Charles Teves
- Paula Salvosa has had death threats ever since her video went viral
- The video has affected her chances of getting jobs
- She thought about committing suicide
Remember Paula Salvosa also known as the “Amalayer Girl?”
On November 13, 2012, Salvosa was headed to school when she passed by the LRT. A female security guard pulled and shouted at her as she was making her way. This was not caught on video, but her tirade against the guard was.
The video went viral so fast that it overwhelmed her and it eventually had a negative impact on her life.
In a recent interview, Salvosa walked us through the effects that it had on her.
Ever since she went viral, she couldn’t sleep well. “Simula nang araw na ‘yun, hindi na ako nakatulog nang maayos.”
She lost 10 pounds because of the stress and negativity it brought. “So for two months hindi ako nakakatulog nang maayos… bumagsak ako ng mga hanggang 80 pounds. From 90 plus to 80 pounds.”
She tried getting through her day, which meant being exposed to the public but found it difficult because of all the negative attention she was getting.
“I tried pumasok for like a day pero hindi ko kaya… nakatingin ‘yung mga tao tapos tatawanan ka nila.”
The video also had an impact on her getting jobs because she would get rejected every time.
“Every time I applied for a job, napapasa ko lahat ng exams, ng interviews. Pero every time pagdating ng final interview, ang sasabihin lang nila, ‘Di ba ikaw ‘yung nasa viral video?’ That’s the time they’re going to tell me na, ‘Okay we’ll just call you back.’”
Salvosa even thought of changing her name and starting a new life somewhere else. Her father’s response was just like any father would answer. He said if he had the power to destroy all gadgets, then he would.
“Sabi ko pa kay Papa noon, ‘Puwede ba akong pumunta sa malayong, malayong, malayong lugar, ‘yung walang nakakakilala sa akin? Tapos puwede ba tayong bumili ng pangalan?’”
Salvosa felt like she let her family down. Their name is forever tainted because of what she did.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu8cPl0Bj_h/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“Kasi nahihiya na ako sa pamilya ko, the disgrace that I brought to my family. Na parang they don’t deserve ‘yung pangalan nila nasa tabloid. I didn’t really want to drag them. Kaya ‘yun ‘yung iniisip ko. It was so painful, parang ‘yung buong mundo mo binagsak sa ‘yo. Ang sakit, all I wanted was a second chance.”
Salvosa learned that you can’t let circumstances define you or your life. Having genuine people around you is also important as understanding is a big part of healing.
“Don’t allow it to define you – because their words against you, they will never define you. And find your inner circle, your solid support system. Kasi kung sino man ‘yung mga taong ‘yon na makakapasok sa inner circle mo, they will understand. And those who understand will matter, and those who matter will always understand.”
She also stated that people who get angry should not be given a different perception, because at the end of the day, they are still human beings.
“Let’s not strip off those people na nagba-viral of chances, ‘wag nating tanggalan ng pagiging tao. Hindi lang sila basta news, tao rin kami. May nararamdaman din kami. May mali kami pero I do think everybody deserves a second chance because nobody is beyond redemption.”
In past interviews, she has mentioned that she once thought about taking her life.
But everything is good now as she is currently a preacher.
