Veteran showbiz columnist Cristy Fermin firmly denied allegations that she had named the politicians who were allegedly benefactors of actor Dominic Roque.
The denial came amid swirling rumors and speculations about the actor’s connections with the politicians, Dapitan City mayor Bullet Jalosjos and former Quezon City congressman Bong Suntay amid the ending of his relationship with his fiancée, Bea Alonzo.
During the live broadcast of Cristy FerMinute on Wednesday afternoon, February 21, the talk show host clarified her stance on the issue.
“Wala po akong binanggit na pangalan ni Mayor Bullet Jalosjos. Wala po akong sinabing siya ay benefactor ni Dominic Roque,” Cristy stated.
Fermin attributed the linking of the term “benefactor” to Jalosjos, Suntay, and other politicians to “other vloggers,” emphasizing that such claims did not originate from her.
“Ibang vloggers po ang nagkabit ng salitang yan sa kanilang dalawa at sa iba pang mga pulitiko na nadawit ang pangalan dito. Hindi po sa akin yan nagmula,” Fermin firmly said.
She reiterated, “Ako po ang nagsasabi na ni minsan, hindi ko po binitiwan ang pangalang Mayor Bullet Jalosjos. Minsan ko lang binanggit si Ginoong Bong Suntay, pero paglilinaw pa.”
“Nasaan po ang malisya? Nasaan po ang paninirang-puri sa ganyang kalagayan? Wala po akong nakikita,” Cristy stressed.
She urged the public to review all episodes of her shows, Showbiz Now Na and Cristy FerMinute, to verify her statements.
The controversy escalated when the legal representatives of Dominic Roque, issued a statement on Tuesday, condemning Fermin’s alleged statements connecting the actor to a politician who “owns the condo unit he resides in” as “malicious and defamatory.”
Following this, Jalosjos and Suntay also broke their silence to deny their allegations about their involvement with the actor, as reported by The Philippine Star.
Fermin expressed her bewilderment over being the sole target of Roque’s legal team, considering the widespread media coverage of Dominic’s breakup with Bea, which led to the cancellation of their wedding.
“Ako rin po, takang-taka dahil ito pong isyu ng paghihiwalay ni Bea Alonzo at ni Dominic Roque, na nauwi na nga po sa hindi pagkakatuloy ng kanilang kasal, ay tinalakay ng halos lahat ng mga media people — hindi lamang po sa pahayagan, ang buong social media,” Fermin pointed out her involvement.
She defended her past statements about the issue, which she said focused on possible financial problems between the ex-couple, and her pinpointing Roque’s living and career arrangements.
‘Ang unang-una ko pong sultada ay tinutukan ko po yung kasabihan nila na, ‘O, kaya siguro hindi natuloy ito dahil walang pera si Dominic Roque kasi mas mayaman sa kanya si Bea Alonzo,” Cristy recalled.
She continued,”Yung po ang nagtulak sa akin para tanungin si Dominic Roque, ‘Ano ang kanyang trabaho? Sino ang kanyang boss? At kung totoong wala siyang pera, bakit nakatira siya sa isang condominium na pagkalaki-laki po ng halaga kung uupahan?’
“Yun po yon. Puro katanungan po yon. Wala pong banggit ng kung anuman, “At napatunayan ko po na yung ngang condo unit na yon ay nakalagay sa pangalan ng isang politiko,” she added, before saying, “Wala rin pong banggit ng pangalan. Puro katanungan po yon.”
To support her defense, Fermin showcased video clips from her YouTube show, aiming to prove her non-involvement in naming any politicians directly.
She reiterated once again that it was other vloggers and netizens who dropped the names of the said politicians on social media.
“Nang lumaon po, marami na ang dumampot diyan sa kuwento. Iba-iba na pong isyu ang lumabas. Mula po doon sa pinakatinanim kong isyu, may mga vloggers po na hindi nagpapakita ng mukha kundi boses lamang na kina-crop po ang ating mga sinasabi dito sa Cristy Ferminute at sa Showbiz Now Na,” Cristy explained.
“Hanggang sa isang araw, dahil ang dami-dami na po talagang politikong nauugnay dito sa isyung ito, dahil pahulaan po, e.
The host pledged her non-involvement, saying, “Kahit sino po ang magtanong sa akin, saksi po kayo mga CFMers, saksi po kayo mga netizen, saksi po si Senator Raffy Tulfo at si Senator Jinggoy Estrada, at ang marami pa pong kaibigan na pinagkakatiwalaan ko, na pinagdamutan ko po ng pangalan ng pulitiko.”
“Puro halakhak at pasintabi lang po ang aking sinasabi,” she added.
Fermin concluded that the responsibility to clarify the issue lies with Dominic himself, suggesting that the actor should be the one to disclose the identity of the politician who owns the condo unit he occupies, not her.
