Charles Teves
The enhanced community quarantine has done wonders for the vloggers of today as people are quarantined in their homes and glued to their phones in search of entertainment.
Because of the bigger audience, some vloggers are going to great lengths to make new content. Some, however, have taken it too far.
Take for example YouTuber Zeinab Harake. A video showed how Zeinab pranked her family by telling them she was ‘positive’. Her family was terrified upon hearing the fake revelation. Zeinab’s prank left a bad taste in people’s mouths.
One disgusted viewer hoped Zeinab would learn her lesson by really getting infected because the word ‘positive’ or anything about COVID-19 is not something you joke about.
Tanginang Zeinab Harake 'to and her positive covid-19 prank. All the things you do for clout sana mag-positive ka talaga gaga.
— Ping Guerrero❌ (@gabrant001) April 14, 2020
Zeinab’s video was very inappropriate given that many are struck down by the disease day by day.
people around the world are so stress bout the virus then there's this girl named zeinab pulled a prank that she's positive. bobo ka no?
— lesse (@lessemae) April 19, 2020
Netizens criticized the blogger for the poorly thought out joke.
Love ko si Zeinab pero somehow true ‘to lalo na sa latest vlog niya & positive prank. Being positive in COVID-19 is not a joke. A lot of people are dying because of the virus. https://t.co/qoNEuaOsVj
— Nini (@_NiniEla) April 18, 2020
https://twitter.com/veronicaaaencio/status/1252354677036822532?s=20
Some actually want YouTube to remove Zeinab’s channel.
I hope YouTube will take necessary actions with regards to the prank made by Zeinab Harake as a Covid 19 positive. #takedownzeinabharakeaccount
— ALFON JOHN PATO, LPT (@alfonjohnpato) April 21, 2020
The 21-year old became famous when she became a contestant for Wowowin back in 2016. But critics of her vlog say her videos aren’t really that special.
I don't even know why Zeinab Harake has alot of followers. Apart form her COVID19 POSITIVE PRANK, her contents, which clearly show her bossy attitude btw, are downright pedestrian and meaningless. Rubbish.
— ジャンウェン (@janwengaspar) April 21, 2020
Gell Kendrick, another vlogger with over 20,000 subscribers on YouTube, also did a prank that earned the ire of many.
Kendrick, whose real name is Angelica Jade Yap, did a prank called ‘SOSAYD PRANK CALL TO BOYFRIEND”. Suicide is a touchy subject, especially for those who have been considering it and for people who’ve had close friends and family members that did it.
It seems Yap was successful in her prank as her boyfriend fell into the trap and believed everything.
The prank was uncalled for, to say the least, and nobody found it funny.
Napaka-insensitive ng ibang youtubers ngayon. Kung ano anong content na lang ang iniisip just to gain what? Subscribers? Jusko, DI DAPAT GINAGAWANG PRANK ANG SUICIDE, HINDI ITO NAKAKATUWA. Kung sino man ‘tong Gell Kendrick na ‘to, before ka gumawa ng video, MAG-ISIP KA MUNA! pic.twitter.com/p9tFGUOsDb
— trinibaby (@trinibabyyyyy) April 11, 2020
One netizen did a whole thread sharing their thoughts on Yap’s prank. Yap’s insensitivity was too much because suicide is never an easy topic for casual conversation, let alone be used as a prank.
The netizen thinks the video is mocking people who have suicidal tendencies and are only using it for attention, which could possibly be true to a certain extent, but still not a subject to be taken lightly.
https://twitter.com/Gulfy2001/status/1249278689881100288?s=20
One claims to have been classmates with Yap in high school and says that the latter has always craved attention, and will do anything to get it.
https://twitter.com/_CelineJeon/status/1249348574581682181?s=20
Yap also lacked creativity as shown in her videos.
Gell Kendrick, a trashy youtuber that has trashy content. pic.twitter.com/stnfX3UPvM
— hullo (@sanqbiatch) April 12, 2020
The prank could possibly do a lot of harm especially someone going through a rough patch.
https://twitter.com/patrick_balais/status/1249017088179486721?s=20
Mental health is a serious matter that needs serious proposals. Her video was just flat out disrespectful, as mentioned by one angry netizen.
The disgust and disrespect of this Gell Kendrick bitch. Do you really think sisikat ka sa ginagawa mo? Lol. SUICIDE IS NOT A JOKE. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESS IS. YOU DON’T KNOW THE STRUGGLE AND THE FEELING SO SIT UR ASS DOWN AND SHUT UP napakabasura ng babaeng ito. https://t.co/IB3zZsuIBt
— Paula Juyad (@paulajuyad) April 14, 2020
Yap received a ton of hate for her stupid prank and she has since deactivated her social media accounts except for her YouTube channel.
(UPDATE: We received an email from Yap this afternoon clarifying the controversial YouTube video. Yap informed us that it was uploaded last year (not recently) and she’s sorry for it.
Via email, Yap said, “I am Gell Kendrick, small YouTuber here in Negros Occidental. I just want to clarify things kasi nagulat ako sa nakita at nabasa kong ‘to. Matagal na po ang vlog na “Suicide prank call” last year pa po, at na delete ko nadin po yung vlog na yan last year pa. Link nalang po ng vlog yung kumakalat. I am a victim now of Cyber bullying, pinahiya po ako ng isang Facebook page at hinanapan po ako ng mali, hinalungkat lahat ng vlogs ko at hindi ko po alam kung paano nya nakita ang link ng deleted video. I admit I was wrong in choosing that kind of content that’s why I deleted that vlog.”)
The two YouTubers are fortunate that no legal actions will be filed against them so far, but one vlogger from Cagayan de Oro wasn’t so lucky when he decided to make a video violating the enhanced community quarantine guidelines.
On Monday, April 16, “The Wonder Boy” Antonio Bonitos uploaded a vlog telling his viewers to forget about the protocols and go outside to enjoy summer.
“Summer na ngayon, walang hiyang lockdown lockdown na ‘yan. Guys, tara, maligo tayo!”
To his surprise, the CDO Regulatory Compliance Board paid him a visit at his home to discuss his video.
Bonitos then told his followers to forget about what he said in the vlog and to just follow the guidelines. He added that he did not expect so many would watch his vlog.
“Mga ka-Wonders, humihingi ako ng public apology guys. Sumunod tayo sa gobyerno. Stay at home lang tayo, guys.
“Nasa public health crisis tayo ngayon. Kita niyo naman, sa video niya, siya na mismo nagsabi na bored siya kaya siya lumabas labas,” CDO Regulatory Compliance Board chief Antonio Resma said.
“Nasa batas na ang mga essential workers lang ang lalabas. Non-essential ‘yung ginagawa niya tapos nang-hikayat pa siya sa ibang tao na lumabas,” he added.
Possible charges to be filed against Bonitos are now being reviewed.
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