(From left) Sharon Cuneta, Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon. Images: Instagram/@
reallysharoncuneta, Instagram/@tvjofficial
Sharon Cuneta seemingly confirmed that she would be joining the noontime show of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon on TV5, as she made a cryptic post about meeting her fans on July 1.
Cuneta caught the attention of eagle-eyed netizens after sharing a video of the comedy trio — popularly known as TVJ — on her Instagram account on Thursday, June 29.
It can be noted that the screen veteran is the niece of Tito whose wife, Helen Gamboa is sister to Cuneta’s mother, the late Elaine Gamboa.
“See you on July 1!!! [emojis] Without my Daddy Tito Sotto who discovered me, I never would have become a singer or (more importantly) have had a second father,” she began.
The singer-actress then thanked TVJ for giving her the opportunity to shine in showbiz, as she pointed out that they were among the reasons why her now-defunct talk show came about.
“Without Tito Vic Sotto I never would have had my first memorable hits after Mr. DJ; without Tito Joey De Leon I never would have had memorable hits after Mr. DJ as well, or a first co-host on my own The Sharon Cuneta Show from 1986 on IBC 13 until around 1988 on ABS-CBN,” she wrote.
Cuneta also revealed that she has a “44-year history” with long-running noontime show “Eat Bulaga,” as she used to tag along with the cast while shooting “in [her] St. Paul uniform without makeup.”
“As much as I love my ABS-CBN Kapamilya, I could NEVER NOT give importance to my ‘Eat Bulaga’ family. My home station ABS-CBN has known and respected this since I joined it in 1988,” she added.
The “Mr. DJ” singer reaffirmed her loyalty for TVJ, saying that her seeming appearance is “payback time” — an apparent jab to the executives of production company TAPE Inc.
“Wala pang legit dabarkads o si @iceseguerra sa Little Miss Philippines sa Eat Bulaga noon, ako na ang baby nila (Even if there weren’t any ‘legit Dabarkads’ yet, or even Ice Seguerra joining ‘Little Miss Philippines’ in ‘Eat Bulaga,’ I’m their baby)! And I will be there for them whenever they call me. It’s PAYBACK TIME, which is how and forever will be for me towards Eat Bulaga! No one can ever put a beloved institution down,” she said.
Cuneta’s supporters showed their support for her upcoming pursuit in the comments, with some hoping that she would be a regular host of the show.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@reallysharoncuneta
Meanwhile, one @pamdecoco916 was confused if the screen veteran is still a talent of ABS-CBN, to which Cuneta said she remains a part of the network but her career started with the noontime show.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@reallysharoncuneta
It can be noted, however, that the singer-actress confirmed last March that she is a “free agent” and she doesn’t have a long-term contract with the media conglomerate after 35 years of service.
TVJ confirmed that their noontime show will premiere on TV5 starting July 1, following their controversial exit from TAPE Inc. in May of this year. Both camps remain in legal battle over the trademark and brand rights of “Eat Bulaga,” as they both claimed that they own its name.
“Basta ako, ‘Eat Bulaga’ pa rin kami kahit anong mangyari,” Vic said at a press conference. “Imagine, after 44 years, minahal mo ang ‘Eat Bulaga?’ More than half of my life ay nasa ‘Eat Bulaga’ ako. Kapag absent ako sa ‘Eat Bulaga,’ parang may kulang sa buhay ko. Tapos kukunin lang siya ng kung sino-sino? Aba, hindi pwede!”
(As for me, I want our show to be known as “Eat Bulaga” no matter what happens. Imagine, for 44 years, I have loved “Eat Bulaga.” More than half of my life was spent at “Eat Bulaga.” Every time I’m absent from “Eat Bulaga,” something feels missing in my life. And then, some people would take it away from us? Of course, I’m not going to let that happen.) EDV