The management team of Ian Veneracion has responded to the controversial Facebook post alleging the actor was asking for an “overpriced” talent fee.
In a post, writer Ronaldo Carballo expressed his shock and disapproval over the allegedly exorbitant TF demanded by the actor for a two-hour public appearance in Tarlac.
“Ang mahal pala ni Ian Veneracion for a public appearance,” Ronaldo began in his post.
Carballo further revealed the details of the proposed arrangement, stating, “Requested sya, kaya kinukuha sya ng Tarlac Festival, to be held on [l]ast Sunday of January, 2024.”
“Sasakay sya sa float at ipaparada sya sa bayan ng Tarlac City. Kakaway-kaway lang sya. Ni hindi sya kakanta,” he added.
According to Carballo, Ian’s road manager requested an amount of P500,000 talent fee for two hours of his presence in the parade and an additional P100,000 for the exceeding hour.
The road manager also demanded that the actor be separated from other celebrity guests by having his “own float”.
“Sabi raw ng [r]oad [m]anager ni Ian, ‘500K si Ian in two hours sa parade at pag lumagpas ng two hours, may 100k additional per hour,” Ronaldo disclosed, “‘Kung may mga kasamang ibang artista, dapat may sarili silang float.’ Dapat solo lang si Ian sa sarili nyang float at walang kasamang kung sinu-sino’.”
Moreover, the festival organizers were required to make a “50% down payment upon the signing of the contract”. Ian’s full payment had to be settled “before he boarded the float”.
While the Tarlac Festival initially agreed to the terms, they expressed concerns about their uncertainty over the parade’s duration. The organizers worried that if Ian exceeded the agreed-upon two hours, they would have to pay an extra P100,000 per hour.
Faced with this dilemma, the festival organizers decided to retract their offer and opted to replace Ian with Piolo Pascual instead.
Carballo criticized the seemingly “excessive” fee, saying, “OA ang 500k for a parade kahit limang oras pa.
He continued, “Buti kung binabayaran si Ian ng kahit 200k per day taping/shooting magdamag, kung may [t]eleserye sya o may pelikula sya. Hetong 500k na hinihingi nya, kakaway-kaway lang sya sa parada.
Reportedly, Ian’s road manager attempted to renegotiate the fee for the entire parade, but the deal fell through as the festival organizers already withdrew their interest.
Carballo expressed disbelief and questioned the authenticity of the talent fee.
“Baka naman yung [r]oad [m]anager lang ang nagdi-demand ng ganito, lalo ‘yung dalawang oras lang ang 500k na TF nya, at hindi si Ian.”
But the parade’s talent coordinator affirmed that it was indeed Ian, who demanded the price.
“Hindi. Si Ian talaga yun. Na-experience ko na rin si Ian noon. Talagang makwenta sya at nagbibilang talaga sya ng oras”, Ronaldo quoted the talent coordinator.
The writer-director’s FB post has garnered over 20,000 reactions and 4000 shares on the platform.
In response to the allegation, Ian’s management, Intraverse Media, released a statement addressing the situation, according to a recent report by Pilipino Star Ngayon.
The statement emphasized their commitment to “confidentiality” in business-related matter, stating that they “provided a standard rate and availability” for the event in question.
“In managing our client’s professional engagements, we maintain a strict policy of confidentiality in all business dealings, ensuring transparency and respect both with clients and artists,” the statement read.
It continued, “When approached for this event, we provided our standard rate and availability, leaving the decision to the client’s discretion based on their budget and requirements/”
The management team also expressed concern about inaccuracies in the information circulating online, particularly regarding the alleged amount of Ian’s talent fee not aligning with their discussions.
“Furthermore, contrary to the claims, we did not request any additional charges. Our terms were clear, especially regarding the hours required for the event, and at no point did we ask for a solo float,” Intraverse Media clarified.
“For this particular event, our communication was with a friend of the coordinator, adding multiple layers to the negotiation process. This is not the typical direct line of communication we usually have with clients or their immediate representatives.
The management team shared that they attempted to contact Carballo directly to correct the misinformation spread by his online post but the writer-director reportedly “blocked them and refused any means of communication”.
The management team concluded by expressing their commitment to journalistic integrity and maintaining a “balanced narrative”.
They accused Mr. Carballo of engaging in online behavior that undermines such principles that aimed to publicly humiliate Ian and their team.
“Rather than verifying the information, Mr. Carballo appears to have engaged in online behavior that undermines these principles, in an attempt to publicly humiliate our client and our team,” Ian’s camp stated.
The write-director has not yet commented on the issue and statement of the actor’s management team.
