Karen Davila took the side of abuse victims
Seasoned broadcaster Karen Davila reminded Senators to stop victim blaming and public shaming.
Karen is vocal about her views and opinions on different issues in society and trending topics on social media. Even though not all people like what she is saying, she is not afraid of negative comments. On the other hand, she also knows how to respond when her statement is being criticized just like what he did when she said that it was P-pop group BINI who “nagbukas ng pinto.”
In her recent post on X, formerly Twitter, Karen shared a news article from Inquirer. It was about the bashing that Senator Jinggoy Estrada received from the online community because of how he interrogated singer-actor Gerald Santos regarding the harassment complaint he filed against a musical director.
To recall, Gerald was invited to the Senate hearing held by the Senate Public Information and Mass Media Committee headed by Sen. Robin Padilla, discussing the “Policies of
Television Networks and Artist Management Agencies in Relation to Complaints of Abuse and Harassment.”
Gerald said that he was not harassed nor abused because he was r@ped. Allegedly this happened when he was just 15 years old and as a minor back then, he wasn’t fully aware of what he was supposed to do.
When Sen. Jinggoy asked Gerald to elaborate on what happened and why it took him many years to finally speak about this, netizens criticized the lawmaker.
Karen Davila echoed the netizens’ sentiments. In her tweet, the seasoned broadcaster reminded the lawmakers to treat the victims with compassion and sensitivity. She pointed out that recalling the victims’ traumatic experiences in the past is daunting for them, much more so when the public is listening to them.
“Stop barraging, asking, ‘Why did it take you 5 years? You should’ve filed a complaint immediately,'” she said. Karen also stressed that victims are scared and they feel ashamed of what happened.
The seasoned broadcaster added that public shaming will not encourage other victims to also speak about what happened to them. “Let me remind our senators, you serve the people. You are not gods. Do not act like it,” Karen Davila stressed.