Vic Sotto. Image: Facebook/TVJ
Vic Sotto clarified that there’s no bad blood between the hosts of “Eat Bulaga” and “It’s Showtime,” as he noted that the comedy triumvirate composed of himself, Tito Sotto, and Joey de Leon (or TVJ) has a “different enemy.”
On the sidelines of the TV5 noontime show’s April 20 episode, Sotto said their camp never considered the cast of the ABS-CBN produced noontime show as their “enemies,” but as their counterparts instead.
“Never naming sasabihing kaaway [ang ‘It’s Showtime.’] Katapat, kalaban, pero iba ang kaaway namin (We never considered “It’s Showtime” as our enemy. Counterpart, opposite, but we have a different enemy),” he said, without disclosing anyone’s name in particular.
Almost a year after TVJ’s departure from Television and Production Exponents (TAPE) Inc., the comedy trio appeared to still be in hot water as no public reconciliation took place between both camps.
A labor complaint filed against the production company by the employees who left with TVJ was dismissed earlier this month, with its legal counsel Maggie Abraham-Garduque said is a “prelude” to the public knowing the truth.
“Iba ang magkaaway sa kalaban. It could be a friendly competition. It has always been the case with ‘Eat Bulaga’ and ‘It’s Showtime,’ ‘yun ang nagpapasaya sa tanghalian ng mga Pilipino,” said Sotto.
When asked about the so-called noontime war between the shows’ fans, Sotto said it’s part of the game, but it shouldn’t go on for long.
“Alam mo, hindi kasi ako ma-social media. It’s part of the game. Kasama ‘yun sa buhay. ‘Yun ang nagpapasaya sa araw-araw natin,” he said. “May mga fans na nagbabangayan, dapat masaya lang tayo. Magkalaban at magkaaway, magkaiba ‘yun. Hindi ko babatiin ‘yun.”
(In case you know, I’m not fond of using social media. It’s part of the game. It’s part of life. It’s what makes our lives happier. Some fans are in cahoots over it, but we should be happy. An enemy is different from a competition. I’m not going to greet them.)
Sotto then pointed out that bashers should go on with their “false stories,” when asked about the rumors hounding the noontime show’s alleged closure due to low profit.
Sotto’s brother, former senator Tito, and de Leon made headlines after expressing their dismay over allegations of the noontime show’s alleged bankruptcy. This led to outrightly denying the rumors in the show’s recent episode.
