Judge insists: Willie, ABS-CBN made deal

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City judge stood pat on his earlier statement about an agreement reached by the camps of Willie Revillame and ABS-CBN that the television hosts’s new show on TV5 will not air until the case he filed to rescind his contract with his former network is resolved.

Sought for clarification by reporters Monday, Judge Luisito Cortez described as “very accurate” the news reports, including the one that came out in The STAR, about the supposed agreement that was reached during a closed-door meeting in his chamber last Friday.

Cortez, of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 84, even showed his order dated Oct. 8, which was issued following the hearing, that stated “not until the pending incidents are resolved, plaintiff (Revillame) is not allowed to air any program.”

Revillame’s camp denied over the weekend the news reports about the agreement, with the host’s lawyer saying “it’s still a go for the shows on TV5.”

Lawyer Joel Bodegon, Revillame’s counsel, said: “All we agreed to was to file all pleadings by Oct. 15, nothing more, nothing less.”

He added: “Our position is that ABS-CBN’s (temporary restraining order or TRO) application has no legal leg to stand on and there are third persons who are not parties to the case whom Revillame has no control over.”

ABS-CBN’s counsel on Friday insisted on presenting their witness for their prayer for a TRO and a writ of preliminary injunction against Revillame’s new show “Willing-Willie.” Cortez then called both parties inside his chamber to discuss the matter, after which, the judge said, there was a “gentleman’s agreement” between the two parties.

Cortez is set to issue an omnibus order on Oct. 29 on motions submitted by both camps including the one asking the court to compel Revillame to produce his contract with TV5, among others.

ABS-CBN is questioning the contract, criticizing Revillame for entering into such an agreement even if the court has yet to rule on the host’s plea for a judicial confirmation to rescind his contract with ABS-CBN.

The network filed a P486-million counterclaim suit against Revillame and said the host violated the behavioral provisions of his contract when he threatened ABS-CBN with a resignation if management did not fire Jobert Sucaldito over the showbiz scribe’s tirades against him.