Leaked video gets BINI girls in hot seat

The involvement of BINI members Jhoanna, Colet and Stacey in an “offensive video” that has gone viral may, or may not, affect the result of their concert in Dubai slated on 18 May. The show is part of their first ever world tour as the “Nation’s Girl Group.”

The video allegedly has Jhoanna, Colet and Stacey making sexual remarks involving a “13-year-old” named Ashley.

Also allegedly participating in the video is Ethan, a member of the new Viva Artists Agency all-boys group GAT. Ethan is also in the cast of the Viva Studio TV show Ang Muse ng Section E, a well-followed sitcom top-billed by Andres Muhlach and Althea Olviga. (Muhlach is the son of showbiz royalty couple Aga Muhlach and beauty queen Charlene Gonzales.)

Another personality allegedly involve in the video is Shawn, a professional dancer and content creator.

The video seems to have been deleted after it went viral and its source, as of this writing, remains unknown, as well as the identity of the person who leaked it on social media. 

Shortly after it went viral, BINI’s social media platforms addressed the video in an official statement on Thursday (8 May) apologizing for the controversy. 

In the statement, the names of Jhoanna Robles, Colet Vergar, and Stacey Sevilleja were on top, while their other bandmates were at the bottom. 

A report on the website PEP.ph said about the video: “... Ginawa nilang katatawanan ang maselang isyu ng grooming at sexual abuse.” 

The video begins with Shawn positioning himself behind Ethan. Shawn acts like he is pulling Ethan’s hair while the middle part of his body seems to be gyrating. The PEP report categorically said in Filipino that Shawn and Ethan were imitating a sexual act. 

The PEP report went on to reveal that while Ethan and Shaw were acting, Jhoanna could be seen sitting on a sofa and giggling. 

In the background, continued the report in Tagalog, a young woman’s voice could be heard mouthing: “Ganyan ginagawa niya kay Ashley… sinasabunutan (That’s what they are doing to Ashely…pulling his hair).” The report pointed out that the voice must be that of Stacey. 

Another voice in the background reportedly blurted: “Oo, 13 years old.” The report said the voice sounded like that of Colet. 

The report then proceeded to quote lengthily from BINI’s statement: “We know that the past couple of days have been triggering and disappointing for all of you. Sincerely, we understand where all of those feelings are coming from.”

The statement said the video was meant to be “a private moment” among friends, even as the BINI girls stressed that they have “no excuse for our actions, reactions and choice of words.” 

They went on to declare: “We take full accountability. Nagkamali kami (We made a mistake),” they said.

BINI also apologized to their fans (known as Blooms), friends and family for the controversy. The group also hoped that they would be given a chance to reflect and “work on becoming better versions” of themselves.

“Maraming salamat po sa inyong malasakit, suporta, at pang-unawa (Thank you very much for your concern, support and understanding),” they proclaimed. 

Ethan, on the other hand, addressed the suggestive actions and remarks he made in the video, saying he “fully understood how offensive” it appeared to the public.

Ethan’s post is fully in Tagalog. Here’s a rough translation: “I ask for forgiveness from those who were hurt and disappointed by me. I want to state that I have a huge respect for everyone, especially women, and what I’ve shown in the video doesn’t reflect who I value as a person. This won’t happen again.”

The GAT member said that he promised to “educate” himself on the incident and improve his behavior.

Shawn, on the other hand, took to his Instagram Story to assert that “no minor, or anyone” was “hurt physically, mentally, sexually, or in any manner.” 

Meanwhile, the BINI world tour is reported even by world-renowned online media outlets. One report about is on Forbes.com. Here’s an excerpt: “In a move that cements BINI’s status as one of the Philippines’ most explosive pop exports, the record-breaking girl group is going international with their first-ever world tour.

“... BINI is all set to dazzle audiences in a whirlwind month by launching into the international dates of the BINIverse World Tour in Dubai on 18 May before heading to London on 25 May. The group will make a series of stops in the United States throughout May and June before wrapping in Canada. This expansive itinerary reflects not only the group’s ever-growing fanbase, affectionately known as Blooms, but also the increasing demand for Filipino pop across global stages.”

Forbes reported these other destinations of the BINI world tour: 25 May - London, UK; 31 May -New York, NY; 3 June - Washington, D.C.; 4 June - Boston, MA; 6 June - Rosemont, IL; 9 June - Houston, Texas; 10 June - Dallas, Texas; 13 June - Las Vegas, Nebraska; 14 June 1- Los Angeles; 15 June - Temecula, California; 17 June - San Francisco; 20 June - Seattle; and 21 June - Vancouver, Canada.

BINI’s first show abroad for their world tour is the 17,000-seater Coca Cola Arena in Dubai. 

On the other hand, SB19’s foreigh country shows for its world tour begins in Tapei on 29 June yet at Zepp New Taipei, which has a seating capacity of less than 3,000. 

Generally, based on online reports, SB19 venues for its world tour are much smaller than those of BINI, a group which, after all, is managed by ABS-CBN that has the I Want Filipino Channels in many parts of the world to help in the marketing of ABS-CBN projects (including its movies). 

The boys of SB19 are self-managed and they are understandably less experienced at marketing their shows abroad. There are online reports, though, that SB19’s world tour goes all the way to October and some of the venues that BINI will perform in this coming June will also be SB19’s venues. 

Even the legendary Madison Square Garden is a venue for BINI in their world tour.