It’s not about the money; it’s about loyalty

They say the only constant thing in this world is change. Indeed, it has always been an inevitable event in every person’s life, one way or the other. We change our career paths, our marital statuses, our group of friends, or our day-to-day schedules — these transitions, whether good or bad, are the things that truly define who we are and how we take advantage and learn to love our life more.

Just like loyalty change in show business where stars come and go. It has become a very rare commodity, with artists shifting gears from one network to another, in hopes of finding greener pastures and for a more lucrative career path.

Network shift is never an easy thing to do especially when the marketability and staying power of an actor or actress are on the line. In GMA 7, loyalty is fully embraced by some of its artists who have remained faithful to the Kapuso Network through the years.

And this virtue is what showbiz legend German Moreno clearly knows by heart. Fondly called in the industry as “Kuya Germs,” the Master Showman chose not to jump ship to a different network because according to him, â€œpagmamahal is part of loyalty.”

“Gusto kong patunayan na yung pagkatao ni Kuya Germs na kahit sinasabi nila na hindi uso ngayon iyon. Ang sinasabi ko, ang staying power dito ay ang pagiging totoo mo, kung saan ka nagsimula, mamahalin nila yan. May motto nga ako: Pag marami kang kaibigan, marami ang nagmamahal sa iyo. Pag maraming nagmamahal sa iyo, yan ang kayamanan ni Kuya Germs at hindi ang halaga ng salapi. ”

From his humble beginnings as a janitor in Clover Theater, to his thriving career in Sampaguita Pictures, owned by the Vera-Perez family whom he is closely affiliated with, up to his ground-breaking variety shows on GMA including Germside, Germspesyal, GMA Supershow, That’s Entertainment and at present, the late-night fare Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman, Kuya Germs became the industry’s star builder extraordinaire because of his hard work, integrity, perseverance and most of all, his love for his craft.

His loyalty to all the people who gave him his big break during his heydays in the bodabil theater, those who supported his ideas and capabilities, those who helped him when he experienced hard times in his career and those who gave him the opportunity to show off his talents — for Kuya Germs, loyalty matters more than anything else, more than money.

 â€œIt’s not always about the money. It’s the principle, yung staying power mo. Kung mahal mo talaga ang isang lugar na pinakitaan ng matapat na pagsisilbi, ay ang siyang nakasanayan ko na. From Sampaguita, to the Vera-Perez minahal ako, from being a janitor, napamahal sa akin ang mga artista, lahat ng iyan ay mga natulungan ko. You give something back to the industry. Pinakikita ko sa GMA kung sino at ano ang mapapakinabangan sa isang Kuya Germs.”

Throughout his highly-celebrated career, Kuya Germs shared he had been offered to move to another TV network. But his innate loyalty principles to GMA 7 have always reigned. It was never an option for him to explore a new environment and leave his home network.

“Maraming offers na ang dumating sa akin. Ngunit hindi umiral na sa pamamagitan ng halaga ay lilipat ako. Ibig ko lang ipakita na hindi ako basta-basta aalis sa pinaglilingkuran ko na wala namang dahilan.”

One network executive says that Kuya Germs is synonymous to GMA. He has been the staunchest defender and supporter of loyalty. The relationship he has built with the owners and production staff is strong and incomparable. For Kuya Germs, it’s beyond material things.

Television stars who swear unswerving allegiance to their home network are increasingly hard to find nowadays. In GMA Network, employees and artists alike are treated as the company’s best assets. Kapuso executives adhere strongly to this guiding principle which is evidently one of the station’s core values.

As such, GMA firmly believes in the value of company loyalty. They do not merely treat their network of people as products, but as highly-respected, valuable and priceless assets worthy of sustained investment.

Like Kuya Germs, another Kapuso artist who has valued loyalty more than fame is Chynna Ortaleza. She is considered as one of GMA’s homegrown talents who remains dedicated to the network that molded and honed her talents for the past 14 years when she starred in her first TV series, Click. 

“It truly has a heart (GMA 7). What it preaches, it practices. May puso ang management sa employees at talents, tulad ko.”

It actually becomes a rewarding goal for Chynna to remain loyal to GMA since this commitment has opened doors to more career opportunities for her.

Since then, Chynna has been blessed with countless projects and assignments which groomed her into a full-fledged artist — from hosting, dancing, to acting and headlining various afternoon and primetime soaps and presently, as one of the mentors of GMA Artist Center in its acting workshops.

Many times in her life, she could have opted to steer toward a more profitable path. Yet, her unwavering loyalty prevailed.    

“Several times akong kinausap ng third parties if I wanted to move. To be completely honest, I was tempted lalo na noong panahon na wala akong projects. But my parents and I talked very seriously about it and we could not forget that it was GMA 7 who gave me the break, that it has been very kind and good to me, and the lack of projects happen to everybody, even to the very best in show business. So in the end, sa GMA pa rin, Kapuso pa rin!”

And that decision proved to be correct for Chynna. She is very much happy and contented with how the network manages her career and currently, she is cast as one of the main kontrabidas in the Afternoon Prime series, Kakambal ni Eliana.  

Committing to one company is a simple formula for Michael V. Also known as Bitoy, he is one of the network’s most talented artists who values loyalty more than anything else. Bitoy, who is presently on a cruise vacation, is a brilliant creative person whom the network has also supported. His contribution in all his shows is very personal. He is not only an on-cam talent but also joins the production from conceptualizing, brainstorming up to the final deliberation.

It’s more than just work for the artists, more than just being a Kapuso that make them stay, another GMA executive shares. Loyalty is all about the kind of relationship and trust that the network builds with its artists over the years. Everyone becomes family, and at the end of the day, because of the kind of relationship that has been built, there is forgiveness, second chances and at the core of that is trust.

And for Raymart Santiago, he has full trust on GMA 7 who has been handling his career all these years. His first show in the network was the sitcom Kool Ka Lang back in 1998 and since then, he has been given numerous projects and TV guestings that developed his potentials and acting skills. 

According to people close to Raymart, he is the best example of an artist who believes in the projects assigned to him. He is very professional on the set and every time he has a new show, he would call the team to give his own inputs and suggestions because he wants to be directly involved with it.

“I started my television career with GMA. They trusted my talent as an actor. Through the years, I matured into a better actor through the programs which I appeared in GMA. My relationship with the bosses is harmonious and they respect also my creative inputs which I impart on my projects.”

Aside from these artists, one of GMA News pillars Arnold Clavio strongly promotes loyalty, too. For many years, Arnold has chosen to show his gratitude by being equally committed and dedicated to his home network.

“I believe in the mission and vision of GMA Network. Yun din ang naging pamana ng aking namayapang ama, pagtulong na walang hinihintay na kapalit.”

Arnold is one of the most awarded broadcasters in the country. He currently co-anchors GMA Network’s late-night newscast, Saksi, with Vicky Morales. He is also part of Unang Hirit, Alisto, hosts a morning radio show on DZBB, along with his other programs on GMA News TV including Tonight With Arnold Clavio and Balita Pilipinas Primetime.