Vice Ganda explained why he’s withdrawing his intention to issue an apology to a male contestant whom he accused of stealing a kiss from his fellow contestant.
The hosts of the Kapamilya noontime show, led by Vice, released their official statement addressing the controversial incident during the program’s popular segment, “EXpecially For You”.
The male contestant, identified as Axel Cruz, faced online backlash after he was “mistaken” for attempting to kiss the female contestant, Maria Christine, following his elimination from the segment.
Both contestants had eventually clarified the situation on their social media pages, insisting that Axel had “no intention” of kissing her and that his action was meant to be a “comforting” gesture, which was then misinterpreted by the hosts.
This prompted Vice to issue a brief statement on his X account, acknowledging the misinterpretation and sharing his willingness to reach out to Axel and apologize for his reaction during the episode.
However, on the Tuesday episode of It’s Showtime on June 4, Vice directly stated that he is withdrawing his intention to apologize after having a thorough discussion with Axel and Maria Christine.
“Binabawi ko ‘yung twineet ko na I will say an apology because I do not need to apologize for what I did. Ito po ang aking paniniwala at paniniwala din namin na hindi namin kinakailangan mag-apologize because what we did was right,” Vice stated.
After a follow-up discussion with Maria Christine, assisted by the program’s crew and psychologists, it was revealed that she did feel “off” and “uncomfortable” about Axel’s gesture, contradicting her earlier statement on TikTok.
Contrary to her previous video statement on TikTok, the female searcher explained why she had to clarify the interaction which the hosts did not disclose.
“Nirerespeto namin ang dahilan kung bakit sinabi niya ‘yon na hindi siya na-off when in reality , na-off talaga siya,” the host said on behalf of the contestant.
“At since na-off si Christine, naniniwala ako na hindi mali na cinall-out namin si Axel dahil karapatan ng isang babae na tumanggi o umalma kung para sa kanya, para sa pakiwari niya ay hindi siya komportable sa ikikilos ng sinoman sa harapan niya.
“Kung hahawakan man siya hahalikan man siya aakbayan man siya tatapikin man siya . karapatan po ng babae ang tumanggi at umalma, at ‘yun po ang nakita namin nung araw na ‘yun.”
The host asserted that it was their duty to protect their guest and address the issue.
“Dahil obligasyon rin po namin. Imagine kung may ganung pangyayari merong boundary na natapakan pero wala kaming ginawa, iko-call out niyo rin kami. at Bilang main host po nung segment na ‘yon, it was my duty to call that action out.
“Ginawa po namin yon para protektahan ang aming guest din na hindi matapakan ang kanyang boundary bilang isang babae noong puntong ‘yon,” he added.
Co-hosts Karylle and Teddy Corpuz supported this stance, noting that the discomfort was apparent from their perspective as well.
Karylle observed that Christine’s body reacted automatically, while Teddy noted the angle that made it less visible on TV but clear to those present.
“Nung nakita ko nung time na ‘yun, talagang nahawi niya. Minsan kasi ‘yung katawan nagrereact siya automatic, ‘di ba?, asserted Karylle.
Teddy added, “Although parang hindi kita sa tv eh ung anggulo pero sa anggulo namin dito sa hosts pati yung ibang nanonood [nakita rin].”
Following the incident, Vice personally spoke with Axel, and expressed his appreciation for Axel’s understanding and willingness to learn from the incident.
“Nauunawaan niya po ang nangyari at kinapupulatan niya ng aral. ‘Yun ang maganda po kay Axel,” Vice relayed.
He also acknowledged Christine’s reasons for her TikTok statement, saying, “Si Christine din naman po nauunawaan namin siya, and again, may dahilan siya kung bakit niya nasabi yon sa TikTok na okay siya.”
Vice asked the public, on behalf of It’s Showtime hosts and staff, to refrain from bashing and shaming Axel and Maria Christine, and instead allow them to process and learn from the incident.
