Instead of receiving praise, some netizens criticized GMA reporter Arnold Clavio after he called out the people taking advantage of newbie artists.

In a social media post, Arnold said that it would be the right time for the showbiz industry to unite against the so-called ‘predators.’

“Sa ganitong situwasyon, ang predator ang may koneksyon o may protektor, para hindi magtagumpay ang anumang reklamo. Kailangan na itong matigil!!!” said Clavio.

However, some netizens raised their eyebrows after seeing Clavio’s statement, saying the reporter was also talking about himself.

It can be recalled that in 2020, former OFW and aspiring singer Sarah Balabagan admitted that Clavio impregnated her after being manipulated by him.

“Inaamin ko po na ang ama ng aking panganay ay si Arnold Clavio, alam ko po na nagkasala ako sa kanyang may bahay,” she said.

“Alam niyo po simula noong nagkaroon kami ng relasyon ni Arnold ang payo niya sakin lagi ay ‘walang aminan, kahit anong mangyari wag kang aamin, napaniwala niya ako,” she added.

Clavio didn’t make any statement nor respond to Balabagan’s story.

Balabagan became one of the top topics in the ’90s after she ended the life of her employer and initially received capital punishment.

However, due to the efforts of the government, Balabagan only received 100 lashes.

Clavio was one of the journalists who covered Balabagan’s story.

The showbiz industry faced one of its biggest controversies this year after two ‘independent contractors’ of GMA Network were accused of mistreating newbie artist Sandro Muhlach.

Several blind items tagged the suspects, Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz, as ‘executives’ of GMA Network, but the company insisted that they were only independent contractors.

It can be recalled that Sandro had already filed charges against Nones and Cruz, and his family was not considering any settlement between them.

But despite being an independent contractor, how powerful are Nones and Cruz in the network?

What is an Independent Contractor?

This is a term used by television networks to define a talent working for them without having any employer-employee relationship.

An independent contractor has no employment contract with a company, which means that Nones and Cruz were not employees of GMA Network.

They also enjoy independence and freedom from the control and supervision of their principal.

Position of Nones and Cruz

While they’re not directly hired by GMA Network, Nones and Cruz could be considered as powerful in the showbiz industry, handling big positions and shows.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Cruz was a creative head for the Afternoon Prime of GMA Network.

Meanwhile, Nones was a creative consultant and director on some GMA Network shows, including First Yaya.

Their decisions were a big factor in the show’s route and may even have influenced the program’s casting.

This means artists must maintain a good relationship with them to have a bountiful career in showbiz.

Sandro Muhlach’s stepmom also wrote a statement after the Kapuso actor was mentioned on the blind item involving two executives of GMA Network.

In a Facebook post, Diane Tupaz expressed her disappointment, saying they raised their son pure with love and care, not to be mistreated by others.

“PINALAKI AT ININGATAN NAMING MABUTI ANG AMING MGA ANAK NA PUNO NG PAGMAMAHAL AT PAG AARUGA TAPOS WAWALANG HIYAIN LANG NG MGA KUNG SINONG TAO NA NILAMON NG KADEMONYOHAN SA KATAWAN PARA MAGAWA YUNG GANUNG KLASENG KABABUYAN!” she wrote.

“HINDI KAMI MAKAKAPAYAG NA HINDI NAMIN MAKAKAMIT ANG HUSTISYA! HABANG BUHAY NA DADALHIN NG ANAK NAMIN YUNG KABABUYAN NA GINAWA NYO SA KANYA! WALA KAMING PAKIALAM KUNG SINO KAYO O KUNG SINO ANG POPROTEKTA SA INYO!” she added.

She also vowed to put the individuals she was mentioning behind bars.

“SISIGURADUHIN NAMIN NA PAGBABAYARAN NYO YUNG GINAWA NYO! HINDI NAMIN HAHAYAAN NA MAY MABIKTIMA PA KAYO NA IBA! ITUTULOY NAMIN ANG LABAN! MANAGOT ANG DAPAT MANAGOT! NAKAKA NGINIG KAYO NG LAMAN!” she stated.

It can be recalled that Sandro was named by social media personality Xian Gaza as the one who was being mentioned by publications about an actor who was ‘forced’ by two executives of GMA Network.

Ogie Diaz also confirmed the incident, saying that the actor was forcefully brought to the hotel room of the executives after the GMA Gala 2024.

Niño Muhlach published a cryptic post amid the spread of a blind item involving his son, Sandro.

In a Facebook post, Niño became tough with his message but didn’t mention any individual.

“INUMPISAHAN NYO, TATAPUSIN KO!” said Niño.

Niño’s friends and relatives who wrote their comments on the actor’s post gave a hint on the meaning of his post.

Most comments were about ‘justice’ and Sandro, who was named in some posts as a victim of two GMA Executives during the GMA Gala 2024.

It can be recalled that the two executives, Jojo Nones and Richard Dode, were named by internet personality Xian Gaza as the people being referred to on the blind items.

According to several reports, Niño was already planning to file charges against Nones and Dode.

Meanwhile, talent manager and showbiz reporter Ogie Diaz denied the claims that the incident didn’t happen.

“Juice ko, yung ginawa sa biktima, parang nagbabasa ka lang ng Xerex sa Abante nu’ng araw kung ilalarawan mo. Try to imagine,” said Ogie.

“Basta ang premise, hindi gusto ng biktima ang ginagawa sa kanya kahit nakikiusap siya na ‘wag please, hinahanap na po ako ng girlfriend ko.’” he added.

Ogie also confirmed that the father of the said celebrity already hired a lawyer to handle the case.

Social media personality Xian Gaza made a huge revelation after he namedropped the executives allegedly being referred on a blind item about a newbie actor.

It can be recalled that several newspapers published a blind item about a newbie actor who was allegedly ‘forced’ by two executives from GMA Network after the GMA Gala 2024.

The incident happened in one of the rooms of the hotel where the event was held.

Face Reveal. Para ito sa mga Mosangs na cringe pag ang chika focused sa victim. Ayan mga beshies, may fez na mga alleged rapists.
byu/iPLAYiRULE inChikaPH

According to Xian, the actor was Sandro Mulach, and the executives were Jojo Nones and Richard Dode.

The names of the said individuals were also mentioned in several posts on social media.

Xian said the network insisted that the two executives were only independent contractors and not directly employed by the company.

“Napilitang umamats si lalaki tapos noong anes na eh dinala siya sa kwarto ng dalawang GMA Executive,” said Xian.

GMA already released a statement and vowed to investigate the accusations against the two.

“Online articles and posts have recently circulated regarding an alleged incident involving an artist and independent contractors of GMA Network,” the statement read.

“We have yet to receive a formal complaint from those allegedly involved in the issue. Should one be filed, the Network is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation. We assure the public that GMA Network takes such matters with utmost seriousness,” they added.

Meanwhile, netizens were waiting for the two executives to speak about the issue.

GMA Network was facing another controversy again after a blind item about an actor allegedly being touched inappropriately by two company executives was published on the internet.

Several newspapers published the item about the actor after the GMA Gala 2024.

According to the report, the newbie actor was reportedly “forced” by the said gay executives in one of the rooms of the hotel where the gala happened.

The executives also allegedly tricked the actor into drinking a sleeping pill-laced drink.

Some reports also indicated that the actor suffered from mental health problems after the incident.

Talent manager and showbiz reporter Ogie Diaz, who is known for his accurate reports, also confirmed the incident.

Meanwhile, GMA Network released a statement saying they’re taking the information seriously.

“Online articles and posts have recently circulated regarding an alleged incident involving an artist and independent contractors of GMA Network,” the statement read.

“We have yet to receive a formal complaint from those allegedly involved in the issue. Should one be filed, the Network is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation. We assure the public that GMA Network takes such matters with utmost seriousness,” they added.

As of this writing, the actor’s camp and the accused executives have yet to give their statement on the issue.

A former actress who became popular in the 90s admitted that she came from a family who knew witchcraft.

In an interview with Morly Alinio, Alma Soriano shared some trivia about her life, which included her supernatural ability.

According to Alma, they inherited their ability from her grandmother.

However, the former actress clarified that she’s a good witch and not one who does harm to others.

“I’m a gray witch; I can be black, or I can be white, or I can be both,” she said. “‘Wag na nating pangarapin na maging black [witch] ako so let’s stay in the middle,”

“I can heal, kaya kitang gamutin [pero] hindi ‘yung intense na [karamdaman]” she added.

Alma discovered her ability during the pandemic when she tried to extend the lives of her sick relatives.

She also claimed to know how to read the future of an individual.

The actress also admitted that she was capable of doing ‘kulam,’ but she didn’t want to do it due to its possible consequences.

“Masama talaga eh… Hindi mo pwedeng basta ka nalang mananakit ng kapwa mo,” she said.

She also said that if someone claimed to know witchcraft or fortunetelling and accepted money, there was a big chance that they were fake.

“Once na ang manggagamot or ‘yung manghuhula [ay] nagpabayad, hindi totoo ‘yon, because we never ask money. This is a gift from heaven, this is a gift from universe, this is a gift from Gods and Goddesses,” she said.

“Since regalo ito, bakit mo ibebenta?” she asked.

R-Jay Marcilla, the waiter who stood for two hours to listen to the lecture of an LGBTQIA+ writer whom he called ‘sir,’ was already back on social media.

The waiter, who received praises and even job offers from people who admired his professionality and patience during that time, was busy uploading his videos on his social media pages.

In his videos, R-Jay showed how he loved to dance and make social media content for fun.

@akiie014

TikTok sa usa mo duty🤣#fyp #tiktok #trend

♬ RIGHT NOW x CAKE DANCE MASHUP – Michael Napiza

A week after the incident between him and Bacalso happened, R-Jay’s mouth was still zipped, and he refused to speak.

It can be recalled that R-Jay deactivated some of his social media pages.

Some of his colleagues said that the waiter was still recovering from what happened.

That’s why netizens were happy. They saw that R-Jay was still active on other social media platforms, and it seems fine now.

Meanwhile, some people who offered jobs to R-Jay were still open to accepting the latter if he ever decided to leave his current employer.

The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons guard Harold Alarcon vehemently denied any link to LGBTQIA+ writer Jude Bacalso.

The speculations started when Jude posted a photo of Harold on her Instagram page, which included a heartbroken emoji.

Jude’s post possibly prompted people to create fake accounts of the writer to create a false post about linking the two.

Several days ago, a post from an impersonator of Jude on social media shared a post that included Harold’s photo.

Some netizens who saw the post quickly asked Harold about the veracity of the post.

The basketball player then posted a statement linking any relationship with Jude.

“Roma Mae lang po jowa ko. Stop spreading wrong information. Thanks, boss,” he said.

It’s unknown whether Harold knew that the individual behind the post was not Jude.

It can be recalled that Jude went viral on social media after she allegedly forced a waiter to listen to her lecture about gender sensitivity.

The incident happened after the waiter, identified as R-Jay Marcilla, mistakenly addressed Jude as ‘sir.’

Jude made an apology later on and insisted that she never forced the waiter to listen to her lecture.

She also claimed asking the waiter to sit, but the latter refused.

The private information of the 6.8 million subscribers of the online streaming app Vivamax might be endangered after a reported data breach orchestrated by a group of hackers.

According to the report, Deep Web Konek (DWK) reported on July 26 that the data of Vivamax subscribers was listed for sale on the dark web.

They said the data included the subscribers’ full names, phone numbers, email addresses, country of registration, subscription IDs, subscription timelines, payment methods, and even parental control PINs.

Deep Web Konek recommended that Vivamax users monitor their financial and online accounts.

“Affected users are advised to monitor their financial and online accounts for any unusual activity. It is also recommended to update passwords for all online accounts, especially if they are similar to those used for Vivamax. Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) wherever possible can add an extra layer of security. Users should also exercise caution with unsolicited emails or messages requesting personal information to avoid phishing attempts,” DWK wrote.

🚨 A massive data breach hits over 6.8M Vivamax Philippines subscribers' personal info compromised.

Compromised details include names, emails, phone numbers, and subscription data and many more.

Read more: https://t.co/GzbT6F59J1 pic.twitter.com/uca7sb0b5a

— Deep Web Konek (@deepwebkonek) July 26, 2024

As of writing, Vivamax has yet to give a statement on the issue.

Vivamax is one of the fastest-growing local streaming platform in the country.