Kakai Bautista’s camp maintains actress can talk about Mario Maurer despite ‘demand’ not to do so
It seems like Kakai Bautista’s camp isn’t too happy with the management of actor Mario Maurer. This is after the Thai star's camp reportedly warned legal action against the Filipina actress if she continues to use and “attach herself” to Mario “without his knowledge or consent.”
Last week, Mario’s management Kwaonhar Nine Nine reportedly sent a letter addressed to Kakai’s management warning the actress from using the actor’s name as it equates to “improperly exploiting the name, image and reputation of (Maurer), his management, agents and representatives, and may be violating existing laws of the Republic of the Philippines and the Kingdom of Thailand.”
The letter “respectfully” demanded Kakai to “conduct herself to the rule of law” by no longer using the name of Mario “or any reference to him, directly, or indirectly.”
Mario’s camp, via the letter, said they will pursue formal charges if Kakai will continue “using the name” of Mario.
Mario and Kakai met each other while working on the 2012 movie "Suddenly It’s Magic," which the Thai actor did for local movie company Star Cinema. In previous interviews, Kakai talked about her friendship with Mario, though she later said that their relationship was not romantic.
The letter did not imply what prompted Mario’s camp from demanding Kakai not to talk about the actor.
On Tuesday, March 30, Kakai’s management responded to the letter via a statement by Kakai’s legal counsel Jude Marfil.
The statement from Kakai’s camp, which was sent to entertainment website PEP.ph, said the letter supposedly from Mario’s camp “was just forwarded through email, does not bear any letterhead, mailing address, and contact number” and that it does not have any proof that it was indeed authorized by Mario and his camp.
“We firmly and vehemently repudiate and detest in the strongest possible terms the claims of the ‘Authorized Attorney’ of Mr. Maurer’s agency against our Client. They are palpably without any factual and legal bases. Further, his claim that our Client ‘improperly exploited’ and made ‘false statements about Mr. Mario Maurer and his team already reek of libel, a crime punishable under Art. 353 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines,” ABS-CBN News quotes the statement from Kakai’s camp as saying.
Marfil added that any “factual allegations” made by Kakai about Mario are “only based on truthful occurrences.” And since Mario is a public figure, Kakai is free to talk about him and his experience with him “in the absence of a non-disclosure agreement.” The statement noted that Kakai did not have any non-disclosure agreement with Mario or his agency.
According to ABS-CBN News, Kakai had last spoken to Mario in 2013.