Days following rumors of Rachelle Ann Go’s transfer to GMA-7, her management agency, Viva, has finally given the Manila Bulletin its official statement: “It’s true.”
According to Baby Gil, Viva Entertainment Inc. Vice President for Corporate Public Relations, Go is set to sign her contract with GMA-7 today, April 7. Her first show on the Kapuso network is “Party Pilipinas.”
A couple of weeks back, Mark Bautista, another Viva talent and “ASAP” mainstay, jumped ship and joined “Party Pilipinas” as well.
A source told Manila Bulletin that Go texted ABS-CBN executives her thank yous and apologies a day before her contract signing. Unverified reports say that Rachelle could only say “Mabilis ang pangyayari” in explaining her decision.
Prior to that, people privy to such goings-on in Go’s career gave indefinite answers on the matter so as not to pre-empt the singer and her management team’s final decision.
A reliable source from Viva told the Manila Bulletin on April 5: “Nothing is definite yet. We still have to talk to Rachelle Ann.”
In the morning of April 6, a few hours before Go finally made her decision, Gil sent the following message to Manila Bulletin: “May offer pero she has not decided. Love niya ‘ASAP’.”
Go’s contract with ABS-CBN expired on April 4.
Meanwhile, the manager of singer, actress and host Iya Villania, also rumored to leave “ASAP” for “Party Pilipinas,” has come out to belie reports that Villania is set to sign a contract with GMA-7.
In a text message sent to the Manila Bulletin, publicist Tinnie Esguerra, speaking on behalf of Arnold Vegafria of ALV Consultus, the managing team behind Villania’s career, said: “No, she’s not [moving].”
Early in her career, Villania was part of the cast of GMA-7’s youth-oriented hit program, “Click.” She later became a regular on the afternoon drama series “Walang Hanggang” along with Oyo Boy Sotto and Valerie Concepcion.
Villania transferred to ABS-CBN in 2004. She currently appears as one of the “IT Girls” on “ASAP” alongside Shaina Magdayao, Bea Alonzo, Anne Curtis, and Maja Salvador, and is one of the VJs for music channel MYX.
