‘Vanessa Hudgens doesn’t deserve the bashing’: Eyewitness accounts of Paul Soriano incident at Manila presscon

MANILA, Philippines (Updated April 1, 1:45 p.m.) —  “Vanessa Hudgens is so sweet and accommodating. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this.”

This has been the main message of a reporter who personally witnessed the supposed hullabaloo that happened at Hollywood star Vanessa Hudgen’s press conference in Bonifacio Global City yesterday.

Philstar.com was also at the event to cover and spoke with several media personalities present. We choose not to name these press people to spare them from bashing or further scrutiny.

According to non-eyewitness claims, director Paul Soriano, who is directing Hudgens’ travel documentary about her Filipino heritage, was seen shouting and causing a commotion because he allegedly hates the press. But according to eyewitness accounts, including that of Philstar.com, Soriano did not maltreat or argue with the press. Philstar.com has interviewed Soriano several times before, and never had an issue with the director, who was actually very pleasant and quotable.

“What I saw is that Paul was arguing with a staff, not the press, because he was surprised that there were one-on-one interviews after the presscon, and he seemed to be not informed about this,” a reporter told Philstar.com in an online call this morning. 

“But Paul never raised his voice. Hindi n’ya rin kami pinalayas (He also did not impolitely dispatched the press),” the reporter attested.

One of Soriano's staff members reached out to Philstar.com and clarified that the director knew there were one-on-one interviews, he just wanted to rush things up because they still had to shoot more scenes for the documentary before Vanessa flew out.

Another reporter affirmed to Philstar.com that the interviews were indeed cut, so a prominent TV host, who came very early to the event in anticipation of an exclusive interview, was unable to do so. 

Another reporter told Philstar.com in a separate online call that she spoke with the TV personality who was cut and the TV host was indeed “frustrated” to be unable to interview, but according to the reporter, as a journalist, the TV host understands that this happens and interviewees have the right to refuse interviews. As consolation, the TV host was able to take pictures with Vanessa, a privilege that not many media people had at the presscon. Other reporters were actually even very thankful to Paul for the interview opportunities.

When asked why food was not served to many media members at the event, one of Paul’s staff told Philstar.com in an online call this morning that it was no longer the director’s fault anymore since contrary to claims, he did not order to deprive the media members with food and this did not have anything to do with the alleged commotion.

After the interviews were cut, Philstar.com and other remaining media members heard Vanessa singing “Dahil Sa’yo” behind closed curtains because it is said to be going to be included in her travel documentary. 

A reporter told Philstar.com that she was told by a staff that the media was dispersed earlier than expected to give way for Paul’s wife Toni Gonzaga to have an interview exclusive with Vanessa.

All the while, the Hollywood star was praised because amid the commotion, she remained “very calm and composed.”

The reporter feels that Vanessa does not deserve to be bashed just because Soriano, a President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. supporter, is directing her travel documentary.

“She had no complaints or anything bad to say about her stay here in the Philippines,” the reporter told Philstar.com.

“I know that if she could only do so and she has no flight to catch, she’s so nice that she would accommodate everyone who would like to interview her.”

Philstar.com has reached out to Soriano for comment, but is yet to hear from the director.

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