(From left) Joey de Leon, Noli de Castro. Images: Screengrab from Facebook/TVJ, Screengrab from YouTube/ABS-CBN News
Joey de Leon defended his wedding godchildren Maine Mendoza and her groom Arjo Atayde from remarks alluding to their lavish wedding at the height of Super Typhoon Egay, calling their bashers “epal.”
Mendoza, de Leon’s co-host on the noontime show “EAT,” and Atayde, an actor-politician, wed in Baguio City on July 28, a star-studded event attended by their celebrity friends and family members. The nuptials, however, coincided with the onset of the super typhoon that wrought havoc to most areas of Luzon, including Baguio City.
While most appeared supportive of the couple’s union, TV Patrol anchor Noli de Castro stood out as a lone public figure who seemingly took a potshot at the newlyweds with their decision to proceed with the wedding despite the weather.
Addressing bashers in general, and without mention of de Castro, De Leon took the cudgels for the Ataydes, saying they should not be blamed for elements as the wedding has long been planned.
“Sa mga kababayan nating ume-epal na hindi raw dapat nagpakasal ang dalawang ito dahil binabagyo raw ang bayan, eto lang ang masasabi ko—-naunang nagplano sina Menggay kaysa kay Egay! Wala silang kasalanan kundi ang unang limang letra ng “kasalanan”—-KASAL,” he wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, July 31.
(To our meddling countrymen who said that Maine Mendoza and Arjo Atayde shouldn’t have gotten married due to the typhoon, here’s what I’m going to say — Menggay planned her wedding first before Egay! They didn’t do anything wrong, except that the first five letters of “kasalanan” are “kasal.”)
Sa mga kababayan nating ume-epal na hindi raw dapat nagpakasal ang dalawang ito dahil binabagyo raw ang bayan, eto lang ang masasabi ko—-naunang nagplano sina Menggay kaysa kay Egay! Wala silang kasalanan kundi ang unang limang letra ng “kasalanan”—-KASAL! pic.twitter.com/TgEDJHeRHL
— Joey de Leon (@AngPoetNyo) July 31, 2023
De Castro earlier commented during the July 28 TV Patrol newscast that while the wedding was taking place, most of the citizens on the path of the super typhoon were suffering from the devastation, while another storm was set to arrive.
“Kayo naman habang kinakasal, kawawa naman ang binagyo (While the both of you were getting married, many people were affected by the storm),” he said. The veteran broadcaster continued with his rant even when he was gently reminded by fellow anchors Karen Davila and Bernadette Sembrano to lighten up.
De Castro, likewise, was roundly castigated on the internet by netizens who thought his comments were uncalled for. He has yet to address his critics, as of this writing.
Mendoza and Atayde tied the knot in Baguio City, keeping certain details of the event confidential until the final hour.
The two got married on the same day that the actress-host tweeted her viral “Arjo cutie” post exactly 10 years ago. The date also happened to be the day when the couple first met in 2018 at a media event, and got engaged in 2022. EDV