Aga Muhlach makes big leap from ABS-CBN to TV5

Noel Orsal

Pormal nang ipinakilala si Aga Muhlach bilang

pinakabagong star ng TV5 sa pamamagitan ng isang
presscon na ginanap kagabi, March 30, sa Annabel's
restaurant sa Tomas Morato, Quezon City.
   
Kasamang humarap ni Aga sa press ang TV5 head of
creative and entertainment na si Perci Intalan.
   
Three years ang kontratang pinirmahan ni Aga sa
Kapatid network, na pagmamay-ari ng business
tycoon na si Manny V. Pangilinan.
   
"I signed for three years, and siguro after three
years, then another three years. I really want to stay
with [TV] 5 because I'm here now, and mahirap
namang magpalipat-lipat. You only do it once, so this
is it!" sabi ni Aga sa PEP (Philippine Entertainment
Portal) at iba pang invited press.
   
Bago ang paglipat ni Aga sa TV5 ay 18 years siyang
nagtrabaho sa bakuran ng ABS-CBN. Nagsimula siya
noong 1992 sa sitcom na Oki Doki Doc. Ang huling naging show niya doon ay ang M3 (Malay Mo Ma-
develop) nila ni Ai-Ai delas Alas noong nakaraang taon, 2010.
 
Paano siya nagpaalam sa Kapamilya network?
 
"Hindi ako nagpaalam, kundi nagsabi lang ako that I'm moving," sagot ni Aga.
 
Inamin din ng aktor na umiyak ang kasalukuyang presidente ng ABS-CBN na si Ms. Charo Santos-
Concio nang sabihin niyang lilipat na siya sa TV5.
 
Pero aniya, "Hindi naman dapat lahat ng lumilipat kailangan may problema. Sa akin naman, hindi ko
naman kadikit sa buhay yung problema, or yung gulo o eskandalo, o kung anuman.
 
"And I even told her that, 'You know, I'm not trying to haggle... I'm just moving.'"
 
Ano ang dahilan ng pag-alis niya sa ABS-CBN?
 
"It's nothing, you know... Parang it's monotonous, parang I just wanted something different, really.
And TV5 was offering all these things sa akin," sagot ni Aga.
 
THE BIG LEAP. Ano ang naging biggest consideration ni Aga sa desisyon niyang lumipat sa TV5?
 
"Yung vision ng 5. Yung vision ng 5 now is to come up with any nice show and—if I'm not mistaken—
not think of ratings first," sabi niya.
 
Last December 2010 pa napabalitang lilipat si Aga sa TV5, pero ngayong buwan lang sila
nagkasarahan. Gaano ba katagal inabot ang negosasyon sa pagitan ng aktor at ng network bago ito
nag-materialize?

 
Si Perci ang sumagot ng katanungang ito para kay Aga.
 
Sabi ng TV5 executive, "I think that actually went smoothly. The only thing that we waited for was
maayos muna what kind of projects Aga would do, para we know. We know na hindi masyadong
maaga ang pag-announce ng mga programs.
 
"At the same time, Aga was busy working on the films. And actually, nag-relax din [siya] habang
iniisip niya, nagmumuni-muni exactly what it is he wants to do.
 
"Ang maganda nga, a few months ago, when we met, yun na, ang dami-daming ideas ni Aga on what
he wanted to do. And that's exactly how we do things kasi in TV5, e. We'd like to involve the artists
and find out what it is that would get them excited, rather than impose on them what shows we think
they should do. We do a dialogue first.
 
"And so far, that formula has worked for us beautifully on the projects that we had. Kaya may
ownership yung mga stars dun sa show. Kasi they were involved in the early stages pa lang. And
that's what we were able to do in the past month or so."