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A serious but necessary conversation unfolded in the "Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0" house as Kuya and the housemates addressed concerns about the boys' inappropriate jokes in the December 9 episode.
To recall, in the previous episode (December 8), the girls had already opened up to houseguest Shuvee Etrata about how uncomfortable they felt with the boys making “green” jokes, which was likely the reason Big Brother decided to separate the male and female housemates for the time being. Housemate Carmelle Collado, in particular, was deeply affected by the boys’ comments during their recent task, which she felt were offensive and objectifying toward her.
Proving yet again that she is truly a girls’ girl, Krystal Mejes confronted the male housemates involved, in defense of her friend (this happened before the house was divided). She first approached Miguel Vergara to clarify what exactly the boys were laughing about Carmelle. In his defense, Miguel said it was Lee Victor who initiated the “GYAT” joke directed at Carmelle, although he also admitted that he should not have just laughed along and let it slide.
“’Yun lang ang gusto namin dito, is for you guys to not objectify us. Even if it's funny in your head, it's really not right,” Krystal said. Iñigo Jose, who was also involved in the incident, joined the conversation and later had a one-on-one talk with Carmelle, during which Iñigo apologized for his actions and thanked Carmelle for calling him out, saying that her words would help him grow and do better.
The next day, it was Lee’s turn to be spoken to by Krystal and Carmelle, with Krystal telling him, “You are not your mistakes, okay? But we just didn't appreciate that you were making inappropriate jokes... That's why we were kinda distant towards you because we are disgusted.” She further explained, “We talked to Iñigo about it, we also talked to Miguel because they were also part of it. They participated in laughing about it. It's not a 'kabataang Pinoy' should do."
She also reminded Lee to be more mindful moving forward, “I think kasi in this house, we get so comfortable with other people that we forget to consider other people's feelings. Consider what we're going to feel, and consider if it's right or wrong." Lee apologized and took accountability, realizing that it was a mistake on their part.
From Carmelle’s side, she said that she had already forgiven the boys even before the ‘confrontation’ happened. Meanwhile, Krystal shared with Big Brother in the confession room that she initiated the conversations out of genuine concern, "I approached them in a way that I'm sincere with what I'm saying, sa pamamaraan na, 'Mahal ko kayo kaya ko sinasabi at pinapa-realize sa inyo 'yung ginagawa n'yo.' I genuinely appreciated them because tinanggap nila 'yung pagkakamali nila and they really apologized and they're trying their best na maging maayos talaga 'yung samahan namin dito sa loob."
After the confrontation, Iñigo opened up to Big Brother inside the confession room, saying, “I don’t know why I’m getting these things. Parang, tama naman ginagawa ko, Kuya. I'm trying to improve, so what I'm doing is ina-accept ko lang 'yung mga bagay na dumadating sa akin, but, parang nagpa-pile up talaga siya."
Big Brother then responded with a piece of advice, “Hindi ko sinasabing huwag mong tanggapin. Pero, intindihin mo rin. Intindihin mo ang hindi pagkakaintindihan,” to which Iñigo replied, “Hindi ko na po siya dinidibdib pa nang sobra. I just move forward again. Ayaw kong ma-affect pa do'n. As much as possible, I'm just avoiding problems as well. So if may problema sila, I'll accept it na lang na may gano'n and then fix it.”
To that, Big Brother returned, "You don't solve your problems by avoiding them at 'yun ang lagi mong ginagawa." From there, he asked Iñigo what he considers to be the biggest problem he has faced in life so far, prompting Iñigo to open up about his parents' separation, which he had intentionally chosen not to confront as a way of coping.
Which is why Big Brother reminded him, "Huwag mong iwasan ang problema. Harapin mo ang dapat mong harapin."
Lee, too, felt the emotional weight of the recent events inside the house, but in the middle of all that, he expressed how thankful he was to have someone like Heath Jornales, a friend who truly listens, as he wished the other housemates would also take the time to understand him for more than just being the funny guy of the group.
"Gusto ko lang maging equal sa paningin ng mga housemates at saka sana mas seryosohin pa nila ako, sana mas pakinggan pa ako nila," he told Big Brother in the confession room, crying.
He also admitted to being disappointed in himself for making those inappropriate jokes, "I don't want to make an excuse na bata pa ako, 16, no. Malapit na akong mag-18. Malapit na akong maging adult. I should be more mature."
Meanwhile, houseguest Shuvee received a task from Big Brother to host a “talk show” inside the house, where both male and female housemates were asked to create a “Bakit List” or a series of questions meant to understand the mindset and behavior of the opposite gender, with Shuvee taking on the role of mediator. She would relay the questions from one group, given that the house is still divided and the girls and boys won’t be able to see each other, though they could hear each other’s answers.
The girls’ first question was, “Bakit ba sa tingin ninyo masyadong OA o sensitive ang mga babae?” and over at the boys’ side, Joaquin Arce clarified that they actually don’t see it that way, “We think valid naman lahat ng reactions nila. I think lahat ng girls na kasama namin dito very mature and very well spoken.”
Expanding on his point, Joaquin offered the idea that women may be naturally wired to be more reactive, "It's in women's genetic makeup talaga to feel more, be more emotional. In a way, it helps them more to understand the family. They're the ones supposed to raise the child. They're the ones who are supposed to understand. It's more of a superpower than it is a negative thing."
Adding his perspective, Miguel mentioned that being “OA” and “sensitive” isn’t a gender-specific trait, "Ako, minsan OA ako and sensitive. So, it's not just girls. Everyone."
Watch out for what’s next in the “Bakit Ba” talk show as the conversation continues on "PBB Collab 2.0," available online via livestreams on the PBB YouTube Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), and iWant.