ABS-CBN condemns PBB controversy, shuts down livestreaming

Amid rumors of a blooming romance between two male housemates of Pinoy Big
Brother 737 (PBB), ABS-CBN Corp. denounced social media posts linking 18-year-old
Karlo Lorenzo Kenzo Gutierrez and 12-year-old Bailey Thomas May, and decided to
shut down its livestreaming of the reality program.
In a press statement on Friday, ABS-CBN corporate communications head Kane Errol
Choa said the viral photos of Gutierrez and May holding hands and hugging put the
housemates in a bad light.
These posts are made by irresponsible netizens who maliciously take screenshots from
the programs livestream and weave a narrative that is not only far from truth, but also
attempts to put the housemates in a bad light, Choa said. They mislead the public by
manipulating the images to put malice to otherwise innocent acts.
Choa said ABS-CBN had the duty to safeguard the welfare of the housemates, adding it
would not tolerate the abuse of social media.
ABS-CBN vehemently condemns these irresponsible social media posts that malign
the reputation of the housemates We will not allow them to be subjected to
cyberbullying, he said.
To put a stop to the controversy, Choa said ABS-CBN would cancel its 24/7 free
livestreaming of the reality show on cable television and online starting Friday night.
We appeal to the public to stop perpetuating abuse and use social media responsibly,
he added.
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board has summoned officials of
PBB to a developmental conference on July 9 over numerous feedback and
complaints. Yuji Vincent Gonzales
MTRCB summons PBB execs amid bromance controversy
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has summoned
officials of reality television show Pinoy Big Brother 737 over numerous feedback and
complaints.
Raymond Dizon, business unit head of ABS-CBN Corporation, together with seven
program officers, was invited to a developmental conference on July 9 at 2 p.m. at the
censors boards office in Quezon City, Ricardo Salomon Jr, co-chairperson of the
MTRCB hearing and adjudication committee, said in a memorandum.

In the said conference, we would like to know what safety measures you have in
place, Salomon said.
He said this would guarantee that no participants in your program is exposed to
situation, challenges and experiences which may be prejudicial to his or her well-being,
or which may have a negative impact on the youth and other audiences who will be
watching the show, he said.
This came as rumors of a booming romance swirl between 18-year-old Karlo Lorenzo
Kenzo Gutierrez and 12-year-old Bailey Thomas May inside the Big Brother house.
ABS-CBN shuts down Pinoy Big Brother live streaming amid Bailey, Kenzo
controversy
MANILA, Philippines ABS-CBN decided to shut down the online and cable television.
live streaming of its reality show Pinoy Big Brother 737.
This comes after two of the shows contestants12-year-old Bailey May and 18-yearold Kenzo Gutierrezbecame the subject of malicious posts that have gone viral on
social media, a statement released by the network said on Friday.
The statement added that ABS-CBN condemns the social media posts that targeted the
young reality show contestants, adding that the network is concerned with the welfare of
their housemates. It is our responsibility to protect them. We will not allow them to be
subjected to cyberbullying. We will not tolerate the abuse of social media, it said.
Earlier this week, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board summoned
the officials of Pinoy Big Brother over complaints they received about the show.
The complete statement of ABS-CBN reads:
Pinoy Big Brother 737 housemates Bailey May, 12, and Kenzo Gutierrez, 18, have
recently been the subject of malicious posts that have gone viral on social media. These
posts are made by irresponsible netizens who maliciously take screenshots from the
programs live stream and weave a narrative that is not only far from the truth, but also
attempts to put the housemates in a bad light. They mislead the public by manipulating
the images to put malice to otherwise innocent acts.
ABS-CBN vehemently condemns these irresponsible social media posts that malign
the reputation of the housemates. We are concerned with the welfare of our young
housemates and it is our responsibility to protect them. We will not allow them to be
subjected to cyberbullying. We will not tolerate the abuse of social media.
To put a stop to this, ABS-CBN is taking a stand on the issue by shutting down the free
24/7 livestreaming of the program on cable TV (SkyCable) and online (iWant TV and
TFC.tv) starting tonight. We appeal to the public to stop perpetuating abuse and use
social media responsibly.