Ibinalik ni Shirley Kuan sa kapwa talent manager na si Lolit Solis ang akusasyon nitong nagpa-"power tripping" ang alaga ni Shirley na si Bea Alonzo.
Mula nang lumipat si Bea mula sa ABS-CBN patungong bakuran ng GMA-7 noong July 2021, paborito nang tirahin ni Lolit ang bagong-salta sa Kapuso network gamit ang kanyang Instagram account (@akosilolitsolis) at iba niyang platforms.
Base sa mga inilalabas ni Lolit, patuloy pa rin ang pag-atake ni Lolit kay Bea hanggang ngayon.
Lalong lumala ang mga personal na banat ng 75-anyos na talent manager/showbiz talk show host/entertainment columnist nang hindi siya imibitahan sa presscon ng contract renewal ni Bea sa isang beauty brand noong March 2022.
Inakusahan ni Lolit si Bea ng "power tripping" dahil sa pagka-"cancel" umano nito sa kanya sa presscon ng 34-year-old actress.
Sa isang eksklusibong panayam ng Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph) nitong linggo, iginiit ni Shirley na siya ang nagdesisyong hindi imbitahin si Lolit, pati na ang dalawang malalapit rito: ang entertainment editor na si Salve Asis at ang showbiz columnist/radio host na si Gorgy Rula.
Wala raw alam si Bea tungkol sa desisyon niyang ito.
Inako ni Shirley na ginawa niya ito dahil raw sa "unprovoked attacks" ni Lolit laban sa kanyang client na aniya'y walang kamalay-malay.
Read: Bea Alonzo's manager Shirley Kuan breaks silence on Lolit Solis "unprovoked attacks" against Bea
Kinontra ni Shirley ang alegasyon ng "power tripping." Ang kanyang ginawa ay ang dapat lang daw gawin ng sinumang talent manager.
Pahayag niya: “How could there be power tripping? ...I don’t think it’s called power tripping. I was doing my job.
“... I sent them [brand managers] all the evidence of all her [Lolit's] toxic attacks and bullying... I had to present it to them because it’s not as if I’m just demanding out of nothing, you know. It’s my job. Number one, it’s really my job as her manager to protect her.”
Bilang talent manager, hindi raw hahayaan ni Shirley na iharap ang alaga sa mismong mga taong naninira rito.
“No manager would throw his or her artist to the wolves in a presscon, you know. No manager worth her salt, by the way."
Dagdag pa ni Shirley: “And if you ask, including this bully, she admits that she does that. And it’s on record that...it’s something that is being practiced by a lot of managers, if not all, including herself.”
Sa kabuuan ng panayam ng PEP.ph kay Shirley, ni minsan ay hindi nito direktang binanggit ang pangalan ni Lolit. Tinawag lamang niya itong "bully."
Mariing sabi ng manager ni Bea: “Bullies are the ones who are power tripping, and that’s a fact. When you read about it, these are just common traits of a bully who’s power tripping and playing victim by reversing the narrative, okay?
“Klaruhin natin, yung mga bully, sila yung nagbabaliktad ng kuwento para maawa sa kanila, at para sa kanila maniwala, di ba?"
Pinaalala ni Shirley na sa loob ng mahigit isang taon ay pinili raw ng kampo ni Bea na huwag pansinin ang mga paninira at pag-atake ni Lolit laban sa aktres.
Pero umabot na raw sa sukdulan ang kanyang pagtitimpi kaya nagdesisyon na itong magpa-interview sa PEP.ph. Ginanap ang interbyu sa isang restaurant sa Quezon City noong Lunes ng tanghali, October 10, 2022.
Dito na isinambulat ni Shirley ang kinikimkim tungkol sa wala raw tigil na pagbira ni Lolit sa kanyang alaga.
Saad ng talent manager ni Bea: "We've been very quiet about it. We've been very considerate of her age, you know, of her situation, even before [it] was declared that she was not healthy anymore and, you know, [she was] getting treatments.
"Even before that, never kami pumatol because we feel that bullies—they're just seeking attention.
"And our stand is we do not glorify bullies. We will never glorify bullying because bullying is never okay. Bullying will never be okay.”
[Ed's Note: Bukas sa publiko na hindi maganda ang kalagayan ng kalusugan ni Lolit Solis sa kasalukuyan. Regular siyang sumasailalim sa dialysis, dalawang beses kada linggo, matapos nitong ma-confine sa ospital noong July 2022.]
Read: Lolit Solis undergoes dialysis after being hospitalized
SHIRLEY BREAKS HER SILENCE
Bakit ang haba ng pananahimik ni Shirley? At ano ang nag-udyok sa kanya para magsalita na?
Tugon ni SK (ang palayaw halaw sa kanyang initials): "Because I took my cue from Bea. Because Bea doesn't want any interaction.
"We don't want to make it a big issue, that's why we've been ignoring these bullies.
"But at a recent presscon, she [Bea] was asked about how she deals with bashers... it's all in the Net. She really [gave] a good answer."
Ang tinutukoy na presscon ni Shirley ay ang solo mediacon ni Bea para sa pinagbibidahan nilang primetime series ni Alden Richards sa GMA-7, ang Start-Up PH, na ginanap noong October 6, 2022.
Dito ay direktang tinanong si Bea ng beteranong kolumnistang si Mario Bautista tungkol sa mga atake sa kanya ni Lolit.
Pagdedetalye ni Shirley: "[There] was a private conversation—it was not during the presscon [proper]—between [Bea] and Tito Mario, who asked her specifically about this bully, and what she could say.
"[Bea] even said good words and just extended kinda an olive branch that she, you know, is wishing her [Lolit] well."
Base sa artikulo ni Mario, na lumabas sa entertainment news blog nitong Showbiz Portal noong October 7, ito ang naging sagot ni Bea nang tanungin tungkol kay Lolit:
"I will never reply because hindi ko naman nababasa what she writes about me. People just tell me about it.
"But I respect her so much, although we’ve never met, we’ve never been introduced or spoken to each other.
"I heard she’s sick, at lalo na akong hindi sasagot, dadalhin ko pa 'yan, parang ang bigat-bigat.
"Let’s just stay positive. I will sincerely pray for her healing and for her to get well soon."
Inamin ni Shirley na nadismaya siya nang halos walang nag-pick up ng istoryang ito sa kabila ng magagandang sinabi ni Bea tungkol kay Lolit.
Himutok ng talent manager: "No one put a light on what Bea said... may nagsulat ba nun? Wala, di ba?
“Ang gusto nilang sulatin lang yung lahat-lahat ng pag-a-attack because it sells. Bullying sells, unfortunately, di ba?
“When you say something, the truth, parang nobody wants to announce it there.
"That’s why I’m here to really put a light on the truth… that Bea has never provoked this bully. Never."
Ayon kay Shirley, may mga taong nagsabi sa kanyang mag-apologize na lang si Bea kay Lolit para matapos na ang isyu at magkaayos na ang dalawa.
Ang sa kanila raw, dapat si Bea ang magpakumbaba dahil si Lolit ay isang beterana ng showbiz.
Mariin itong kinontra ni Shirley.
“People were saying, suggesting to Bea, that she should apologize. For what?
“You think if you have a child being bullied you’re gonna tell your child to say sorry to the bully and send the flower to the bully? To apologize to a bully?
"I don’t think you’d do that. There’s ways of handling bullies, but not glorify them, not apologize to them, not tolerate them.”
WILL NOT MAKE A MOVE TO SPEAK WITH LOLIT
Sina Shirley at Lolit ay kapwa founding members ng PAMI o Professional Artists Management Inc.—hukbo ng local talent managers, na ang presidente ay si June Torrejon ng VIVA Communications Inc.
Magkakasama sila rito ng halos 28 taon, pero bago pa man nito ay magkakilala na sila.
Si Shirley ay mahigit 30 taon na sa pagma-manage ng artista, habang si Lolit ay mahigit 50 taon na sa showbiz industry.
Matagal na ang pinagsamahan nila at kilalang-kilala nila ang isa't isa.
Alam daw ni Shirley ang kakayahan ni Lolit magbaligtad ng istorya upang ito ang magmukhang biktima.
Dahil dito, hinding-hindi raw gagawa ng hakbang si Shirley upang kausapin si Lolit at ayusin ang isyu nito kay Bea.
"No. None at all because I know how bullies are and how she is. We cannot control this person.
“I don't want her to do all these narratives, and say that we approached her because we were guilty and all that kind of stuff."
Sabi pa ni Shirley: "I know her that well. She can twist... the narrative. I wanna be careful.
"I've been very careful because ang alaga ko, isang Bea Alonzo.
"Every move I make will reflect on her. Everything I say will reflect on her."
Ayon kay Shirley, si Lolit mismo ay aminadong inosente si Bea at wala itong atraso sa kanya. Pero sa kabila nito, patuloy pa rin ang pag-atake niya sa aktres.
"A lot of people [are] even asking her [Lolit]... because she admitted walang kasalanan si Bea, ‘E, ba’t tinitira mo? Hindi ka tumigil?’
“Ang sagot niya, ‘Wala lang. Wala lang akong masulat.’
“Di ba? Do you deal with bullies like that? No. Do you want even to go near them? No.
“I won’t allow Bea to go through that. It could be torture to her. It’s not fair.”
Diin pa ni Shirley: “We just don’t wanna be near bullies. We just don’t wanna have anything to do with this bully.
“We just ignore. Ignore, ignore, ignore.
“And apparently, bullies don’t like that. Because they want to show people that they have power.
"Sila ang nagpa-power tripping, hindi kami, di ba?
“We just want to stay away, that’s all. We just want it peaceful."
Kaya bago nga raw ng interbyu nito sa PEP.ph: “We never answered, privately or publicly, never. Leave it alone.”