By Bilyonaryo staff
The network wars may be history, but decades of fighting between ABS-CBN and GMA have left battle scars that apparently haven’t healed.
An unsigned open letter obtained by Babbler and addressed to “GMA bosses” is questioning the Kapuso network’s increasingly cozy relationship with its former archnemesis, accusing management of sidelining its own creative talent while rolling out the red carpet for ABS-CBN shows and stars, particularly Vice Ganda.
The imminent return of “Gandang Gabi, Vice (GGV),” the ABS-CBN talk show headlined by Vice Ganda that ended its original nine-year run in 2020, appears to have triggered the outpouring of resentment toward GMA management.
ABS-CBN chief operating officer Cory Vidanes announced during the company’s Aug. 19 stockholders’ meeting that a new season of GGV would air beginning in September not only on Kapamilya’s iWant and Kapamilya Channel but also on GMA.
“Then the bully himself announced that GGV will air on both ABS-CBN and GMA! WHAAAT?!?!” the letter said. “Kawawa naman si Boobay at Tekla!!!” the letter added, referring to the GMA comedy duo behind The Boobay and Tekla Show, launched in 2019.
The writer was particularly incensed by reports that GGV could air after “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” recalling Vice Ganda’s controversial remarks involving veteran GMA journalist Jessica Soho more than a decade ago.
“What an insult to Ms. Jessica Soho, who once upon a time was bullied by Vice Ganda,” the letter said.
In 2013, Vice Ganda publicly apologized to Jessica Soho for an offensive joke about her, which Soho acknowledged while saying she hoped the apology was sincere. More than a decade later, It’s Showtime, led by Vice, joined GMA’s main Channel 7 in April 2024 after first airing on GTV in 2023, but there has been no publicly confirmed personal reconciliation between Vice and Soho.
To add insult to injury, the letter cited Vice’s newly announced two-year creative partnership with bilyonaryo Manuel V. Pangilinan’s MediaQuest Holdings, parent of GMA rival TV5, while the comedian maintains ties with ABS-CBN and appears on GMA through It’s Showtime.
Pangilinan even dubbed Vice the “Queen of All Networks.”
Vice has openly embraced the post-network-war setup.
“Yung mga tao din lang ang nagpapalaki sa mga ganyan. Pero in reality, parang OK naman lahat,” Vice said when asked whether the network wars were over.
But even as she moves across networks, Vice has made clear where her allegiance remains.
“I will never leave ABS wherever I go,” Vice said, adding that ABS-CBN’s involvement in projects with other networks was “non-negotiable.”
The letter portrayed ABS-CBN as the biggest beneficiary of the new order: able to distribute its programs through GMA while one of its biggest stars simultaneously expands into MediaQuest and TV5.
“We don’t know why GMA 7 does not see that it is used and abused in this scenario,” the writer said.
GGV, however, appears to be merely the latest flashpoint in a grievance years in the making.
The letter traced the frustration back to GMA’s decision to open its doors to It’s Showtime following the departure of Eat Bulaga from GMA in 2023.
“Noong nawala ang Eat Bulaga sa GMA 7, expected ng marami na ang papalit na show ay production ng GMA 7. We were wrong because Showtime, one of the flagship programs of ABS-CBN moved to Eat Bulaga’s timeslot,” the letter said.
“Is there really no creative group in GMA 7 who could have created a comedy bar show that is essentially what Showtime is?” the letter asked.
“Ang dami namang mahuhusay, matitino na mga writers, directors, producers ang GMA 7,” the letter said. “O, FAN lang talaga ang GMA 7 ng ABS-CBN?”
“Ang sakit lang isipin na—ang bobo ng tingin ng GMA 7 sa mga tao na nagtatrabaho rito,” the letter added.
Aside from It’s Showtime, the letter also took aim at GMA’s drama collaborations with ABS-CBN, such as “The Secrets of Hotel 88” and “Honor Thy Mother.”
“Yung mga drama / serye collab naman ay isang pagtanggap na superior ang ABS-CBN kumpara sa GMA 7 pagdating sa drama production,” the letter said.
“Why not give Drama / Narra a chance to prove its worth?” the writer said, referring to GMA’s in-house production groups.
The letter also argued that GMA’s strategy of bringing in ABS-CBN programs has hardly been a surefire formula for success.
“Hindi naman umaabot sa langit ang ratings ng mga ito. Normal lang at minsan mas mababa pa compared to GMA 7 produced teleseryes,” the letter said.
The letter similarly claimed It’s Showtime had not dramatically improved its ratings performance and pointed to Eat Bulaga as evidence that an ABS-CBN franchise was hardly unbeatable.
“Showtime is not rating more than what it used to rate, talo naman ng Eat Bulaga ang Showtime for a long, long time,” the writer said.
“Pati si Ms. Anette, napaghahalata na isang fan ng ABS-CBN at ng Showtime,” the letter said, apparently referring to GMA senior vice president Annette Gozon-Valdes.
Gozon-Valdes has emerged as a key figure behind GMA’s growing programming partnership with ABS-CBN. ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak previously revealed that he personally reached out to Gozon-Valdes about bringing It’s Showtime to GTV, paving the way for the noontime show’s eventual move to GMA’s flagship Channel 7.
“Ang galling na ABS-CBN napaglalaruan ang GMA 7. Nakakatuwa—isipin niyo GMA 7 is still competing with ABS-CBN not TV 5, e’ nilalampaso naman sa datingan ng mga artista ng ABS-CBN ang mga taga GMA 7,” the letter said.
GMA emerged as the winner by default of the old network wars after ABS-CBN lost its franchise in 2020, leaving its longtime rival without a network to challenge its dominance.
But ABS-CBN dug itself out of the grave, reinventing itself as a content company and finding new homes for its shows and stars.
The irony: ABS-CBN has increasingly invaded the airwaves of the network that supposedly won the war.
For the anonymous letter, however, GMA has only itself to blame.
“We are pathetic by our own doing.”—Bilyonaryo.com
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