Lea Salonga must be in her right mind when she posted in her Facebook a clarification of sort about what Jerome Vinarao, president of Center for the Arts Foundation and producer of the advocacy concert on marginalized talents at the Araneta Coliseum on November 30, 2009 billed “Echoes of Dreams,” has been spreading around she’s a close friend of hers.
According to a CAF student who requested anonymity, Vinarao had pronounced in his acting workshops his claims about his supposedly close friendship with Lea.
Reports have reached our source Jerome may still be using Salonga’s name to his favor.
In Lea’s Facebook, it is written that “Just as you know, I am not nor have I ever been a close friend of Jerome Vinarao (Echoes of Dreams). All claims to the contrary are false. As in ALL!”
So there you are.
But Vinarao has categorically denied Lea’s statement. “I never said I was close to Lea. All I said was I was a big fan of hers.”
Until the issue of a bouncing check signed and issued Jerome.
Initially, a total of P300,000.00 was to be paid to Lea in the concert as she agreed to do it for a fee.
Jerome said he issued a P100,000.00 cash and the remaining P200,000.00 in check.
As we all know by now, the check bounced.
According to Lea’s message, the bank stamped a bad check on it and announced it’s a closed account.
Sheilla Habab, Lea’s adopted sister has a mouthful to say. “In June of last year, when Jerome wanted to get Lea for the show, we told him, she would be paid P500,000.00 for seven songs. Jerome was so confident he could raise not only ten million pesos but twenty million pesos from the show so he called on the price. Until November when there was no marketing yet of the show, he asked us to lower Lea’s asking price as he couldn’t afford it. So we settled for P300,000.00 for four songs,” recalled Sheilla.
Habad had worked for Center for the Arts for at least two years and agreed to do volunteer work for the foundation because she said she believed in all its vision and mission helping the marginalized groups such as the autistic, rehabilitated drug dependents, special children, battered women and so on ventilated their musical talents in such shows as “Echoes of Dreams.”
Aside from doing and pushing up the spirit of the marginalized, Lea agreed to do the show because of her sister Sheilla.
During the performance night, the show’s suppliers and other production people were asking for advance payment otherwise they would pull out from the show. It’s Standard Operating Procedure.
In Lea’s case, it was a special arrangement since Sheilla was part of the show so no contract was made between her and the production company otherwise it’s SOP on her part being a real pro.
“So, hinabol ko si Jerome kahit na malaki ang Araneta Coliseum. He was in the control booth and I asked for the payments for the suppliers. True, he gave me P200,000.00 cash so I was able to pay the lights and sound. But there were other suppliers. I had to pay P16,000.00 for Lea’s band.
“Jerome issued checks. One was for Lea. I think it was the first check issued. He used her mom’s check book and signed them. Pero there were still checks that bounced aside from Lea. Kaya ngayon, ako ang sinisisi at hinahanap ng mga suppliers. Ako rin ang nagdurusa,” said Sheilla.
“It was a matter of priority. I had to pay the suppliers and the kids who participated. Uunahin ko silang bayaran kaysa kay Lea,” exclaimed Vinarao.
Jerome said the show was a flop. “Its net proceeds were just P9,450. I had to pay Araneta Coliseum P280,000.00 tax,” revealed Vinarao.
According to Sheilla, a P1,000,000.00 check was presented to Jerome on the night of the concert and there were organizations who gave financial support to Jerome on contract basis.
“I told them not to deposit the check until I tell them so,” said Vinarao on Lea’s balance.
The check was post dated December 5, 2009.
“Anong magagawa ko? Ini-deposit na ni Mommy (Ligaya Salonga) ang check. May text nga siya at missed call pero hindi man lang siya makatawag nang personal at mag-sorry na tumalbog ang tseke niya,” asserted Sheilla.
From among Lea’s respondents in Facebook, one of them singer Richard Poon’s manager who related he had also a disappointing anecdote on Jerome about bouncing check issued to him when Richard did a show for the Center for the Arts last year.
There are also other complaints against Vinarao in court.
“Baka ‘yong sinasabi nila ay ‘yong nasa Internet na kaso ko raw. E, wala namang pirma ang judge do’n so paano masasabing totoo nga ‘yong kaso ko?” asked Jerome.
According to the writer close to Lea, the international celebrity posted her sentiments on Facebook to say her piece and warn others of future faux pas.
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