Ogie Diaz weighed in on whether he is still open to managing his former talent, Liza Soberano.
In an interview on the Rated R: The Rico Hizon Podcast, Ogie said he would first consider Liza's wishes before making any decision.
"Alam mo ang daming nagtatanong sa akin niyan... Ang lagi kong sagot let's see kasi unang-una gusto ba ni Liza? Dun ako manggagaling eh," he pointed out.
Ogie added that if Liza approaches him about working together again, they would need to discuss the direction of her career. "[I will tell her] kung gusto mo anak, ito pag-uusapan natin. Ito dapat ang baguhin natin, ito dapat ang manatili sa'yo 'yung hinahanap-hanap nila ng mga fans mo sa'yo dapat ibalik mo, dahil sila rin ang dahilan kung bakit ka sumikat, mga ganyan. Alam ko naman na makakabalik si Liza, kahit hindi ako manager niya," he said.
He also expressed support for Liza's dream of making it in Hollywood. "Sinabi ko rin sa kanya 'yan na support ako dun sa kanyang Hollywood dream kasi gusto talaga niya ma-penetrate ang Hollywood... Mukhang lang niya ang ganda-ganda, hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin nagbabago, ang ganda pa rin ni Liza, di ba?" he said.
In the same interview, Ogie expressed his joy to have reconnected with Liza recently after the latter replied to his birthday message for her. "Sobra na akong ano nun happy. Grabe. Isang ano 'yun, parang baby step ba. 'Pag nakita ko siya ako pa ang lalapit sa kanya. Twelve years, babaliwalain mo ba 'yun, iyong pinagsamahan namin ng bata. Ako pa 'yung naging second dad niya," Ogie remarked.
When asked if he has an ideal scenario in mind on how he would want to see Liza again, Ogie replied: "Biglaan dapat, 'yung aksidente lang na nagkita kami, iyon 'yung genuine para sa akin eh kasi 'pag nagkikitata kayo, 'Magkita tayo,' siyempre aaralin mo na kung anong sasabihin mo, anong iku-kwento mo. Ito kapag biglaan mas raw."
Ogie exchanged messages with Liza in January this year, which was their first communication in three years after their talent management engagement ended in 2022.
In a previous episode of Ogie Diaz Showbiz Update, the television host revealed that the interaction took place after he tagged Liza in a birthday greeting he posted on Instagram Stories on January 4.
READ: Ogie Diaz and Liza Soberano exchange messages, mark first communication in three years
According to Ogie, Liza responded to his greeting for her. "Sabi niya, 'Thank you, Tito Ogie. I hope you and the family are doing well,'" he relayed.
The host expressed his hope to be able to talk to Liza again in person in the future. "I am so happy na okay kami ni Liza. Alam mo simpleng message niya or reply niya sa aking IG Story, naku malaking bagay 'yun sa akin. Sana one of these days magkita kami, mag-usap kahit off-cam, off the record," he remarked.
He added that their recent interaction online showed there were no lingering hard feelings between them. "Natuwa ako. Para mag-message ng ganun si Liza so wala siyang sama ng loob sa akin. Ako rin naman nung minessage ko siya, ay hindi wala na. Ang tatanda na namin, hindi ba? Kumbaga, ano 'yun magtatanim ka ba ng sama ng loob? Once upon a time, naging anak mo 'yan. Nabigyan ka rin naman ng magandang career because of Liza," he stated.