Ogie Diaz and Liza Soberano. Image: screengrab from YouTube/Ogie Diaz Showbiz Update
Ogie Diaz set the record straight and asserted that he has no ill feelings toward Liza Soberano, but he wants the actress to be reminded of the people who helped her become what she is now in her career.
The comedian and Soberano’s former talent manager once again spoke up about the actress’ earlier statement regarding her career, and lamented how she seemed to have forgotten how she journeyed from being a newbie in show business to an admired actress.
“Ang memory ni Liza ay hindi mo matatawaran,” Diaz stated on his YouTube vlog on Wednesday, March 1. “[Kaya] ayon din ang tanong ko sa sarili ko—bakit nakalimutan ni Liza ang mga bagay na naging daan kung bakit siya nakarating d’yan?”
(Liza has an excellent memory [that’s why] I ask myself, “Why has Liza forgotten the factors that paved the way for the path to where she is now?”)
“Hindi dahil sinusumbat ko, hindi dahil pinapamukha ko Liza, pinapaalala ko lang sa kanya na hindi naman agad-agad nakarating ka sa posisyon mo,” he continued. “Lahat tayo nag-collab para marating ‘yung goal mo, kasama mo kami.”
(I am not holding it against Liza, instead, I am reminding her that she did not instantly achieve her current position. We all collaborated so that you could attain your goal. We were with you.)
Diaz clarified that Soberano agreed with the management on her screen name, and that she had a say in all the projects she did. He also said that the actress was given the chance to work with actors other than her reel and real-life partner Enrique Gil, but Soberano refused and said that LizQuen fans might not be ready.
Nonetheless, Diaz noted that he is not speaking against Soberano who might have seen these decisions in a different perspective.
Diaz did not deny that his manager-and-talent relationship with Soberano was not perfect, but he pointed out that they had always found a way to compromise because “at the end of the day, kami ‘yung mag-ama.”
“Hindi ako dapat maging malungkot. Tsaka ka lang dapat maging malungkot kung alam mong hindi mo nagawa ang mga dapat mong gawin doon sa talent,” he stressed. “As far as I’m concerned, nagawa naman natin kay Liza ‘yan.”
(I should not be sad. I would only be sad if I did not fulfill my responsibilities to my talents [and] as far as I’m concerned, I fulfilled mine to Liza.)
“Kung mapapansin mo sa entire career ni Liza ay anim na pelikula lang ang kanyang nagawa… Gano’n siya kapihikan sa mga tinatanggap niya. Ibig sabihin, binibigyan siya ng boses,” he added, saying he urged Soberano to accept the offer to do the Philippine adaptation of Korean TV series “It’s Okay Not To Be Okay.”
(If you would notice, Liza only has six movies in her entire career. She is that picky in choosing projects, which means she was given the [chance to say her opinions] in the projects she did.)
Diaz reiterated that he does not intend to bring Soberano down and that he is just choosing to look back on their good memories together.
Gratitude to ABS-CBN
Diaz expressed his gratitude to ABS-CBN, which he said paved the way for Soberano’s acting career and granted her an advance payment for her to buy a P17.8 million-house.
“Ako mismo, bilang si Ogie Diaz na dating manager ni Liza Soberano, gusto ko magpasalamat sa ABS-CBN dahil sila ang naging tulay para makuha ni Liza ‘yung bahay,” he said. (I, as Ogie Diaz who is the former manager of Liza Soberano, want to thank ABS-CBN because they were the ones who helped Liza buy the house.)
“Lagi akong naniniwala na kapag kayo pinagtagpo, kayo talaga. ‘Pag hindi kayo para sa isa’t isa, hindi,” he stated. “At least ako, maituturing ko na naging medalya ko si Liza sa pagma-manage ng talents.”
(I have always believed that when you are destined for each other, you’ll be together. But if not, then you won’t. At least for me, I consider Liza as a medal I got from managing talents.)
Diaz then thanked those who understood his sentiment and asked the public for their continued support for Soberano.
“Anak, hindi ako galit sa ‘yo ha. Gusto ko lang ipaalala sa ‘yo na maraming naging bahagi ng iyong career kaya ka napunta sa taas, at sana hindi mo ‘yon makalimutan,” he addressed Soberano. “I’m sure hindi mo rin naman talaga sila makakalimutan pero ‘wag mo naman sila burahin sa iyong alaala.”
(My child, I am not mad at you. I just want to remind you that there are a lot of people who have been part of your career and have gotten you to the top, and I hope you don’t forget that. I’m sure you will not forget them, but please do not erase them in your memory.)
Soberano says she’ll always be grateful to Diaz
Soberano spoke up on the matter and stressed that she is grateful to Diaz as well as to those who have been part of her career, as per her exclusive interview with ABS-CBN reporter MJ Felipe.
“I feel like a lot of people have mixed reactions towards my vlog, but I’m speaking for my experiences and I will reiterate that I am truly grateful for everything that I had and everything that I had experienced, everything that I have achieved in life,” she told Felipe. “And I acknowledge that I wouldn’t have any of that if everybody along the way wasn’t there with me.”
“I want to tell him that I’m very grateful for everything that he has contributed to me, personally and to my career,” she said of Diaz. “And I will always be grateful for that.”
The actress further said that her “This is Me” vlog was “really up for other people’s interpretation,” but she clarified that she’s not upset about anything in her career under her previous management.
“I’m just stating facts, things I’ve experienced, things I’ve been through, and how I am moving forward for that,” she noted. /ra