GMA-7 Senior Vice President for Entertainment Lilybeth G. Rasonable revealed that she and Regine Velasquez have already talked to each other regarding the singer's reported network transfer to ABS-CBN.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) was able to speak with Rasonable during the press conference of The Clash. The Top 12 contenders were presented yesterday, August 29, at the Executive Lounge of GMA Network Center.
The Clash, which airs on weekends, is hosted by Regine.
Rasonable admitted, "Nag-usap na kami pero siguro hangga't walang ina-announce officially, either from the network or Regine, they’re all just hearsay or speculations.
"So yun, as I've said, hangga't walang na-a-announce, nothing is confirmed."
As of press time, Regine continues to work on her two ongoing shows: The Clash and the Saturday morning show Sarap Diva.
When asked when Regine's contract will end, Rasonable answered, "We have contracts with her for... until The Clash ends and Sarap Diva."
While The Clash is expected to end this September, the lady boss of GMA-7 said that they have no plans of removing Sarap Diva from the air.
The cooking-talk show has been on air since 2012. In this show, Regine features other Kapuso artists.
"We have no plans of ending the show because it’s doing well, its earning well, it has good following.
"So it's a good platform not only for the host but for our artists so wala naman kaming plans na i-end yung show."
Even though the network transfer speculations have not been confirmed yet, Regine won't be seen in her shows this October.
Rasonable reasoned out, "She has a U.S. tour so talagang hindi muna siya makikita on air."
Does this mean that Regine's final decision will be revealed once she comes back?
Rasonable said, "Wala pa namang ina-announce so wala pa akong pwedeng i-announce."
This is not the first time that Regine was reported to transfer to the Kapamilya network.
In 2008, the Asia's Songbird expressed her desire in doing TV shows for ABS-CBN, especially its remake of the Colombian series Betty La Fea, which was titled I Love Betty La Fea in the Philippines.
This was intensified when Regine shed tears while performing on GMA-7's defunct variety show SOP during its February 17 episode. This led some people to speculate that it might be her last appearance on the show.
Showbiz insiders also claimed that Regine had a "sky is the limit" offer from the Kapamilya Network, which included Regine's own choice of show, movies for Star Cinema, and guaranteed exposure on The Filipino Channel (TFC), ABS-CBN's international channel.
On February 25, Regine did not appear on SOP and did an interview with ABS-CBN's entertainment talk show The Buzz.
In the interview, she admitted that she was interested in doing I Love Betty La Fea but denied that the network offered her a 25-million-peso talent fee.
Asia's Songbird denied that she was using ABS-CBN as leverage in her negotiations with GMA-7.
Regine candidly admitted that she felt hurt when a Kapamilya executive denied that they offered her the lead role in I Love Betty La Fea. The denial was published in a Philippine Star column on February 22, 2008.
A week after her The Buzz interview, on March 2, Regine once again appeared in SOP, saying that she decided to stay with GMA-7.