Their performance during the birthday performance of a Liberal Party congressman has been described in different ways—controversial, offensive, lewd, and exploitative.
But members of girl group The Playgirls and their manager maintain that they have done nothing wrong.
In a series of Facebook posts on Saturday, the group’s manager Michael Tupaz cleared the air and reacted to various news stories involving his wards.
“Wala talagang masama kasi it was just entertainment. Trabaho lang, walang personalan. (There really was nothing wrong, because we were just providing entertainment. We were just doing our job, nothing personal),” Tupaz said.
He also thanked former President and now Manila mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada and Laguna representative Benjie Agarao for saying that there was nothing malicious with their performance.
The group, along with Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino and Agarao, got into hot water when a video of their twerking performance during the congressman’s birthday celebration after an LP event made the rounds in the internet. In the footages that circulated, the girls were seen wearing sexy outfits while performing suggestive dances with some of the male audience members.
READ: Tolentino gets flak for ‘surprise gift’ at LP event
The event’s host repeatedly said that the girls’ performance was a surprise gift of Tolentino for Agarao. But both have denied such claim.
We will continue to twerk
Tupaz said that the Playgirls should not be blamed for the controversy.
“Bakit Playgirls ang sinasabi na nagbunga ng iskandalo (Why are the Playgirls being blamed for the scandal)? We were just invited to perform in a birthday event. The booker knows Playgirls and the form of their entertainment since she has booked Playgirls many times. If we weren’t approved to perform in the birthday event, we wouldn’t be there in the first place,” Tupaz explained.
It turned out that the Playgirls were previously invited by Tolentino to campaign for his brother in 2013. They also performed during the campaign sorties of suspended Laguna governor ER Ejercito and other LP politicians.
READ: LOOK: Playgirls thank Tolentino for hiring them for brother’s 2013 campaign | What Went Before: Playgirls in political gatherings
Tupaz, however, maintained that his wards who performed in Agarao’s birthday celebration were part of a new batch and that they do not personally know Tolentino.
He also said that the people who were in the event enjoyed their performance.
Most of his posts were accompanied by the phrase “twerk pa more,” which only signals that they will continue to perform the hit—albeit suggestive—dance move in their numbers. IDL