Ai-Ai delas Alas. Image: screengrab from YouTube/GMA Network
Ai-Ai delas Alas, who was declared “persona non grata” in Quezon City for disrespecting the city’s official seal, said she owns up to her mistake as she made a public apology to Mayor Joy Belmonte.
A resolution declaring Delas Alas and film director Darry Yap “persona non grata” was approved by the Quezon City council in June last year. This was after Yap posted a video in which Delas Alas portrayed a character named “Ligaya Delmonte,” an apparent play on Belmonte’s name. The official triangular seal of Quezon City was also featured in the video but its visual elements were edited and defaced.
The comedian admitted, in her trademark humor, that she did not know what the term meant until she was declared as such by the Quezon City council. Delas Alas said this during her interview for “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” on Friday, Feb. 10.
“Hindi ko akalain na gano’n pala ‘yon kasi nung ginawa ko po ‘yon [ay] bilang artista po,” she told show host Boy Abunda. “Sila naman ang gumawa ng script no’n—si direk (Darryl Yap)—tapos ako ‘yung artista.”
(I did not expect that it would come to that because I did [the portrayal in the video] as an actress. They were the ones who made the script—director Darryl Yap and his team—and I was just the actress.)
“‘Yung iba do’n talagang pina-edit ko kasi ang alam ko, baka ma-offend si mayora (Belmonte)—baka do’n sa ibang sasabihin ko ay ma-offend si mayora,” she continued.
(I asked them to edit out some parts [of the script] because it might offend Mayor Belmonte—she might get offended with some of the lines included in the script.)
Delas Alas then addressed Belmonte to apologize, noting that she only did it because it was what she was asked to do as an actress.
“But since ayun na nga, na-offend siya—pasensya na mayora na ako pala ay nakasakit sa ‘yo, pero artista lang ako,” Delas Alas stated. “Kumbaga, kaya nagawa ko ‘yon kasi inutos lang sa akin.”
(But since she was already offended I am sorry, Mayor Belmonte, that I had hurt you but I am just an actress, hence I only did that because I was ordered to do so.)
She then quipped that Belmonte, who Delas Alas said shares physical resemblance to her, should not prolong her supposed ill-feeling toward the comedian because doing so would be as if the city mayor is having ill-feeling toward herself.
“Ayoko naman po talaga ng nakakasakit. Hindi ko naman alam na mahu-hurt siya do’n,” she reiterated to Abunda. (I do not want to hurt anyone. I did not know that [Mayor Belmonte] would get hurt by [the video].)
During her interview with Abunda, Delas Alas also shared the lesson she learned from the “highs and lows” of her life: to keep composure at all times and to not let emotions get the best of her. /ra