Warner Music Philippines refuted the accusation of songwriter-arranger Dennis Garcia that they used his lyrics for the song “O Lumapit Ka” without remuneration and permission.

“We didn’t use his lyrics although I’m guessing that he is pertaining to a song we used in one of Sitti’s albums which is actually ‘So Em Teus Bracos’ by Antonio Carlos Jobim---and we didn’t use it illegally. We asked for permission from Universal Records which owns the rights to the song,” an executive from the record label said.

Manila Bulletin Entertainment Online tried to verify with Garcia if that is the song in question but he couldn't be reached.

Garcia's claim stemmed from what he called Warner's "combative stance" in its statement issued Jan. 8 about the supposed “unauthorized use” of Rico Blanco’s musical composition “Posible” for the TV commercial of presidential candidate Gilbert C. Teodoro.

Aside from choosing, rewriting, and re-arranging “Posible,” it was Garcia who secured the rights for its use in Gibo’s TVC. He said that he asked and was granted permission to use the song by Viva Records and Lizza Nakpil, the erstwhile manager of Blanco.

In his statement published by a broadsheet on Jan. 12, Garcia chided Warner Music to “practice what you preach.” 

It is recalled that the label, which now manages Blanco, had urged presidential aspirant Gilbert Teodoro last week to “cease and desist" from any further broadcast of the song under threat of legal action.

“Rico Blanco is the composer and reserved all intellectual property rights to it. He has not licensed the use of the composition to any political ad campaign, nor has he assigned any of his rights to another party or to a music publisher. Rico at this time has not endorsed any political candidate, whether for President or any other elective position, and is not affiliated with any political party. Nor have his services as a composer or performer been retained by any national political campaign,” the statement read.

In response to the brouhaha which escalated over the weekend, Teodoro’s camp texted Manila Bulletin Entertainment Online the following message: 

“Gilbert C. Teodoro highly respects Mr. Blanco. He hopes everything will be settled to the satisfaction of concerned parties. Failing in that, he has instructed Greg Garcia, who produced the ads to abbreviate the use of Mr. Blanco's music." (With reports from Jocelyn Valle)