RICO Blanco has not yet responded to insinuations of unprofessionalism amid a recent social media post by Paolo Valenciano that he and his “hero” are “not meant to work together again.”
The issue stemmed from Valenciano’s Facebook post where he hinted at a seeming conflict with the singer-actor that supposedly resulted in delays and other production hitches during the recent JBL Soundfest held in Pasig City over the weekend. Valenciano was the concert director of the music event, while Blanco was one of the performers.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Valenciano apologized to his client, and pop band Cup of Joe, one of the show’s headliners, admitting that he “lost complete control” of the event.
“Tonight, I lost complete control of our event, which caused a major delay and added two extra hours of work to an already exhausted team. I sincerely apologize to our client JBL and to my brothers from Cup of Joe (who had to be picked up by motorcycles in traffic jams just to make their new call time),” read his post.
The eldest son of Gary Valenciano said that he found the recent happenings “incredibly frustrating” as he extended a seemingly pointed message to the “Kisapmata” singer.
“We learn new things every day, and I know I still have a lot to improve! To everyone who was there, super sorry. And to Rico, my hero, while I sincerely wish you the best, I’ve learned that we’re simply not meant to work together again,” he concluded his post.
While Valenciano did not elaborate on his post, his wife Samantha Godinez Valenciano, added her two-cents to the issue in a reply to one of the comments.
“Some people talaga are not team players. Apparently, this happens a lot. So many people have messaged me checking on Pao and they tell me this person does this a lot daw,” expressed Samantha.
As of writing, Blanco has yet to issue a response to Valenciano’s post, though many of his fans defended him. Some said that being the more veteran of the lot, he should have been given more prominence or was made the last performer
One netizen also questioned the issue of headlining rights, asking whether an artist can demand to close a show if the contract does not state they are the headliner. They also noted that promotional materials appeared to highlight Blanco.
The concert director responded, saying he has also been reflecting on performance order: “Peak hours ng festival are between 8 p.m. to around 11. So do you want to play during ‘peak hours’ where most people can watch you or do you want to play last kasi ‘headliner’ ka pero less people ang manonood?” (Jessica Ann Evangelista © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
