Ogie Diaz sets record straight on commission issue with former ward Liza Soberano
Ogie Diaz has clarified that he is still receiving commission from jobs and endorsements his former talent Liza Soberano had signed onto before their own management contract expired two years ago.
“Ang totoo, nakakakolekta pa rin tayo kahit tapos na ang kontrata kasi kumbaga nagka-overlap ‘yung expiration date ng aming kontrata doon sa mga napirmahan pa namin na a month or two before the contract expired. Nandoon pa ang aking pirma. So kumokolekta pa rin naman,” Diaz said in his YouTube vlog, Ogie Diaz Showbiz Update.
“Pero hindi na ‘yung maraming project na ipu-push mo kay Liza. Hindi. Kasi sinabi na rin naman ni Liza na siya ay magpapaalam na. So ‘yung mga inquiry pa sa akin, ibinabato ko naman sa bagong management niya kung saan mayroon kaming group chat. Kung may dumadating sa akin na isang brand for endorsement kay Liza, ibinabato na ng RM (road manager) namin doon sa kanila at sila na ang magtuos,” he added.
Diaz set the record straight after the airing of the first part of Soberano’s interview on “Fast Talk With Boy Abunda” in which his former ward responded to Abunda’s question about Diaz’s alleged claim that he was no longer receiving commissions from Soberano for the last two years.
“Nabasa ko rin na in the last two years, correct me if I’m wrong, na hindi na kumukolekta ng komisyon si Tito Ogie mo. Is that right? Is that wrong?,” Abunda asked Soberano.
Soberano replied that that was incorrect and said that she was hurt by some of Diaz’s statements.
“He’s saying so many things that are untrue, like for the past two years, hindi po siya kumukuha ng commission. It makes me sound even more ungrateful to the people na hindi naman nakakaalam kung ano ‘yung nangyayari sa loob,” she said.
“I don’t wanna bring this up but he still gets commissions from some of the endorsements of mine that still fell under the time that I was under the contract with him, even though he has no more obligations.”
“Kahit na wala na po siyang ginagawa for that, we gave him commission. Because that was right. I wouldn’t breach my contract.”
To be fair to Diaz, he has never said that he has stopped receiving commission from Soberano from endorsements signed two years ago. It remains unclear where Abunda read the false claim that Diaz was no longer getting the commission he was contractually entitled to.
In the same vlog, Diaz apologized to Soberano if he has offended her in any way and assured his followers that he holds no ill feelings towards Soberano.
“Kung may tampo man si Liza sa akin… sorry anak kung in anyway na-offend kita or feeling mo kinalaban kita or feeling mo kinokontra kita. Kasi wala akong matandaan na kinontra kita. Sinasabi ko lang kung ano ang sa alam ko ang totoo,” he said.
“Basta ako anak, hindi ako na-offend. Mas nalulungkot ako kaysa nao-offend ako. Nalulungkot ako kung bakit kailangan mangyari ito. Kung bakit kailangan ihayag mo ang damdamin mo. Kailangan ko rin naman ihayag ang damdamin ko sa issue kasi napraratangan din ako. Pero kung na-offend ka anak, sorry. Hindi sa hindi ko sinasadya iyon kung ‘di gusto ko lamang sabihin kung ano naman ang panig ko, lalo na at nandoon tayo sa point na pareho tayong jinu-judge ng mga tao.”
Soberano is now under Careless management which is owned by actor-musician James Reid.
Netizens weighed in on the controversy, with one account on Twitter hazarding a guess as to the source of the “fake news” about Diaz’s commission. Many expressed dismay that Soberano might be burning her bridges and causing damage to a successful career that Diaz, ABS-CBN, and Star Magic had helped her build.
On the other side of the issue are fans who came to Soberano’s rescue and called Diaz greedy and a liar.
