Kakai Bautista has been sent a warning letter by the legal counsel of Mario Maurer over the alleged unauthorized use of the Thai star’s name in statements.
A copy of the letter, which was first reported in Pilipino Star Ngayon, has been furnished to The STAR’s LatestChika.com. It was sent by Atty. Koraphot Jirachocksubsin in behalf of Mario’s talent management, Kwaonhar Nine Nine Co., LTD, to Freddie Bautista of Kakai’s management team Artist Gallery Management.
Kwaonhar said that Mario has denied all statements and claims allegedly made by the actress regarding their proximity or “closeness” to each other.
They also stated that “improperly exploiting” their client’s name may violate existing laws of the Philippines and Thailand.
“By so using the name our client, Catherine ‘Kakai’ Bautista is improperly exploiting the name, image and reputation of Mario Maurer, his management, agents and representatives, and may be violating existing laws of the Republic of the Philippines and the Kingdom of Thailand,” the letter read.
Mario’s camp demanded that Kakai “cease, desist and refrain from any further use of the name of Mario Maurer, or any reference to him, directly or indirectly”. In addition, their confirmation to comply to their demands will be needed within three working days.
If Kakai’s camp would fail to comply to their demands, they stated that they will have no choice but to pursue formal charges against her.
Kakai and Mario’s connection began after the two starred in the 2012 romantic-comedy film Suddenly It’s Magic with Erich Gonzales as the latter’s love interest.
Mario’s camp didn’t indicate the statements that prompted the letter, but Kakai last mentioned the actor on social media in September 2020.
Sharing an old interview clip of her with Suddenly It’s Magic co-stars, she wrote: “Mario was really kind and authentic. He was good to me until the end. I’ve seen so much of him that other people haver never seen. (Siguro) I am forever grateful.”
Meanwhile, a PSN report said that Kakai’s management team has not yet received a copy of the letter.
Kakai, who’s starring in the GMA primetime series First Yaya, has yet to issue an official comment on the matter.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the actress-comedian wrote, “Too busy loving myself. Too busy being grateful.”
