Image: Instagram/@awrabriguela
The hashtag #JusticeForAwra has been trending on social media after fans, celebrities and the LGBTQIA+ community expressed their support for Awra Briguela, who was earlier arrested after a brawl in Makati.
Briguela, whose real name is Mcneal Briguela, has been arrested by the Makati Police after a fistfight with the group of complainant Mark Christian Ravana outside the Bolt Hole Bar in Poblacion, Makati.
Ravana claimed that the actress approached him and demanded that he remove his shirt. When Ravana declined, Briguela allegedly followed him and tore his shirt, which supposedly started the commotion.
However, these allegations were refuted by Briguela’s friend, content creator Zayla Nakajima, who said that Ravana tried to sexually harass her and that the actress was merely defending her.
Briguela has remained in detention as she was charged with physical injuries, alarm and scandal, disobedience to authority and direct assault.
Friends of Briguela, including celebrities Riva Quenery, Zeinab Harake, content creators Ayn Bernos and Mica Salamanca then came to the actress’ defense as they pointed out the supposed unfair treatment of the authorities to the individuals involved in the scuffle.
“Isang malaking katanungan lang ‘yung nasa isip ko at ng maraming tao na kung bakit si Awra lang ang pinosasan at inaresto? Nasaan ‘yung mga ibang lalake na involve sa away?” Quenery said in a tweet, noting that she visited Briguela in the police station and that the latter confirmed that she defended her friend after being sexually harassed.
“Saludo ako kay Awra at kilala ko siya bilang kaibigan na kaya ka niyang ipaglaban. Pero bakit kung sino pa ang nasa katwiran, siya pa ang ikukulong?” Quenery added.
https://twitter.com/RivaQuenery_/status/1674438678373097473
“Having Awra sa buhay ng mga kaibigan niya is a win. Grabe itong batang ito. Sa sobrang pagmamahal niya, magagawa niya ‘yung mga bagay na hindi mo aasahan maparamdam lang niya sayong nandyan siya sa hirap o ginhawa,” Harake stated. “Kaya nandito din kaming mga totoong ipaglalaban ka, walang iwanan sa ere. Ayun ang tunay na kaibigan!”
https://twitter.com/ZeinabHarake11/status/1674367035382591488
Bernos, for her part, said, “Nakakaiyak panoorin yung ginawa nila kay Awra. Hindi ko matapos. Ang lala! Grabe sila!”
“They gave the alleged harasser an alias while they plastered Awra’s mugshot everywhere. Wow ha,” she added.
https://twitter.com/aynbernos/status/1674441419921186817
https://twitter.com/aynbernos/status/1674461863428632576
“So now we’re just gonna go for the one who addressed the harassment? Not the one who did it?” Salamanca said in a tweet. “Sana ganyan din kabilis at kalala action doon sa nanghipo.”
So now we're just gonna go for the one who addressed the harassment? Not the one who did it?
— Mika Salamanca (@mikslmnc) June 29, 2023
Sana ganyan din kabilis at kalala action doon sa nang hipo 😵💫😵💫😵💫
— Mika Salamanca (@mikslmnc) June 29, 2023
LGBTQIA+ organizations including Bahaghari PH and UP Babaylan also voiced their support for Briguela and condemned the police’s “brutality and transphobia.”
STAND WITH AWRA BRIGUELA! CONDEMN THE PNP’s BRUTALITY AND TRANSPHOBIA IN MAKATI
MALINAW NA HALIMBAWA NG TRANSPHOBIA AT POLICE BRUTALITY ang marahas na pagdukot kay Awra, na inaresto matapos tumindig para sa kaibigan niyang hinaharass. #StandWithAwra pic.twitter.com/Moqt5H1WvD
— Bahaghari (@Bahaghari_PH) June 29, 2023
TW: sexual harassment, police violence, transphobia
WE STAND WITH AWRA!
Justice for Awra and the victims of sexual harassment! Stop the attacks on women’s and LGBTQI rights!#StandWithAwra#JusticeForAllTransLives#DefundPNP#SafeSpacesNow#SOGIEEqualityNow pic.twitter.com/Dft8cPsRkk
— UP Babaylan 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ #SOGIEEqualityNow (@upbabaylan) June 29, 2023
#JusticeForAwra has been the top trending Twitter topic in the Philippines with over 50,000 tweets as of this writing.
Image: Twitter
Briguela and her camp have yet to publicly address the matter. /ra