VETERAN TV host and Senate President Tito Sotto took potshots at TAPE Inc. after it celebrated the 44th anniversary of the noontime show Eat Bulaga on Saturday, saying it had “no right” to mark this milestone.
On Twitter, Sotto pointed out that TAPE Inc. “only existed in 1981. They did not exist in 1979.”
“EB ceased to be EB when TVJ left them,” Sotto added.
This was the latest episode in the dispute between Eat Bulaga’s veteran hosts and the show’s producers, which stemmed from disagreements about how to manage the long-running show.
As the show celebrated 44 years of noontime supremacy, warring camps – GMA’s revamped Eat Bulaga and TV5’s E.A.T– aren’t only battling out in the ratings game but also the rightful claim to the brand.
Last Saturday, July 29, both programs celebrated the show’s 44th year. TAPE’s Eat Bulaga unveiled a new theme song which it described as “akma sa bagong panahon” (suitable for the new era).
Meanwhile, E.A.T also had its 44th anniversary celebration under the lead of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, and the rest of the original Dabarkads.
Eat Bulaga came from efforts to come up with a new show that would compete against pioneering afternoon variety program Student Canteen. It was an original concept of TAPE Inc.’s former President and CEO and now consultant Tony Tuviera and was pitched to the then up and coming TVJ comedic trio.
De Leon coined the name of the show “Eat Bulaga,” according to Tito Sotto.
‘Think of a new name’
Meanwhile, Tito Sotto slammed the statement of revamped Eat Bulaga host Paolo Contis that he felt offended when he and the rest of his co-hosts were being tagged as “fake Bulaga.”
On Twitter, Sotto shared a news article about Contis’ remarks and answered it with: “Then why not think of a new name?”
Court battle begins
TVJ’s court battle against TAPE Inc. began last Thursday, July 27.
The trio had filed a complaint for copyright infringement and asked the court for the issuance of writ of injunction to stop TAPE and GMA Network from using the name “Eat Bulaga.”
On the first day of the hearing, De Leon took the witness stand and was subject to cross examination.
In an interview with the press after the hearing, De Leon said he merely told the truth.
“Nagsabi lang kami ng totoo! Nagsabi lang kami ng totoo, bahala na kayo,” he said.
