MANILA, Philippines – Teen comedian Awra Briguela apologized to BLACKPINK fans after receiving flak for supposedly poking fun at Jennie, one of the group’s members, during their recent Manila visit.
Briguela took to Instagram over the weekend to clarify that some fans may have misinterpreted what he said because of his lack of English language proficiency.
“Hindi ko intensyon na i-disrespect si Jennie kasi alam ko ‘yung pakiramdam nang i-direspect. Aware po ako/kami na may sakit siya kaya bakit naman po kami magbibiro about sa sakit niya,” he explained.
“Nung time na ‘yun, nalito din ako sa pagkakaiba ng ‘sick’ na may sakit at ‘sick’ na parang astig. Tumawa kami dahil sa pag – English kong mali-mali, hindi dahil sa sakit ni Jennie,” he added.
Briguela, alongside dancer AC Bonifacio and GirlTrends member Riva Quenery, were criticized for supposedly laughing at the BLACKPINK member who was not feeling well during a meeting with fans.
The three went live via Instagram and answered questions from fans. One netizen asked about the event and Briguela said the meet and greet was “sick.”
Quenery then chimed in and said “sick like Jennie,” which drew laughter from Briguela and Bonifacio.
“Alam kong nagkamali ako at alam kong tatanga tanga din ako pero alam kong hindi sapat ‘yung pagkakamaling nagawa ko para sabihan niyo akong masama o pangarapin niyo na sana nawala na lang ako sa mundong ito,” Briguela said.
“Sana mapatawad niyo ako at sana kalimutan na nating ang mga nangyari. Alam kong ang sakit na may galit sa puso kaya sana tanggalin na natin ‘yan galit na ‘yan. Uulitin ko sorry ulit sa inyong lahat. God bless,” he added.
Meanwhile, BLACKPINK’s meet and greet event was met with controversy after fans claimed they were scammed by online shopping platform Shopee.
Shopee has since apologized, but the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it was already conducting an investigation. (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)
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