MANILA, Philippines - “It’s just like coming home,” said Cesar Montano the other day after he signed a one-year exclusive contract with GMA Network (above, with GMA vice president Gilberto “Jimmy” Duavit Jr., GMA president & CEO (lawyer) Felipe L. Gozon and GMA senior vice president for entertainment Wilma V. Galvante).
“I was a Kapuso 10 years ago,” added Cesar who has worked for rival network ABS-CBN where he did a sitcom and hosted the game show Singing Bee.
During his one-year contract, Cesar will first star in a soap, tentatively titled Romana Santa (with Aljur Abrenica as one of his co-stars) and a sitcom. He also hopes to co-produce his dream projects, Daguhoy (which is about the hero from Cesar’s home province, Bohol) and Sakada (which is about the early OFWs in the US, specifically the sugarcane workers in Hawaii from the Ilocos provinces).
Only last Saturday, Cesar moonlighted as guest host of the ABS-CBN noontime show Wowowee (while main host Willie Revillame is on a three-month “vacation” until September), making the public think that it’s with ABS-CBN that he would sign up after his failed bid for the governorship of Bohol in last May 10’s elections.
According to reports, Cesar’s signing up with GMA caught by surprise his manager Norma Japitana who was reportedly negotiating for two shows for Cesar with ABS-CBN. It was Shirley Pizarro, whom Cesar said is his business manager, who represented Cesar at the GMA contract-signing.
Meanwhile, here’s an “official statement from” PAMI (Professional Artist Managers, Inc.), sent to Funfare by PAMI president June Torrejon: PAMI had an emergency meeting with one of its members, Ms. Norma Japitana, after she officially filed a complaint with the organization. Cesar Montano entered into a contract with GMA 7 without the knowledge of Norma Japitana, his manager of 26 years. Last night, we personally invited Mr. Cesar Montano for a dialogue with the organization sometimes next week. We are waiting for his confirmation.