Maine Mendoza, Pauleen Luna-Sotto, Ryan Agoncillo. Images from their Instagram
Updated 11:20 p.m., June 1, 2023
“Eat Bulaga” hosts Maine Mendoza and Pauleen Luna-Sotto were among the celebrities who lamented the departure of the long-running noontime show from blocktimer production company TAPE, Inc.
The show’s mainstay hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon announced that EB is cutting ties with TAPE on its May 31 episode, although it’s unclear whether this marks the final episode for good.
Mendoza took to her personal Instagram page to express her gratitude to the show, as she shared glimpses of her favorite memories including a peek into the hosts’ microphone stands.
“Hanggang sa muli, dabarkads. maraming salamat, @eatbulaga1979,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Luna-Sotto uploaded a clip of her husband Vic, together with Tito and Joey, on Instagram as they were announcing the show’s departure from the production company.
“Maraming salamat, @eatbulaga1979,” she said.
Ryan Agoncillo, another mainstay of the noontime show, posted a black-and-white photo of Tito, Vic, and Joey on the same day that they announced their departure from TAPE. He simply captioned his post with a “thank you.”
Agoncillo, along with fellow co-hosts, would later on sign a resignation letter indicating that they are also leaving the production outfit owned by the Jalosjoses of Zamboanga del Norte.
“The Write One” star Ruru Madrid, who appeared as guest host on EB on multiple occasions, showed his love for the show on Twitter. “Eat Bulaga… walang hanggang pasasalamat sa inyo… mahal ko kayo Dabarkads,” he tweeted, referring to the collective byname of Bulaga fans.
Eat Bulaga …. walang hanggang pasasalamat sa inyo… mahal ko kayo Dabarkads! ♥️😢
— Ruru Madrid (@Rurumadrid8) May 31, 2023
Miss Universe Philippines 2014 MJ Lastimosa, who also became part of the Eat Bulaga as guest host, also expressed her love for the noontime show on Twitter.
I loooove @EatBulaga ♾️ https://t.co/zIec2plcIi
— MJ Lastimosa (@MJ_Lastimosa) May 31, 2023
‘Malaya na sila’
Meanwhile, Ice Seguerra, who first made an appearance on “Eat Bulaga” as a contestant in the “Little Miss Philippines” segment, revealed on Instagram that he’s filled with mixed emotions following the show’s temporary departure.
“Malungkot ako sa nangyayari. Sa kawalang respeto. Malungkot ako dahil sa hiwalayang Eat Bulaga at TAPE, mayroong mga taong mag-iiba ang lagay sa buhay. Nalukungkot akong umabot sa ganito,” he said. “Pero masaya ako dahil malaya na sila.”
The singer-actor also remained firm that the hosts would be able to bounce back from the ordeal, saying that it’s a sign of better things to come.
“Hindi rin ako natatakot sa kinabukasan ng programa. Ang ‘Eat Bulaga’ ay ‘Eat Bulaga.’ Kahit saang network sila mapadpad, walang paltos silang makakalipad. Kaya sulong lang, Dabarkads. Simula pa lang ito nang mas maniningning na bukas,” he added.
The three mainstay hosts’ sudden announcement comes weeks after reports of the show having some internal problems with TAPE, which has been hinted by the former senator during an interview with showbiz columnist Cristy Fermin. EDV