MANILA — The cast of “Viral Scandal” came to the defense of their former fellow Kapamilya stars who opted to switch networks, amid the twin crises of the ABS-CBN broadcast shutdown and the coronavirus pandemic.

Led by Charlie Dizon, Dimples Romana, Joshua Garcia, and Jake Cuenca, the cast members spoke candidly on the topic in “Unscripted” interviews released on Tuesday.

“Naiintindihan ko na lahat ng bagay may dahilan,” Dizon said. “Siguro part din ‘yun ng growth nila, o talagang may pangangailangan kaya talagang kailangan nila magtrabaho.”

Cuenca responded similarly, saying, “At the end of the day, kailangan mo pa rin mag-uwi ng pagkain para sa pamilya mo, eh.”

“Maraming ibang artist ana hindi natin alam ang pinagdadaanan nila sa gitna ng pandemya. Hindi natin alam kung nakapag-ipon sila,” he added.

For Garcia, transferring to another network simply means finding a job and keeping productive.

“Siguro iyon ‘yung way nila to cope sa nangyayari sa atin, sa sitwasyon natin ngayong pandemic. Lahat tayo, parang feeling natin naabandonahan tayo, parang wala tayong ginagawa,” he said.

Both Cuenca and Romana pointed out that local showbiz is a small world, were former co-workers would eventually cross paths and even get to collaborate again.

“For me, at the end of the day, maliit lang naman ang industriya,” Cuenca said. “Magkikita-kita rin naman tayo ulit. Magkakatrabaho tayo ulit. There are still movies.”

Romana addressed the so-called network wars, saying: “Mga tao tayo. Hindi natin kailangan tingnan ang isa’t isa na para bang magkakaaway tayo. Ang liit lang industriyang ito. Hirap na hirap na nga tayong gumalawa. Kailangan pa ba talaga nating isipin ‘yun?”

The other cast members who shared their take on the topic were Jameson Blake, Karina Bautista, Aljon Mendoza, Maxene Magalona, Vance Larena, and Miko Raval.

“Viral Scandal” will air starting November 15 as part of ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida lineup. It will be broadcast via Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, TV5, iWantTFC, TFC, WeTV, and iflix.