Anjo Yllana. Image: screengrab from YouTube/INQUIRER.net
After learning that TAPE had paid its debt to Vic Sotto, former “Eat Bulaga” host Anjo Yllana also expressed his desire to receive his unpaid compensation, as he claimed that the production company still owes him several months’ worth of salary for 2019.
In an interview for DZRH News last May 12, Yllana said that TAPE owes him five to seven months’ worth of his salary even as he thanked Vic and Tito Sotto for stepping up to address the matter.
“Ayoko naman magsalita tungkol dito kasi sabi nga ni Bossing, ‘Pera lang yan, sa akin prinsipyo.’ Gano’n na sana ako, parang, ‘Sige, prinsipyo na lang.’ E kaso nainggit naman ako na [bayad na sila],” he said while chuckling.
“Ang huling sumingil si Jacqui, ang nanay ng mga anak ko, kasi ayaw niya maniwala sa akin na pito, walong buwan na akong hindi nagsusuweldo,” Yllana added, referring to his former wife Jacqui Manzano who said she was friends with TAPE’s chief finance officer Bullet Jalosjos. “Before pandemic ito e, mga 2019.”
According to Yllana, Bullet informed Manzano that the actor-TV host’s salaries were already paid based on their records, which apparently made Manzano to believe that Yllana was lying to her.
“This is precisely ‘yung sinasabi ni Tito Sen na bakit sa BIR declared na ‘yung VAT, ibig sabihin bayad na,” Yllana stressed. “Kung hindi lumabas ‘yung sinabi ni Tito Sen at ni Pareng Vic, walang maniniwala sa akin na may utang pa sa akin.”
The production company, Yllana recalled, then asked for his bank-account details during the pandemic and later deposited P200,000 as payment.
“Tapos, paunti-unti na yun kada kinsenas. Minsan wala pa, maliliit na ‘yun—mga 30, minsan 20—but hindi abot ‘yon sa total na kulang sa akin,” he said, disclosing that the company stopped depositing money into his account when he resigned from the noontime show.
“Sa totoo lang, sabi ko nga mahal ko ‘yung show, matagal ako do’n. Kung talagang wala silang ibabayad sa akin at walang pera—ang sinasabi kasi lagi walang pera sa loob, walang laman yung opisina,” he stated. “Kung talagang wala, ika nga ni Bossing, ‘Sige edi wala.’ E kaso parang meron naman ngayon [kaya] baka sakali lang naman.”
Yllana initially quipped that he would talk to his lawyer regarding his unpaid salaries, but later stressed that he does not want to take legal action on the matter.
“Nagbabakasakali lang ako na makuha ‘yung karapatdapat para sa akin. Twenty years ako do’n, baka naman may konting compensation,” he said.
“Nakakalungkot kasi para akong basang sisiw na tinrabaho ko naman ito pero [bakit] nagmamakaawa akong kunin ‘yung akin,” he added. /ra