It seems like Viva Artists Agency (VAA) won’t simply let go of Nadine Lustre as one of its artists, even after she announced that she “terminated” her ties with her longtime management.
Viva has issued a response to Nadine’s camp on Friday, saying that the actress’ contract with them is “valid and subsisting.”
Viva explained that Nadine, along with her parents, inked her first agreement with the agency in 2009. She then signed further contracts “to extend their exclusive agency and agreement until June 2029.”
“All the elements of a valid contract are present in Nadine’s Agreement, namely: consent of the parties; object certain, which is the subject matter of the contract; and cause of the obligation which is established,” it said.
Nadine’s comp, via Atty. Lorna Kapunan, earlier said they are ready to fight against the entertainment giant in court after it threatened to sue the 26-years-old actress, adding that it is time that “a David strikes out a goliath that has taken advantage of young artists in the industry for the longest time.”
[READ: Camp of Nadine Lustre says they’re ready to fight Viva in court]
Viva, however, said that this is not a David versus Goliath scenario, but a matter of “respect for the law, contractual commitments, and good faith in professional relationships.”
The agency also belied Kapunan’s “malicious and unjustified” claim that it took advantage of its artists, saying that it established its business on “trust and fairness.”
“The talents developed by VIVA that turned into stars in the industry are countless. VIVA’s roster of artists, past and present, is a testament to its reputation in the industry and it will not allow its goodwill to be tarnished by conjectures and motherhood statements not supported by facts,” it said.
Viva said Nadine’s contract was actually mutually beneficial.
As an agency, Viva is required to invest their “time, resources, and goodwill” on Nadine, which includes investing in workshops and talent training for Nadine, pairing her with an equally popular actor in a love team, producing movies, preparing her for her roles, among others.
In return, Nadine should abide by the terms and agreements of her contract with Viva such as appearing in tapings, shows, and events, perform roles in films that she agreed to do, and coordinate with Viva on project and endorsements, among others.
“Nadine benefitted as VIVA built and established her career in showbusiness appearing in countless shows, events, and movies, while VIVA received compensation to recover their investments in Nadine and earn a profit,” Viva said.
It added that the actress “cannot simply turn her back on her contractual commitments after she received benefits as a VIVA talent.”
Kapunan’s claim that Viva did not respond to any of the letters they sent was also not true, according to the agency.
“We have the letter bearing the stamp of Atty. Kapunan’s law office showing that they received it on 21 October 2019. In fact, Atty. Kapunan replied to our letter on 04 November 2019,” it said.
The news about Nadine leaving Viva came a few weeks after it was reported that she and her ex-boyfriend James, who was also Viva’s former talent, broke up.
Their loveteam, known as JaDine, started when both of them starred in the 2014 romantic-comedy film Diary ng Panget which was well received by the public.