‘I am not evil’: An emotional Cathy Garcia-Molina breaks her silence following the complaint of two bit actors that they were humiliated by the director on the set of the TV series “Forevermore.” SCREENGRAB FROM ABS-CBN’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
“I may have my mistakes but I am not an evil person,” said director Cathy Garcia-Molina as she broke her silence on her alleged maltreatment of a substitute bit actor on the set of the defunct ABS-CBN teleserye “Forevermore.”
In an exclusive interview with Boy Abunda released on Friday night, an emotional Molina said she never intended to hurt anyone as she explained her side on the issue.
Molina was reacting to a viral “open letter” of a talent who took her grievances against the box-office director on social media.
READ: Talent, boyfriend seek justice after ‘cursing, humiliation’ from director Cathy Molina
Rossellyn Domingo and her boyfriend Alvin Campomanes claimed that the director cursed and humiliated them during filming of ABS-CBN’s “Forevermore” in 2014.
“He (Campomanes) was right. I really cursed. But not at him. Ilalagay ko lang sana sa konteksto (I will just put it into context),” Molina said.
The director said she has never denied cursing at set, but she does so with “good intentions.”
“I admit nagmumura po ako. I admit nagkamali po ako. I never lied. I turned into a monster—with all good intensions na mapaganda ang show,” she said.
“Pero ilagay sana natin sa konteksto,” the director added.\
(I admit I curse. I admit I made a mistake. I never lied. I turned into a monster with all good intentions to make the show better. Let’s put that into context.)
After several rehearsals, Molina said Campomanes wasn’t able to portray the role he was supposed to deliver.
“Maraming rehearsals, instructions. Hindi nakuha. Okay. Hindi uli nakuha. Okay. ‘Yung sumunod, nagsalita ako,” she said.
(He had several rehearsals and I gave him several instructions. He did not get them. Okay. We had another take, but he still did not get it. Okay. The next time, I already spoke up.)
Molina recalled the exact lines she told Campomanes.
“Sino ba ang kausap mo? Bakit hindi ka tumingin? Tingnan mo. Ang kulit mo naman e. Paksh*t ka,” Molina recalled telling Campomanes.
(Who are you talking to? Why are you not looking at him? Look at him! You are so stubborn! (Invective))
READ: Top director under fire for alleged abuses vs bit player
Molina explained that, “It doesn’t matter if you are a professor, mahirap kang tao wala kang pina- aralan. Dumatimg ka sa set ko bilang artista (it does not matter if you a professor, poor or uneducated. You arrived on my set as an actor), I expect you to deliver as an actor.”
But she said that had she known that Campomanes was hurt, she would have apologized right away.
“Had I known, I would have said sorry. It’s not hard for me to say sorry and accept my mistake,” Molina said.
She explained that in show business, cursing has a different meaning.
“Dito sa industriya natin, hindi ko sinasabi na itinatama natin ang pagmumura. Pero dito sa atin may ibang kahulugan ang pag mumura. Hindi na siya mura to degrade, to humiliate or to insult anyone,” she said.
(In our industry, and I am not saying this to justify cursing, you curse not always to degrade, humiliate or insult anyone. Sometimes, It has other meanings.)
READ: Osang sides with Cathy Garcia-Molina: Showbiz not for thin-skinned
“And yet hindi ko itinatama. Alam kong nagkamali ako. Kayang-kaya kong mag-apologize. Kayang-kaya ko, hindi niya pala alam ang lengwahe ng industriyang ito. Kung nalaman ko lang, right away I would have gone to him and said, ‘sorry hindi ka pala sanay,’” she added.
(And yet, I was not able to correct it. I know I made a mistake. I could have apologize. After all, he was not used to the language of this industry. Had I known, I would have gone to him right away to apologize and say, “sorry, I did not know you are not used to this.”)
She said she had her fair share of cursing and humiliation when she was starting in the industry, saying she does not degrade “extras” or talents.
“Nagsimula ako sa simulang-simula. Walang akong kaalam-alam (I started from the bottom. I did not know anything). It took these people, these good people to teach me. But I had those share of cursing and humiliating words,” she said.
Not heartless
Molina admitted that she may have offended people time and again, and wholeheartedly asked for an apology.
“I am not intelligent. I am not as intelligent as him. But I am not heartless. I may have committed mistakes. I have made a lot of mistakes. I have offended people time and again. Hindi ako malinis na tao. Pero di ako masamang tao (I am not a perfect person, but I am not evil),” she said to Campomanes, who is an academician by profession.
While she may have unintentionally uttered words that may have offended Campomanes and Domingo, she said she always had the good intentions for the show and for her talents.
“I have my responsibilities as a director. I have my commitment to my network,” she said.
But she said cursing shouldn’t be the gauge of being good or bad.
“Nagmumura ako (I cursed), yes. But I don’t think it’s a gauge of a good person or bad.”
“At kung nagawa ko man (ang magmura), (If I cursed) I am sorry for all those that I have offended,” the director added.
‘I did not maltreat him’
More than asking for a public apology, Campomanes demanded that Molina should be suspended.
But Molina said she doesn’t deserve a suspension because she didn’t maltreat anyone, saying she treats all her talents equally.
“Kung ang basehan niya na pagsususepend ay ang pang mamaltrato, then I don’t deserve a suspension kasi wala akong minaltrato. Ang tanging alam ko lang ang nagmura ako. ‘Yun lang ang tanging alam ko. ‘Di ko siya minaltrato,” she said.
(If the basis for my suspension would be because I maltreated anyone, then I don’t deserve a suspension because I did not maltreat anyone. I am aware I cursed. That’s the only thing I am aware of doing to him. I did not maltreat him.)
“Pero hindi ko ipinagtatangol na tama ang ginawa kong pagmumura. Mali. Mali ang magmura,” she added.
(I am not justifying that I was right in cursing. I was wrong. Cursing is wrong.)
‘Spare my family’
Molina revealed earlier in the interview that harsh words she has been reading about her and her family on her social media. She said that some netizens told her that she was the reason why her husband had died.
“If I deserve criticism, then let it just be me. ‘Wag ang mga anak ko, ‘wag ang magulang ko, ‘wag ang mga kapatid ko, (Spare my children, my parents and my siblings)” Molina appealed to the public.
She lamented that people have been quick in judging her without listening to her side of the story.
“With the words I have been reading towards me and my family, parang walang ibang intensyon kundi ang saktan ako at husgahan ako sa isang bagay na hindi man lang nila narinig yung side ko (it’s like they do not have any intention but to hurt me or judge me on a matter where they have not even heard my side),” she said.
Molina said she started to get offended when the hate was not just on her but on her family as well.
“I started getting offended. I felt the need to speak out,” she said.
“I am doing this for my family, spare my family,” she added.
The director said she never cursed Campomanes based on her personality but was only based on the character he was portraying.
“Nung sinaktan ko siya o nasakatan ko man siya, wala akong ibang binanggit. Ni wala sa pagkatao niya dahil wala akong alam sa pagkatao niya. Nung namura ko siya, nakapagmura ako dahil nagkamali siya bilang artista ko. Hanggang dun lang ‘yun pero ang natanggap ko was beyond what I deserve,” she said.
(If I hurt him, I did not mention (anyone other than him). I could not do it because I don’t know anything about him. When I cursed at him, I cursed because he erred as my actor. That’s all there is to it. But what I was beyond what I deserve.)
Lessons learned
Molina lamented that Domingo and Campomanes took it to social media instead of talking to her.
“Kung ano man ang dahilan niya, gusto kong malaman. Bakit? Bakit di niya ko hinanap? Ba’t ‘di ako ang minura niya? Ba’t di ako sinaktan niya? Kasi siya naman lang ang nasaktan ko hindi ang pamilya niya” the director said.
(I want to know whatever his reason is. Why? Why didn’t he look for me? Why didn’t he just curse at me? Why didn’t he just hurt me? Because he was the only one I offended, not his family.)
“Bakit kailangang masira ako sa maraming tao? ‘Yun po ang di ko naiintindihan (Why do I have to be embarrassed before so many people? That’s what I don’t understand),” she added.
But Molina said she wanted to personally apologize for Domingo and Campamones to finally settle the issue.
“Sana maiwan na to sa amin ni Alvin. Sana makapag-usap kami. Mag-aapologize ako if I need to. I will. I will own up to my mistake kasi nakapagmura ako sa mga taong ‘di naman pala nakakaintindi sa industriyang ito,” she said.
(I hope Alvin and I will be able to settle this. I hope we get to talk. I will apologize if I need to. I will. I will own up to my mistake because I cursed a person who is apparently not used to this industry.)
Molina said she was praying for wisdom amid the issue she is facing.
“I prayed from wisdom na sana makita ko ang maganda sa gitna ng nagyaring ito (so that I may be able to see the good amid all these),” she said.
She reiterated her apology to all those she may have offended in the past.
“For all those people na nasaktan ko (whom I hurt) in the past, I apologize. Maybe I was careless in my used of words,” she said.
She hoped that she and Campamones would both learn from this experience. IDL