BOY ABUNDA with (from left) Dawn Zulueta, Gelli de Belen and Aiko Melendez. PHOTO from Backroom Inc.
“I didn’t call her sister names,” said TV host Boy Abunda, who is currently engaged in a verbal tussle with the sister of a property manager of a high-end condominium building in Taguig City.
Abunda and cohost Kris Aquino aired their comment on the program “Aquino and Abunda Tonight” on Nov. 21, on what they said was “discriminatory” treatment against domestic helpers by the administration of Icon Residences.
In a memorandum, property manager Katherine Garrido asked unit owners and tenants to instruct their “household employees, i.e., drivers, housemaids…” to use the service elevators instead of the passenger elevators. The memo was posted on Facebook, not by Garrido. Her sister, Annete Aguado, posted a reaction to Abunda and Aquino’s commentary on her own FB account on Nov. 22.
“I didn’t drag her sister’s name ‘through muck and mire,’ as she said. It was a commentary on a memo,” Abunda insisted. “It was not done for better ratings, or because Kris and I wanted to become more popular.”
In her statement, Aguado said: “The team of Aquino and Abunda castigated my sister as if she had committed murder for sending out a memo implementing a policy [observed] in condominiums, hotels, hospitals, etc.”
Taken personally
Abunda said, “What was [only] implied was worse—that maids should not be seen because they’re not nice to look at. I take this personally. I have relatives who are domestic helpers in Hong Kong.”
He added: “I mentioned her sister simply because she signed the memo. I understand that she came in defense of her sister. I’d do the same for mine.”
Abunda made the statement during the launch of Backroom Inc.’s social media portal (www.backroom.ph) Tuesday night at Astoria Chardonnay in Pasig City. The website connects the public to their favorite Backroom artists in different social media platforms.
“My senior employees own the company now,” said Abunda. “I am now chairman emeritus, which means I’m no longer actively involved [in operations]. This event was their idea.”
Mariel Rodriguez, Bianca Gonzalez and Drew Arellano hosted the event. Spotted were other Backroom talents like Dawn Zulueta, Julius Babao, Karen Davila, Amy Perez, Sitti Navarro, Gelli de Belen, Tintin Bersola-Babao, K Brosas, Aiko Melendez, Pooh, GB Sampedro and Arnold Reyes.