Ertswhile actress Vivian Velez drew criticism over what netizens believe is a direct jab at It’s Showtime host Vice Ganda.

Riding on the coattails of the “jetski holiday” joke by Vice Ganda in her recent concert with Regine Velasquez, Velez made a not-so-subtle swipe at the Unkabogable star on her Facebook account, where she shared photos of herself eating a Burger King meal. 

“Burger King muna tayo… wala munang McDo dahil kay #KabayongClown (Burger King first. No McDo because of #KabayongClown),” she wrote in her caption.

Not a few supporters of Vice Ganda took a stand and defended their idol from Velez’s shenanigans.

“Josko Vivian Velez manahimik ka! Isang piraso lang naman ng BK binili mo. Tapos ung flame grilled hamburger lang naman yata ‘yan na pinakamura nila? Tampalin kita ng Angel’s Burger eh bwhahahahhaha (My God, Vivian Velez, keep quiet! You just bought one piece of BK. And it’s flame-grilled hamburger, only that’s their cheapest? I’ll slap you with Angel’s Burger),” wailed one guy.

“Vice Ganda performed, that’s what you expected from him. He is a talented, quick thinker, which is why he is very successful. He worked hard, what he said on the concert is normal, not believing with the belt, he did not use foul language, he did not use harsh words, and also he did not attack anyone on their appearance, it is normal for the type of job as a comedian,” another guy commented.

Velez also enumerated Vice Ganda’s endorsements on her Facebook account, saying: “Alam na this... huwag mong i-promote o subukan ang mga produktong ito hanggang sa alisin nila ang ‘kabayong clown’ (You know this... don’t promote and don’t try these products until they remove ‘kabayong clown’).”

I didn’t know Velez could be this bitter in defending her idol. Yuck!!!

Belle Mariano signs network contract after 14 years

Being a Kapamilya all these years, it’s quite surprising to learn that after 14 years in show business, it’s only now that Belle Mariano was ever granted her first-ever network contract with ABS-CBN.

Mariano signed her contract on Monday, 18 August, and present during the contract signing were ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak, chairman Mark Lopez, COO for Broadcast Cory Vidanes, CFO Rick Tan, Star Magic head Laurenti Dyogi and Mariano’s manager Edith Fariñas.

In the media conference that followed, Mariano was queried about her future projects.

“I would say ang dami ko pang gustong gawing roles. I’ve never done anything na ‘yun nga something bida-kontrabida, which I mentioned, horror. That’s something I want to do. I won’t limit myself to something. I want to learn and grow and want to challenge myself,” she said.

Describing her 14 years of Kapamilya journey as “growth,” Mariano explained:  “I would say that it’s growth because throughout the years, what I went through, like there are times na magiging mahirap talaga. There are times you will fall and may times talaga na mapanghihinaan ka ng loob. But then you rise above it, so it makes you a stronger person. I think those experiences molded me into who I am today. I would say it’s growth. Being a Kapamilya for me is growth and I’m so grateful to be in this family.”

Starting as a cast member of Goin’ Bulilit at nine, Mariano has starred in numerous  ABS-CBN dramas before she and Donny Pangilinan hit big time in He’s Into Her.  

But Mariano and Pangilinan’s biggest hit was Can’t Buy Me Love. The love team also starred in movies like Love is Color Blind and An Inconvenient Love.

A music artist, Mariano, released her debut album in 2021. A concert, Beloved, was also successfully mounted for her.

Mariano scored a major musical feat last year when she recorded “Anong Daratnan,” a theme song for the Philippine release of Disney’s animated movie Moana 2. Then, Mariano and Pangilinan starred in How to Spot A Red Flag.  

Just this year, Mariano surprised everyone with a cameo performance in the top-rated action series Incognito where her character  Takako Rai was kidnapped in the pilot episode.