The festival organizers have spoken on the talent fee issue of Ian Veneracion
IAN VENERACION – The organizers of Tarlac City’s Kaisa Festival have refuted allegations that the actor demanded a P500,000 talent fee for a two-hour public appearance, asserting that they had not been in contact with the actor or his team.
The speculation regarding Veneracion’s purported fee surfaced on social media after writer-director Ronaldo Carballo claimed to have spoken with a talent coordinator who approached the actor. Carballo shared on his Facebook page on January 16, “Ang mahal pala ni Ian Veneracion for a public appearance… Requested siya kaya kinukuha siya ng Tarlac Festival, to be held on [the] last Sunday of January 2024.”
Carballo continued, stating that Veneracion was expected to ride a float in Tarlac City, waving at people without performing, and that his road manager mentioned a fee of P500,000 for a two-hour parade, with an additional P100,000 per hour if it exceeded two hours. Carballo also alleged that the road manager insisted Veneracion should have his own separate float.
Carballo quoted the road manager as saying, “Siguraduhin mo din na may pangbayad ang mga producer, 50 percent down payment upon contract signing. Bago sumampa si Ian sa float, dapat fully-paid na siya.” Carballo claimed that negotiations between the Tarlac Festival organizers and Veneracion were discontinued after the talent coordinator’s conversation with the road manager.
Carballo expressed his perspective on the situation, stating, “Sabi ko lang in this true story: OA ang P500K for a parade kahit limang oras pa.” He gave Veneracion the benefit of the doubt, assuming the road manager was responsible for the demands, but the talent manager allegedly confirmed that it was indeed Veneracion making these requests.
In response, the Tarlac City Information Office released a statement on January 18 through its Facebook page, contradicting the claims. The statement emphasized that there had been no communication with Mr. Veneracion’s team and that the negotiation with a private company seeking his participation was incomplete, without specifying the company.
Veneracion’s team countered Carballo’s assertions, stating that they are considering legal options against the writer-director. Meanwhile, Carballo appeared to have disabled his Facebook messenger at the time of writing.
