Eat Bulaga’s ‘Pinoy Henyo’ contestants say sorry for ‘cheating’: ‘Nadala lang po ng emosyon’
“Pinoy Henyo” contestants Lyka Alburo and Ryan Oraño. Images: Screengrabs from Facebook/Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho
Ryan Oraño and Lyka Alburo, the contestants in Eat Bulaga’s “Pinoy Henyo” segment who went viral for alleged “cheating,” finally apologized, saying it was not their intention.
The “cheating” incident was seen during the noontime show’s Valentine’s Day special, wherein Alburo was caught on camera mouthing the word “stomach” to clue in Oraño as to the correct answer in the puzzle. A video clip of that particular instance made the rounds of social media, vilifying the couple.
Without addressing any incident in particular, veteran host Joey de Leon reminded the public on the show’s Feb. 17 episode that cheating takes away the “fun” in any game.
‼️Bawal Judgmental at Bawal din ang Mandaya‼️ pic.twitter.com/WKddVCoZHb
— Eat Bulaga! (@EatBulaga) February 17, 2023
In an exclusive interview with the news magazine show “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” the pair said they are sorry for the incident, explaining that their action was due to their nervousness of being live on television.
“Hindi ko po intention na sabihin ‘yung word na ‘stomach,’” Alburo said. “Ang daming nagme-message sa’kin na ‘ang daya mo.’ Wala akong pake! Nag-aantay po ako ng reach out ng ‘Eat Bulaga’ para magpaliwanag po kami.”
(It was not my intention to mouth the word “stomach.” A lot of people have been messaging me on social media saying, “You’re unfair.” I don’t care. I’m just waiting for “Eat Bulaga” to reach out to us so we can explain our side of the story.)
Alburo said that they were very nervous when it was their turn to compete in “Pinoy Henyo.”
“Lahat naman po tayo nagkakamali, diba? Nadala lang po ako [ng] intense na emosyon sa sarili kaya ganoon po ang nangyari,” she added. (Everyone makes mistakes, right? I was just overwhelmed with emotions, that’s why things turned out to be that way.)
Oraño also took the time to address the time where he seemingly mouthed the word “Abra” to Lyka during the jackpot round, saying it was also “unintentional.”
Alburo also addressed the accusation wherein she supposedly looked around the studio to double-check if the hosts were observing her movements during the elimination round before mouthing “stomach” to her partner. She also clarified that she hasn’t spoken up about the incident on social media prior to the report.
The contestant said that despite the opinion of televiewers and netizens who saw the video, she knew in her heart that she was not a cheat.
“Iniisip ko na lang na mas kilala ko ang sarili ko kaysa sa opinyon ng mga ‘yan. Kasi kahit anong [gawin ko], huhusgahan pa rin,” she began. “Pasensya na po kung may pandadayang naganap. Hindi ko po intention na mandaya.”
Meanwhile, Oraño said they are willing to bear the consequences of their actions.
“Alam naman po namin ‘yung pagkakamali namin kaya ready po kaming bear lahat ng consequences sa lahat ng mga pagkakamali na nagawa po namin. Nalungkot din po ako kasi may mga tao din po talagang nangja-judge po sa amin. Nag-deactivate pa kami ng accounts para po hindi po namin makita ‘yung criticisms ng mga tao,” he added.
The couple also apologized to the cast and crew of “Eat Bulaga,” noting that they’re willing to give up their prize money should they be requested to do so.
“Thankful po ako [sa mga bashers] kasi may confidence sila na sabihin ‘yun samin. Kaya ia-apply po namin ‘yung lessons po namin sa sarili namin para po mag-grow pa po kami personally,” Oraño added.
“Eat Bulaga” and its hosts have yet to issue a follow-up statement about the report, as of this writing. EDV
