Philippine Showbiz Today
November 8 - 21, 2018
Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015
Regine Velasquez has
a message for her
online bashers
New Kapamilya star Regine
Velasquez has been appealing to
the public to quit the criticisms on
her family following her transfer
from GMA network.
It has been weeks since she
had officially moved to ABS-CBN,
but people still continued to place
negative comments on her social
media posts.
Her friends in the industry,
including her husband Ogie
Alcasid, have also posted
messages of support amid the
heavy online bashing.
As of writing, she had turned
off the comments section on her
recent Instagram posts.
Online harassment
Velasquez’ being declared a
“certified Kapamilya” last October
17, 2018 triggered the criticisms
and speculations.
These were mostly directed
at Alcasid alleging he influenced
her to follow him there.
Asia’s Songbird that day
clarified that she only asked her
husband’s help to set up a meeting
with the ABS-CBN management,
but the decision was all hers.
“People have been saying this
was his idea. Actually, hindi. It was
really me. I did ask for his help
— to set up a meeting with [ABS-
CBN executives]. It was really me
who decided,” Velasquez said.
It did not end there, though.
On October 28, she shared a
screenshot of comments with
offensive content placed on one of
her posts. The Instagram account
of the person who made these
remarks is no longer active.
It was the next day, on
October 29, when she addressed
those harassing her online and
asked them to stop including
Alcasid and Nate, their seven-
year-old son, in the tirades they
throw at her.
“Maybe you guys can stop
insulting me, my husband and
my son. Lumipat lang po ako ng
network hindi ako pumatay ng
tao,” Velasquez said.
She also added that she was
grateful to the memories she
built with her former employer,
countering those who say
otherwise.
“Again I’m grateful for my
20 years in GMA. I made a lot
of friends there and I have great
memories being a Kapuso,” she
said.
Velasquez also thanked those
who support her from the start of
her career.
Alcasid on Twitter also made
a similar message to those airing
harmful messages on social
media.
“Ang hirap maglabas ng
pansariling saloobin sapagka’t
marami ang nakaabang na
bumatikos Kahit mas nakararami
rin naman ang nakikisimpatya.
ang hirap minsan,” he said.
The photos Velasquez shared
in the following days included
a hashtag Kapamilya in the
caption.
Support from friends
Former TV host-comedian
Arnell Ignacio, a long-time friend
of the singer, expressed his
frustrations on Facebook over
those telling her off.
Ignacio then recalled the time
when Velasquez was just known by
her nickname “Chona,” and that
she only gets to perform during
intermissions on his comedy acts
with other actors.
“Regine is a friend of mine
way back na chona velasquez pa
yan at sinisingit singit lang namin
sa sing along sa BB s kapag wala
na kaming joke. This woman
went through all the test of an
entertainer and she passed all
these with exemplary grades with
even more to give,” he said.
Ignacio is now a director at
the Overseas Workers Welfare
Administration.
Celebrated
singer-actress
Lea Salonga, meanwhile, sent her
a reminder on Twitter that she and
many others always got her back.
“Mas maraming nasa likod mo
na sumusuporta sa iyo. Yung mga
ayaw sa iyo, hindi mo kawalan.
Ang mga tunay na nagmamahal
ay laging magmamahal sa iyo,”
Salonga said.
She also described her in
the following tweet as being the “
most sincere and real people” in
the entertainment industry.
Velasquez will reportedly be a part
of a new ABS-CBN show “Idol
Philippines,” a Filipino version
of the US-based singing contest
“American Idol.” ●
- C. R Madarang, Interaksyon
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