Laurenti Dyogi calls for respect after BINI Aiah and Maloi's uncomfortable public encounters
Star Magic Head Laurenti Dyogi, the manager of the P-pop girl group BINI, asked the public to respect its members' privacy and personal space after Aiah and Maloi's respective uncomfortable experiences in public.
In a video message uploaded on BINI's Facebook, Dyogi noted how "very stressful" BINI's sold-out three-day "BINIverse" concert was, and members wanted to unwind and spend time with their families.
"Unfortunately, naka-experience sila ng hindi magaganda," Dyogi said.
"Nakikiusap po ako, personally... sana po pag ang ating mga miyembro ay nasa kanilang personal time with their families and friends, please also show respect to their privacy and personal space," Dyogi said. "Tao rin po sila, kailangan din nila makisalamuha sa ibang tao."
Though he acknowledged that BLOOMs, the group's fans, may just be excited to see their idols, he asked for understanding as the group has had a "very hectic schedule for these past few months."
"We also want to give them a semblance of some regular lives," Dyogi said. "Kung pwede pong bigyan natin sila ng pagkakataon na ma-enjoy naman 'yun without other people who are setting beyond the boundaries of proper behavior."
Dyogi particularly mentioned Aiah's experience, calling it "very disturbing" and a violation of the Safe Spaces Act.
Star Magic to take 'appropriate action' for artists' protection
In a statement released on Friday, July 5, Star Magic reminded everyone that "any action or advance towards a woman in a public place that is unwanted and threatens her sense of personal space may be considered as 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 personal time off," the management said.
"Rest assured that we will take appropriate action to protect our artists," it added.
What happened
Aiah visited a bar in her hometown Cebu when a man, later on identified as AJ Fernan, went too physically close to her and apparently took videos of her. He uploaded the videos on his Instagram account, though it's now set to private.
Fernan on July 4 shared on Facebook a screenshot of his apology to Aiah sent via Messenger. He said it was not his intention to scare Aiah, but acknowledged that he made her uncomfortable and "crossed the line."
"What [you] feel was valid and I couldn't be more sorry," he said.
Maloi, meanwhile, was having dinner with her family in her hometown Batangas when fans went to their table for photos and videos. Others even went live, inviting other fans to come to the restaurant.
BINI consists of Aiah, Colet, Gwen, Maloi, Jhoanna, Mikha, Sheena, and Stacey. It was formed through ABS-CBN‘s Star Hunt Academy in 2019 and debuted with Born to Win in 2021.
The group is known for the hits Pantropiko, Salamin, Salamin, Lagi, and Karera.
Last June, BINI made history as the first Filipino artist to enter Spotify's Global Top Artist Chart. The previous month, it also became the most streamed P-pop group in the country.