he said.

“Kaya ‘wag daw kami tumigil kasi nga ang iniisip, mag-retire kami dahil ‘di ba? De! Gusto namin umabot ng gold eh. Kailangan umabot ng gold. Siguro ‘pag ganon mag-re-retire na kami. Six years to go (So they ask us not to retire. That’s the general consensus right? No! We want to get to a gold. Maybe if we get there, we’ll retire. Six years to go),” Tito noted.

Eat Bulaga first started in 1979 and has been on air for 44 years now.

Tito said he was just thankful for the support from the fans and from God. “Taos puso ang aming pasasalamat, ‘di naman kami makakarating dito kundi dahil sa kanila. Wala naman ibang dahilan. (We send our heartfelt thanks, because we would not get here if it was not for them. There is no other reason).”

However, Tito is not exactly over what was done. Earlier, he questioned how easy it was for TAPE to discard the trio after 44 years. Worse was the board denying they had an issue with TVJ.

He said the final straw that led to their departure company was Jalosjos’ order for them not to go live after being asked to meet for future plans like Eat Bulaga’s 45th anniversary.

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

In a statement issued on Thursday, TAPE said while it was saddened by the trio’s departure, it thanked the “men and women who worked tirelessly” in making Eat Bulaga the top noontime show for the past decades.

TAPE also reassured its commitment in “bringing quality entertainment,” along with having GMA 7’s full support in doing so.