BINI Aiah speaks out on Cebu incident: 'Respect us as human beings'
BINI member Aiah Arceta has released her own statement after her uncomfortable public encounter in Cebu went viral.
Aiah shared a lengthy message through Instagram stories regarding her recent trip to her hometown in the hopes of spending time with her loved ones, which she was able to do. She then shared about how there were times people came up to her during her private time.
"Some would directly run up to me, grab a photo (even while I was eating), post it in real-time, use my face and post it on pages or places for the sake of clout and publicity without my consent, and worse, some would even include the real-time location, which I don't think is safe," she wrote.
@bini_aiah / Instagram
@bini_aiah / Instagram
@bini_aiah / Instagram
@bini_aiah / Instagram
@bini_aiah / Instagram
@bini_aiah / Instagram
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The girl group member clarified that she enjoys fan interactions but said that she hopes fans would "see and respect" BINI members as people.
"[I] just hope that people also see and respect us as human beings," she said.
"We don't always get to go out lately because we have been busy with work, and the least we can ask for is for others to respect our personal time and our humanity."
Aiah ended her message with a reminder for her followers to be kinder with their words and actions. "I hope we can fill this world with love, respect, and positivity."
On July 5, BINI's manager Laurenti Dyogi called for respect for the nation's girl group after they had some uncomfortable encounters in Cebu.
While visiting a bar, a male fan, later identified as AJ Fernan, got too physically close to Aiah and appeared to be taking videos of her. The fan later shared that he has apologized to the P-Pop idol.
Star Magic also released a statement on July 4, reminding the fans that unwanted actions or advances toward a woman in a public place may be considered gender-based street and public space sexual harassment.
"As such, we enjoin everyone to respect the personal space and privacy of our talents. More so during their time off," it said.