Several public personalities, including members of P-pop girl group BINI, GAT’s Ethan David, and solo artist Shawn Castro, have addressed a controversial video that recently circulated online and drew backlash from fans and netizens.
On Thursday, May 8, each of the involved individuals released their respective statements apologizing for the incident, which has been widely criticized for its perceived insensitivity.
BINI posted a message on their official social media pages, acknowledging the public’s disappointment:
“We know that the past couple of days have been triggering and disappointing for all of you. Sincerely, we understand where all of those feelings are coming from.”
They went on to explain the context of the video, which featured the group members in what they described as a private moment with friends:
“The video shows a private moment of us with friends. We definitely did not intend to hurt anyone in the process. We offer no excuse for our actions, reactions, and choice of words. We take full accountability. Nagkamali kami.”
The message, signed by all eight members, expressed remorse and sought forgiveness from their supporters:
“We deeply regret our mistake and sincerely apologize to our Blooms, friends, families, and the general public. We humbly ask for a chance to reflect on and learn from our mistakes and continue to work on becoming better versions of ourselves. Maraming salamat po sa inyong malasakit, suporta, at pang-unawa.”
Ethan David, known for his role in Ang Mutya Ng Section E and as a member of the newly debuted boy group GAT, issued his statement via Viva Artists Agency. He admitted to performing inappropriate gestures in the video, which he intended as a joke but acknowledged were offensive:
“I understand how offensive my actions appeared, and as a person aho wants to show only the best of myself, I have let everyone down.”
“Humihingi po ako ng kapatawaran sa mga nasaktan at nadisappoint sa akin. Nais ko pong ipahayag na malaki po ang respeto ko sa lahat ng mga tao lalong lalo na sa kababaihan, at anumang napakita kong kamalian sa kumalat na video ay hindi po sumasalamin sa mga pinahahalagahan ko bilang tao. Hinding hindi po ito mauulit.”
Shawn Castro, another personality seen in the video, also took to his Instagram Stories to express his apology. He admitted the joke made in the video was in poor taste:
“Inaamin po namin na mali kami in so many ways with that joke. Masyado po kaming naging komportable at masaya sa mga ginagawa [o] sinasabi namin. Hindi po magandang biro ‘yun, especially sa kung pano siya nakita sa nasabing video.”
The video initially surfaced on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and appears to have been leaked. In it, BINI members Jhoanna, Colet, and Stacey are seen alongside Ethan and Shawn during the controversial moment.
At present, the identity of the person who originally posted or leaked the clip remains unknown.