By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Realizing the gravity of the charges against Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) chairman Vicente “Tito” Sotto was left with no choice but to ax her from the political party.

Last June 17, Tarlac Gov. Susan Yap, NPC provincial chairperson, recommended to Sotto III the expulsion of Guo from their party due to questions surrounding her nationality and the trafficking crimes linked to her.

“I hereby order the removal of Mayor Alice Guo from the roster of members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition,” Sotto III said in a letter dated June 22.

“In view thereof, I will be directing our Secretary General, Sec. Mark Llandro Mendoza to implement the said order and immediately inform Mayor Guo of her removal from the party,” the former Senate President added.

The embattled Guo ran as an independent in the 2022 polls but has since joined the NPC, which has allied with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Liza Soriano

MANILA — Newly installed Senate President Chiz Escudero disclosed on Wednesday (05 June 2024) that he initiated a lunch meeting with former Senate president Tito Sotto and former Senator Panfilo Lacson for advice being the Senate head.

“Nagkita kami. Nag-lunch kami kahapon…Bilang paghingi ng payo… sa nauna sa akin bilang pagtanggap na hindi ko naman pwedeng hawak lahat ng kaalaman kaugnay ng pwestong hinahawakan ko ngayon,” Escudero said.

The Senate chief said that the former senator advised him on  his administrative functions, adding that Sotto quoted former Senator Neptali Gonzales.

Escudero also shared that they reminisced about the times when they were working together in the upper chamber.

“Naging maganda ‘yung pag-uusap namin… Maganda ring ma-reminisce ‘yung pagsasama namin noon na sana mangyari din uli sa hinaharap dahil sa napipinto nilang pagtakbo kung matutuloy,” he added.

Sotto and Lacson have not yet disclosed whether they will run in the 2025 elections.

(el Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — The Intellectual Party Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) ruled in favor of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon (TVJ) in the “Eat Bulaga” trademark cancellation case they filed against Television and Production Exponents (TAPE) Inc.

The two parties both claimed the trademark for “Eat Bulaga,” which TAPE currently uses for its noontime show on GMA 7.

TVJ, meanwhile, moved to TV5 and co-produced its own noontime show “E.A.T” in July.

In August, TAPE requested and was granted the renewal of the trademark “Eat Bulaga!” and its logo for another 10 years.

However, TVJ filed a petition to cancel the renewal.

In its decision dated December 4, the IPOPHL said TVJ established how they came up with the name “Eat Bulaga.”

“Having sufficiently established how Petitioners coined the EAT BULAGA mark, it is Petitioners and not Respondent-Registrant who owns the mark.

Considering that Petitioners are the owners, they have absolute and exclusive right to register the EAT BULAGA mark and all variations thereto,” part of the decision read.

(JR AMIGO/AI/MNM)