Kapuso “Pinoy Big Brother” housemate Shuvee Etrata trended after old videos of her praising the effects of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign in her hometown resurfaced online.
Circulating spliced clips from Shuvee’s past livestream showed her reacting in the Cebuano language to Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with the controversial war on drugs during his presidency.
The session was allegedly broadcast the same month the former president was flown to The Hague.
In a trending Reddit post, one user translated her statement: “Naiyak talaga ako kagabi, empath kasi ako. Kasi sa lugar namin, ang laki ng naitulong ni PRRD. Like ang drugs talaga guys, ang laki niyan na thing. (Hindi ko lang alam sa inyo) pero nagpapasalamat talaga ako kay Duterte.”
Shuvee hails from Bantayan Island in Cebu.
The remarks drew backlash from anti-Duterte netizens, who criticized the fast-rising star for defending the ex-president, who, as of Tuesday, Sept. 23, is facing three counts of murder before the ICC in relation to his administration’s drug war.
On X (formerly Twitter), a post calling out Shuvee’s resurfaced video amassed over nine million views and more than 16,000 likes, with the caption: “Praising Duterte?? In the big year of 2025???”
Other clips from the same livestream also showed Shuvee sharing that she had reached out to former presidential daughter Kitty Duterte following her father’s detainment in The Hague, Netherlands.
Though she didn’t specifically mention the circulating clips, Shuvee appeared to address them through an apologetic Instagram Story posted on Tuesday evening, Sept. 23.
In her statement, she acknowledged how her past remarks “caused hurt to some” and that she was taking responsibility for it.
“I’m deeply grateful for the support many of you have shown. Bago lang po lahat to sa akin. Kaya pasensya na po sa lahat ng na-disappoint at nasaktan ko. I understand that what I said in the past caused hurt to some and I take responsibility for it,” she wrote.
The actress and TV host explained that she had always chosen to avoid speaking about politics, noting its “very divisive” nature, but stressed that what mattered most to her now was standing up for the country and speaking against corruption.
“Sa totoo lang po, iniwasan ko po talaga ang magsalita tungkol sa politics dahil napaka-divisive nito. Ang mas mahalaga sa akin ngayon ay ang mahalin ang bayan at manindigan laban sa sumisira nito tulad ng korapsyon. LALO NA PO NGAYON,” penned Shuvee.
She further stressed that she had learned from the experience and was determined to widen her perspective about such matters.
“Huwag po kayong mag-alala, natuto na po ako. Lalawakan ko pa po ang pag-iisip ko para sa ating lahat. I will continue to learn and grow,” she added.
Shuvee ended her message by affirming her love for the country and her commitment to stand with the Filipino people: “Mahal ko po kayo at mahal ko ang Pilipinas lalo na sa panahon ngayon. I stand for and with the Filipino people—always.”
