Bongbong swats Toni Gonzaga’s online bashers
Former Sen. Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. defended embattled celebrity host Toni Gonzaga against her online bashers following the publication of their one on one interview this week.
In an interview with Erwin Tulfo’s radio program on Friday, Marcos said he was surprised at the rabid reaction directed towards Toni despite her reputation as a neutral and professional host.
“Nagulat ako bakit naman inatake si Toni, ginagawa lang niya ang trabaho niya. She is a vlogger. Lahat naman iniinterview niya. Wala naman siyang pinipili. Kung tignan mo yung iniinterview niya iba-iba. Sa akin lang may reaction na ganyan,” Marcos said.
Marcos also noted that attempts at ‘canceling’ Toni seemed to have backfired because amid the maelstrom of criticisms, the episode featuring him earned more than 200,000 likes and her subscribers even grew by 100,000 following the debacle.
“Mukhang kokonti lang naman at wala namang nag-agree sa kanila dahil nung kina-cancel siya ang likes ng kanyang FB live ay 10,000 pa lang. Nung inumpisahan siyang icancel, dumami naging 200,000 plus. Kaya’t nakita natin na suportado siya sa kanyang ginagawa. Pati yung subscribers niya dumami ng isandaang libo,” Marcos added.
Cancel culture is defined in Merriam-Webster dictionary as, “a mass withdrawal of support from public figures or celebrities who have done things that aren’t socially accepted today. Also known as mass shaming, it often occurs on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.”
Marcos also praised Gonzaga’s superb hosting skill that has evolved to rival those of journalists. The former senator added that it’s the prime reason why Toni can have engaging conversations with her guests and obtain insights others cannot.
“May grupo naman talagang ganyan na kahit anong sabihin ng Marcos ay babatikusin nila yan. Yung iba diyan yan ang trabaho nila eh. Kasama yan pero bakit niyo naman inaano si Toni Gonzaga? She’s a Vlogger, she’s not a journalist although, I have to say, she does a better job than some of the journalists. Ang galing niya talagang makakuha ng impormasyon, ng background, ng kuwento na hindi nakukuha ng iba. Magaling talaga siya kasi ang sarap kausap eh,” Marcos said.
“Are they responsible? Are they looking for the truth as much as Toni Gonzaga was? I don’t know. You cannot dictate to her kung ano ang content ng channel niya. Eh channel niya yan. Her channel, her rules. Mayroong nag-quote sa akin, sinabi ko Do not let your hate overwhelm your humanity and this is a perfect example. Ang habol nga natin magkaisa dahil nasa gitna tayo ng krisis,” Marcos added.
Marcos also lashed out at critics accusing him of historical revisionism particularly when it comes to his portrayal of his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
“Kung ayaw niyo yung sinasabi ko huwag niyo akong panoorin. Wala naman akong sinasabing kasinungalingan eh. Marami silang sinasabi, alam kong kasinungalingan. Huwag silang magsasabi sa akin kung ano ang experience ko sa Tatay ko, siguro sobra naman yun. That is my experience with my father. Yan ang katotohanan. People who were close to him will attest to his character na ganun talaga. The peddling of hate, what do we get from that?” Marcos said.
“Ang habol natin ngayon ay pagkaisahin nga ang bansa para harapin ang pandemya, ekonomiya, yung mga nagkakasakit. Kailangan naman talaga tayong magtulungan imbes na paghiwa-hiwalayin tayo,” Marcos added. ###
