MANILA, Philippines - Last Tuesday, Feb. 23, a story came out that Heber Bartolome filed a complaint with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in which he claimed anomalies in the financial dealings of FILSCAP (Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc.), specifying disbursements amounting P8.5-M.
The other day, a follow-up story said that FILSCAP has expelled Bartolome from the group for “maligning the organization.”
Said Nonoy Tan, FILSCAP board of trustees chairman, “we decided to drop him because he has been going around badmouthing me and other FILSCAP officers.”
Described as “a rebel singer/songwriter” who had his heyday in the ’70s, Bartolome acknowledged receiving the FILSCAP letter after he filed his complaint with the NBI.
FILSCAP is a non-stock, non-profit organization which collects royalties for its members, numbering more than 1,000, whose songs are used on TV, radio, movies, concert halls, hotels, clubs, restaurants and similar venues.
“He’s guilty of double-assigning his songs to another royalty collection without our knowledge,” said Tan, himself a songwriter (and father of Champ Lui-Pio, lead vocalist of the Hale band).
Tan recalled that Bartolome joined FILSCAP in 1987. In 2004, Galaxy Records released an album by Papadom of Tropical Depression containing a revival of Bartolome’s song Ayoko Na Kay Santa Claus.
“Then,” continued Tan, “he signed up with EMI which gave him P2-M in advance royalties for all his songs. That was in 2007. He even asked the help of FILSCAP to go after Galaxy which he accused of not getting his permission to use his song Ayoko Na Kay Santa Claus.”
It turned out that Galaxy paid EMI P20,000 for the rights to the song, and Galaxy filed a P5-M countercharge against FILSCAP.
“Hindi namin alam na itong si Bartolome ay nagdo-double-dealing,” said Tan. “Sinabi ko sa kanya na FILSCAP could lose P5-M dahil sa ginawa niya.”
At a board meeting Tan called last Jan. 26, the board voted unanimously to suspend Bartolome for one year.
Asked about a manisfesto (against FILSCAP) Bartolome claimed was signed by FILSCAP members, which was the basis of the complaint filed by Bartolome with the NBI, Tan said that the members were “misled” and “misinformed.”
“Bartolome invited several composers to a meeting in his house and made them believe that he was setting up a songwriters’ guild,” explained Tan. “What the members signed was not a manifesto but an attendance sheet.”
Tan said FILSCAP won’t run away from the fight that Bartolome has started.
“Sinungaling siya,” Tan fumed.