Pokwang. Image: screengrab from YouTube/Luis Manzano
Pokwang said she just laughs off assumptions that Lee O’Brian left her because she was a nagger, with the comedian noting that it was not the case as she is not fluent speaking in English.
The actress reiterated how her relationship with O’Brian ended due to lack of respect on the American actor’s part, in an interview with Luis Manzano shown on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, July 11.
“Kaya ako, nanggigigil ako do’n sa gamit na gamit ‘yung salitang respect kasi kung mayroon ka talaga no’n, hindi tayo aabot dito,” she said. “Ino-overuse natin ‘yan tapos hindi naman natin ginagawa.”
(That is why I am enraged at those who repeatedly say the word respect, because if you really have such, then we would have not come to this. There’s a tendency for us to overuse the word when we do not even express it.)
Pokwang admitted that prior to her decision to part ways with O’Brian, she already saw several “red flags” which she just let pass without discussion. She further confessed that they had a language barrier which prevented her from fully expressing herself.
“Kaya minsan natatawa ako doon sa mga sinasabing ‘kaya ka iniwan kasi bungangera ka,’—excuse me, hindi nga ako marunong mag-English e,” said Pokwang while chuckling lightly.
(That is why at times, I find it funny when someone says, “You were abandoned because you are a nagger”—excuse me, I cannot even speak fluently in English.)
“Hindi ko nga alam paano ko ie-express sa kanya ‘yung mga words; kung paano ko sasabihin sa kanya ‘yung nararamdaman ko kasi kulang nga po ako sa English e,” she added. “So nagkaroon kami ng language barrier. Ang nangyari na lang sa akin, ‘yung boom—sumabog na lang. Napuno na.”
(I didn’t even know how to express myself to him; how to tell him what I feel because I lack knowledge on using the English language. So, we had a language barrier. What happened was that I suddenly exploded. I had enough.)
Pokwang also spoke about the bashing she gets for airing her statements against O’Brian on social media, stressing that it is her right to respond and defend herself especially to those who throw harsh comments.
“Gusto kong magpasalamat sa lahat ng bashers ko na pumapanig sa kanya (O’Brian)—maraming salamat po sa inyo kasi kayo po ang nag-motivate sa akin para i-push kung ano ‘yung ipinu-push ko ngayong kaso,” she addressed her bashers, referring to the deportation complaint and cancellation of visa she filed against O’Brian.
(I want to thank all my bashers who are taking his side—thank you so much because you have motivated me to pursue the cases I am pursuing now.)
Pokwang then said that Malia, her daughter with O’Brian, is “OK” despite her parents’ legal battle and that the kid does not long for her father.
“Wala siyang na-invest na bonding sa anak niya,” Pokwang spoke of O’Brian. “Kaya siguro ‘yung bata hindi siya hinahanap kasi walang natatandaan ‘yung bata na bonding nila… Kaya siguro hindi rin kami nahirapan na mag-adjust si Malia.”
(He did not invest in spending time with his child. That is probably the reason why the kid is not looking for him—because she does not remember any bonding moments with her dad. Maybe that’s also the reason why we did not have a hard time making adjustments for Malia.)
Message to ‘Lee’
To conclude the interview, Manzano showed a photo of “Lee” on his phone and asked Pokwang to give a message. The comedian then walked out as she told the TV host that it was not part of what they had agreed to talk about during the interview. A few moments later, the actors burst into laughter as they returned to their seats.
“Unang-una, pasensya ka na kasi iba ‘yung culture mo, iba ‘yung culture ko. May mga pagtatalo tayo na ang hirap ipaliwanag because of language barrier,” Pokwang said while looking at the photo on the phone. “Ginawa ko lahat ng best ko para manatili kung anong meron tayo.”
(First of all, I am sorry that our cultures differ from each other. We had misunderstandings that were hard to explain because of the language barrier. I did my best to maintain what we had.)
“Hindi mo basta basta maaalis ‘yun—siyempre mahal pa rin kita kaya lang mayroon akong kailangang gawin para sa ikaliligaya ng sarili ko,” she continued. “It’s about time na maging happy na din ako and ‘yung mga taong nasa paligid ko, na apektado na rin sa mga pangyayari.”
([The feelings] won’t immediately fade away—of course, I still love you, but I need to accomplish things for my own happiness. It’s about time that I should be happy, along with the people around me who were affected by the circumstances.)
After Pokwang returned the phone to Manzano, the TV host revealed that the person in the photo was South Korean actor Lee Min-ho. /ra