Who really owns ‘Eat Bulaga’? Tito Sotto explains
MANILA, Philippines — Who owns “Eat Bulaga” – its producer Television and Production Exponents Incorporated (TAPE Inc.) or its pillars Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon and Tony Tuviera?
When GMA host Nelson Canlas specifically asked Sotto in an exclusive interview premiered on YouTube yesterday, “Who owns ‘Eat Bulaga’,” Tito explained: “If it’s a copyright issue, definitely, it’s owned by Joey de Leon and the three of us (Tito, Vic and Tony). Kami, s’ya ang nag-imbento ng pangalan.”
When Canlas clarified if the four of them had “Eat Bulaga” copyrighted, Sotto said: “Uncontestable! Copyrighted or not, may copyright din sila ng merchandising, ‘yung TAPE eh. Meron din kaming mga naka-file eh. Immaterial ‘yun. Ask the lawyers. There’s no such thing na ikaw ang may pagmamay-ari nito pero itong mga nag-imbento, hindi sila? Hindi pwede ‘yun.”
As the show’s brains, Tito said they have also committed themselves to keeping the show’s integrity, which is why he also distances himself from the show whenever he’s elected in office.
“You know ‘Eat Bulaga,’ the three of us and Tony, we’ve always tried our best to keep the image of ‘Eat Bulaga’ as ‘Eat Bulaga.’ Gan’un ‘yun eh. Kaya nga iniiwasan namin ‘yung mga controversial na tao, political, ganyan. As a matter of fact every time I’m elected into a major position in government, I leave. Hindi ako nakiki-alam. At umaattend lang ako kapag inimbita nila ako kung merong anniversary, kapag merong birthday,” enthused Sotto, adding that he never campaigned in the show and even paid for political ads.
“We’ve tried our best to avoid getting ‘Eat Bulaga’ contaminated with political issues or controversial issues. We were very successful eh… With all the controversies that surrounded ‘Eat Bulaga,’ we were able to preserve ‘Eat Bulaga’.”
Sotto clarified that the Jalosjos family and their corporation owns TAPE Inc. As senate president for four and a half years, Sotto said he has gained access to official records that show who’s behind TAPE Inc.’s ownership.
“If you’re talking about ‘Eat Bulaga,’ it’s owned by Tito, Vic and Joey. And now, if you’re asking about TAPE, TAPE is owned by them (Jalosjos family),” he said.
“Seventy-five percent Jalosjos family, 25% si Tony,” Sotto bared. “I don’t know what they plan to do with that 25%. In fact, mali pa nga ‘yung sinabi ng (TAPE) Board member, 20% percent lang daw. Hindi, 25% si Tony. Tig-8% ‘yung iba. We have the records eh, we can check the records.”
According to him, that 8% belongs to “someone not born in 1981” or when TAPE was founded and started producing the show. He does not think that it is accurate that TAPE gave Tony’s alleged 20% of the shares as the show’s producer.
“Kasi itong registration nila ngayon, nasa 25% si Tony at ‘yung family nila ay 75%, bago lang ‘yan eh. Iba noong araw ‘yan eh.”
In fact, according to Sotto, TAPE Inc.’s forerunner, Production Specialists, still owes them money and as payment, they were promised with shares in TAPE.
“Nu’ng nagdeklara na ‘yung Production Specialists na wala na at tinayo ‘yung TAPE, malaki pa ang utang sa’min nu’ng Production Specialists, katulad n’ung utang nila sa labas, pero may utang sa aming tatlo,” he claimed.
“Ang ipinangako sa’min nu’ng itinayo ‘yung TAPE, meron kaming share du’n tatlo. For 43 years, all of a sudden we found out, wala pala… Kaya hindi accurate na pina-produce kay Tony, binigyan ng 20%. Hindi ko alam kung saan galing ‘yung kwento na ‘yun.”
RELATED: TAPE owes Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon over P30M —Tito Sotto
Tito said that the show’s credits, including its portions, are owned by the show’s production team, but TAPE is allegedly “credit-grabbing.”
“’Yun ang sinasabi ng production sa’kin, they (TAPE) are credit-grabbing all of a sudden after 44 years,” he said.
“Sila (production team) ang may-ari ng portions, sila ang nag-iimbento ng portions. ‘Pag may icle-clear na portions, all the way, from 1979 to the present, ‘pag merong icle-clear na portions, so pinag-uusapan, they clear it with Tito, Vic and Joey and Tony Tuviera. No one else. And then all of a sudden… they’re saying it has always been clear with them (TAPE).”
TAPE never actively managed the show’s production, Sotto said, so he was surprised why the company is all of a sudden allegedly “credit-grabbing.”
“It was always Tony and the three of us. And we would always consult production heads, more particularly (Head Writer and Creative Director) Jenny Ferre, Poochie Rivera, the director.”
Sotto revealed that TAPE wanted Ferre and Rivera to also retire.
“Bakit? May gusto silang ipasok na iba,” Sotto said. “Bakit? Are they (Ferre and Rivera) doing something wrong? Are they doing something bad for the program? No! Ang ganda ng takbo ng programa dahil sa kanila saka kapa nila ‘yun. Bakit ka kukuha ng bagito? Why, ‘di ba? All because you want certain portions or two portions to change? Because gusto mo ikaw ang pumasok sa portion na ‘yun? I don’t know.”
Fortunately, according to Sotto, TAPE agreed to retain their production staff.
“Hindi naman sila naging active sa production itself kasi sa usapan namin, ‘wag na nila pakiki-alaman ‘yun kasi nga ‘yun ay doing well.”
Sotto, nevertheless, admitted that TAPE has been actively talking to the employees.
“We had two or three meetings before the program… It was never been that way,” Sotto said.
“With Tony Tuviera, wala kaming problema. With the new officers, we’re trying to get along. That’s why ang pinag-usapan naming nitong huli sa mga pinag-usapang status quo, let’s give it a try. ‘Yun ang ending namin. Nothing is written in stone.”
According to him, Atty. Felipe Gozon, Chief Executive Officer of GMA Network that carries the show, knows that the show addresses everyone as “Dabarkads” because the show has evolved into “a public service program masquerading as an entertainment show” and therefore, now belongs to the people.
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