Charles Teves
Ryan Oraño and Lyka Alburo, who gained notoriety after being accused of “cheating” during their appearance on Eat Bulaga’s ‘Pinoy Henyo’ segment, have issued an apology, stating that their actions were not intentional and were driven by their emotions at the time.
The incident went viral, but the contestants expressed regret and apologized for their behavior.
During the Valentine’s Day special of the noontime show, Alburo was captured on camera mouthing the word “stomach” to Oraño.
A video clip of this incident was widely shared on social media, resulting in a backlash against the couple.
On the February 17 episode of the show, veteran host Joey de Leon made a general statement about cheating. He emphasized that it ruins the enjoyment of any game without specifically referencing any particular incident.
‼️Bawal Judgmental at Bawal din ang Mandaya‼️ pic.twitter.com/WKddVCoZHb
— Eat Bulaga! (@EatBulaga) February 17, 2023
During an interview with ‘Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho’, the duo expressed regret for the incident and clarified that their behavior resulted from nervousness from being on live television.
“Hindi ko po intention na sabihin ‘yung word na ‘stomach,’” Alburo said.
She added, “Ang daming nagme-message sa’kin na ‘ang daya mo.’ Wala akong pake! Nag-aantay po ako ng reach out ng ‘Eat Bulaga’ para magpaliwanag po kami.”
She said they were more than nervous when it was their turn to participate.
Alburo expressed, “Lahat naman po tayo nagkakamali, diba? Nadala lang po ako [ng] intense na emosyon sa sarili kaya ganoon po ang nangyari.”
Before appearing on KMJS, Alburo denied the cheating allegations and even mocked her bashers.
Netizens weren’t pleased with the apology, however.
https://twitter.com/iamjorebelle/status/1629852221902057478?s=20
Attitude at the highest level si Stomach girl ah, tsk tsk. Sayang, Oras na nya para magbigay ng public apology, sinayang nya.#KMJS
— EB Dabarkadz1975 (@MG70174040) February 26, 2023
Yung jowa ni stomach girl makikita mo na sincere yung pag aapologize pero Si girl juskoooooo atapang a tao HAHAHAHA#KMJS
— Nicooooooooo (@imnicools_) February 26, 2023
walang kwenta na kmjs pati to sinakyan pinakita nyo lang attitude ni stomach girl di man lang nagsisi sa pandaraya nya LOL!
— filo army (@ariananoona) February 26, 2023
https://twitter.com/richbitchavenue/status/1629851026336657408?s=20
Oraño also commented on a separate incident in which he appeared to mouth the word “Abra” to Alburo during the jackpot round, stating that it was also unintentional.
Alburo also responded to allegations that she had looked around the studio to check if the hosts were monitoring her actions before mouthing the word “stomach” to her partner during the elimination round.
She clarified that she had not addressed the incident on social media before the news report and apologized for her actions.
The contestant stated that despite the perception of viewers and social media users who saw the video, she is confident in her own heart that she did not cheat.
She expressed, “Iniisip ko na lang na mas kilala ko ang sarili ko kaysa sa opinyon ng mga ‘yan. Kasi kahit anong, huhusgahan pa rin. Pasensya na po kung may pandadayang naganap. Hindi ko po intention na mandaya.”
Meanwhile, Oraño stated that they were prepared to face the consequences of their behavior.
“Alam naman po namin ‘yung pagkakamali namin kaya ready po kaming ibear lahat ng consequences sa lahat ng mga pagkakamali na nagawa po namin. Nalungkot din po ako kasi may mga tao din po talagang nangja-judge po sa amin. Nag-deactivate pa kami ng accounts para po hindi po namin makita ‘yung criticisms ng mga tao,” he added.
The couple also apologized to the cast and crew of “Eat Bulaga” and expressed their willingness to forfeit their prize money if requested.
