Vic Sotto (Facebook)

Comedian Vic Sotto has come out to say that their "Eat Bulaga" trio is willing to make personal sacrifices for the sake of the survival of their iconic noontime show because it is always about "principles, and not money."

"Hindi lahat ng bagay nadadaan sa pera. Sa akin, mas importante ang prinsipyo kesa sa materyal na bagay," Vic said in response to the issue that Eat Bulaga's producer TAPE Inc. owes him P30 million in talent fees from 2022 onwards because of reported financial difficulties.

(Not everything is done through money. To me, principles are more important than material things.)

"Kung mababayaran ako, well and good. Kung hindi naman kayang bayaran, ok lang,"  Vic commented.

(If they pay me, well and good. If they can't afford to pay me, it's also okay).

On May 5, Vic was interviewed after a press conference announcing his renewal as an endorser of Hanabishi, an appliance brand.

At first, during the presscon, Vic refused to comment about the "Eat Bulaga" issue. Responding to a question from MJ Marfori of TV5 about the salary owed him, the comedian said: "I'm sorry, but I would rather not comment on that. Nasabi na lahat ni Tito Sen. Lahat ng katotohanan, nailahad na nya. Wala na akong maidadagdag pa roon. Basta isa lang masasabi ko, 'Eat Bulaga' is here to stay."

(I'm sorry, but I would rather not comment on that. Tito Sen has said it all. He has revealed the truth. I have nothing more to add to that. All I can say is that Eat Bulaga is here to stay.)

Upon further questioning, Vic revealed that the producer owes him a different amount, as the P30 million was for Joey De Leon.

Vic Sotto (third from right) with top executives of Hanabishi Philippines during his contract renewal at Milky Way Restaurant in Makati City

"Yang P30 million, kulang pa nga yun eh. Na wrong info pa nga si Tito Sen doon, kay Joey yun," Vic said.

(The P30 million is not even accurate. Tito Sotto had the wrong info because the amount is for Joey).

When asked why the amount owed ballooned to P30 million, Vic stated: "Sa tagal ba naman eh. Sa haba ng delay kaya umabot ng ganun. Pero sabi ni Joey wala yun. Ganun namin kamahal ang Eat Bulaga."

(It reached that amount because of the length of the delay. But Joey said he doesn't mind it. That's how much we love Eat Bulaga).

It must be noted that the Sotto brothers - Tito and Vic - came out with their reactions as a result of the interview of Bullet Jalosjos on  "Fast Talk With Boy Abunda" where he declared that TAPE Inc. does not owe the "Eat Bulaga" hosts anything. Bullet is the chief finance officer of TAPE Inc.

This provoked Tito to come out in PEP.ph where he laid out the whole story since "Eat Bulaga" premiered in 1979.

Tito was quoted as saying about TAPE Inc.'s debt to them: "Dinenay sa media. Dinenay ni Bullet. Pero hindi maide-deny sa papel ‘cause si Jon Jalosjos mismo, siya ang nagpakita mismo sa akin nung listahan, e, kung kani-kanino sila may utang, e." (Note: Jon is the current president of TAPE).

(It was denied in the media. It was denied by Bullet. But it cannot be denied on paper because Jon Jalosjos himself showed me the list of the people they owe debts to.)

In closing, Vic said that he and Joey fully support Tito in his pronouncements."Lahat ng sinabi ni Tito Sen suportado namin kasi yun ang katotohanan. Walang dagdag, walang bawas."

(We fully support what Tito said because that's the truth. Nothing was added and nothing was deducted.)