KUNG MINSAN, HINDI talaga maiiwasan na madala tayo o maging ‘so at home’ sa mga binibitiwan nating pananalita, lalo pa’t gusto nating magpatawa sa ating kapwa. Hindi inakala ng komedyanang si Candy Pangilinan, na ang biro niyang “Tao po ako, hindi Igorot” will create such a stir sa mga nakaharap niya sa Baguio sa kanyang ginawang palabas doon.
Nu’ng nasa Guam kami, nasabi na sa akin ng manager ni Candy na si Angeli P. Valenciano na umagang-umaga eh, tumatawag na sa kanya si Candy at worried dahil hindi pa tapos ang mga eksena nito sa Only You at kailangan na niyang magbiyahe patungong Baguio para sa show niya that afternoon. At noon pa lang pinakawalan sa kanyang taping ang komedyana.
And now, hindi mapigilan ni Candy ang mag-iiyak, dahil kaliwa’t kanang pagtuligsa ang inabot niya sa mga e-mail, text, at internet blog, na nagpapahayag ng galit sa kanya ng mga taga-Baguio. Kaya, ‘eto naman ang paliwanag ni Candy, na mula sa kanyang puso eh, humihingi hindi lang ng paumanhin kundi patawad sa kanyang mga napasama ang loob sa nasabing pagkakataon.
“Mali ako. Hidi po ‘yun ang gusto kong iparating. Sorry po.
“I am truly sorry because I uttered an insensitive statement during the event. I did not mean to hurt anyone, especially, our Igorot brothers and sisters. It was a careless remark and for that I am truly sorry. The harm was done and regardless of what explanation I give and whatever my intention was when I uttered such words, any defense would not matter at this point. I was wrong. I clearly remember that I did apologize for the careless statement I said during the show. Comedians have a tendency to go overboard and say the wrong things to catch those punchlines and sometimes, one can get reckless. Truly I am sorry for my mistake. I have learned a precious lesson and I am sorry that I had to hurt people in the process.
“I sincerely wanted to be a part of the community and delivered the lines correctly. I had no sleep that day and was very tired. In all of my shows I try to make it a point to let my audiences feel that I am a part of and one with them. If you were there and had finished the show, you would have heard me acknowledge my mistake. I apologized, and explained myself. I even went on to uplift the Benguet/Igorot Community. I am very proud of their contribution to society. I, as a person and a Filipino would never intentionally discriminate nor disrespect my roots, my ancestors, and my fellow Filipinos.
“In summary I pray that people would realize that I do not look down on anyone of a different race, heritage, or religion. Again, I am deeply sorry. I hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me though it may be difficult to understand why I did it. There are certain things we regret saying in our life, and this was one major error! And may the Lord Jesus Christ forgive me and release me from such a major blunder.”
The Pillar
by Pilar Mateo
