Ruby Rodriguez opens up about her Eat Bulaga exit

Did Ruby Rodriguez leave or was she fired?
Ruby Rodriguez has been a co-host of Eat Bulaga! for thirty-one years, so many were surprised when she was no longer seen on T.A.P.E. Inc.’s longest-running noontime show on GMA-7.

Whenever she is asked about her departure from Eat Bulaga, Ruby often answers, “ask them” because she doesn’t know what to say either.

When she was interviewed by entertainment writers at the Viva Artists Agency virtual media conference held this Monday morning, May 31, 2021, Ruby thought a little when asked if the incident caused her any pain or suffering.

“Aaahh, how do I say it? I’m thinking big or small.

“I don’t know if the word is pain or disappointed, because of course I’ve been with you for 31 years and just like that.

“I mean, no appreciation? I mean, that was my only question,” Ruby replied.

TELLING ABOUT HER PLAN TO VIC AND PAULEEN
Ruby confessed that Vic Sotto and Pauleen Luna were the first to know about her plan in 2020 to work in America because the couple are her friends.

She said she was unable to say goodbye to her other colleagues at Eat Bulaga! because the enforced quarantine was suddenly declared on March 15, 2020, which caused the live broadcast of their noontime program to stop.

She said, “We were unable to say goodbye because we were still doing Bulaga in March 2020 when the pandemic suddenly hit.

“How do you say goodbye to them?

“After talking to Boss Tony Tuviera [president and CEO of TAPE, Inc.], I haven’t filed for a leave of absence yet. Our agreement is still verbal.

“I’ll just file for the March 2020 leave if I leave.”

“I’m not leaving yet, why would I file ‘coz I’m going to file it a month before I leave.”

DID RUBY LEAVE EAT BULAGA?

Ruby answered the question of many whether she was fired or left Eat Bulaga.

She stated, “Actually, I didn’t leave because I gave my permission that I was just going on a leave of absence

“Mr. Tuviera told me, ‘You will always have a home here in Eat Bulaga.’ And of course, I expected that.

“So, when they started going on air, it’s their decision who they’ll bring back.

“The only one who can answer whether I was fired or not is them. That’s why I always say, ‘Please ask them.’

“I don’t know how they will answer it. If they were going to say, ‘Is this a leave?’

“I don’t know what their decision was, but it’s management’s decision, and we always respect that.

“With regards if they take you out just like that, they just drop you like a hot potato, I think it’s them who can answer that.”

Ruby’s loss of Eat Bulaga was a humbling experience! She said her relationship with God and her family became stronger.

“It’s a very humbling experience and it made me realize that in these times, this much hardship and pain, you can only rely on your family and you’ve got to have faith with God.

“I just pray to keep me strong and not to lose hope.”

Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph) will remain open on behalf of Eat Bulaga! management regarding Ruby Rodriguez’s statements

Ruby Rodriguez bares real reason for leaving ‘Eat Bulaga’ after 31 years

Was Ruby Rodriguez fired from “Eat Bulaga”?

The comedian and noontime TV show host broke her silence on the issue in a Viva press conference early this week.

“It’s been a long time since I really planned to break up,” Ruby began her tell-all in a virtual teleconference with Philstar.com, The STAR and other media outlets.

“As everybody knows, my son, and I’m not ashamed, I’m very proud of him. My son is a special student and despite that, he has a very rare autoimmune disease that’s hard to pronounce, it’s called Henoch-Schonlein purpura. What’s left is the kidneys. It’s very rare. Usually, when it attacks, it should be one time. It’s just that it’s chronic, so it’s rare. It shouldn’t be permanent, (but) when it does, it’s so direct that it damaged his kidneys.”

While some of her son’s medical procedures were done and are possible to be done in Manila, there are medications and other technologies that are only available in the US as of the moment.

“We have to bring him here (US), since he’s a citizen, to get the medical treatment… We’re avoiding that he gets dialysis at a very young age or the worst case scenario is the kidney transplant because he’s too young… So, since he needs medical treatment here, why isn’t the mother here?”

Her son’s condition, she stressed, was the real reason why she decided to supposedly take a leave of absence from “Eat Bulaga.”

“Family first! It’s my son. Why are we working? For my children. Especially for him. For AJ,” she said.

Leave of Absence
It was a well-thought of, not a drastic decision, to leave the show, as she was supposed to leave for US last year and not this year, as what happened.

“I had a meeting with GMA to do ‘Owe My Love.’ That was January (last year). I told them that I’m leaving April for the US for my son and then for my work.”

Her US departure was postponed by the pandemic, so she was able to finish shooting the GMA romantic TV series “Owe My Love.”

“When the pandemic started, we (‘Eat Bulaga’ hosts) were all separated already. When we went back on air, we were just on the sides, and when I wasn’t called back, maybe because I already talked to the management that I was supposed to leave, that I did ask for LOA, Leave of Absence,” she disclosed.

“So the questions that others asked, ‘Were you fired?’ or ‘Are you the one who left?’ I didn’t leave because I said goodbye and said I was just taking a leave of absence. Mr. Tuviera told me back then, ‘You will always have a home here at ‘Eat Bulaga’.’ And of course, I expected that. So, when they decided to go on air, it’s their decision who they’re going to bring back. So, I don’t know. The only one who can answer whether I was fired or not is them.”

When the program went on air again, she has not filed her leave then, but she always respects the management’s decision.

“With regards to did they take you out or dropped you like a hot potato, maybe it’s them who can answer that.”

No goodbyes
Ruby crushed rumors saying that she left the show because she had a falling out with her co-hosts.

“We’re far apart, I’m not doing the hosting gig there in ‘Eat Bulaga’ but we still talk, the hosts, I mean, regularly. We still text, we still talk to each other, especially my friend, of course. Pauleen (Luna-Sotto) and I talk to each other all the time.”

She admitted, however, that only Vic Sotto, his wife Pauleen, and their co-hosts Allan K and Luane Dy are the only ones she spilled her plans to.

“With Bossing and Poleng, when I was just planning this, including when I was applying for a job, they really knew because they’re my closest friends. They already know. The others didn’t.”

She regretted not being able to say goodbye not only to her co-hosts but also to their audience.

“So I didn’t really know how to say goodbye because we left in March when the pandemic suddenly hit. So how do you say goodbye to them? Then when I spoke to the boss, I hadn’t filed for leave yet. Our agreement was just verbal because I would file for leave in March if I left. I’m not leaving yet so why would I file? Because I was going to file it a month before I leave.”

Ruby confessed that she felt hurt when she was not called back to host again when the show resumed its operations after taking a break on-air due to lockdown restrictions.

“I don’t know if it’s pain or disappointed because of course, I’ve been with you for 31 years, just like that. Is there no appreciation? I mean, that’s all I asked.”

But even if the show called her, she also would leave for her son’s treatment.

“I’m really leaving. Even though it was supposed to be when we were sent back to host, I’m still really leaving. It was really planned, but hopefully, I was able to say goodbye nicely to the Dabarkads, to the Dabarkads who were watching that I was suddenly gone. I can’t say goodbye because I’m going to be in trouble with the show. People will still think you were kicked out. People will still think that you’re the one who left.”

Pauleen was sad when Ruby left, but she always checks on Ruby even if the comedian is now working with the Philippine consulate in Los Angeles, California.

Likewise, Ruby has been receiving messages on when she will be back on the show — and the answer, she said, is with “Eat Bulaga” because she never closed her doors to return.

“I don’t know, honestly. Do you know, I’m coming back? We don’t know.