Tuesday Vargas calls out inappropriate question to minor actor

Comedienne-host Tuesday Vargas reacted over what is percieved as inappropriate line of questioning involving a veteran reporter, Gorgy Rula, and minor.actor, Kanye Avendan̈o.

Vargas, in a Facebook post, was seemingly baffled at Rula's audacity to ask underage Avendan̈o if he plans to do a Vivamax project in the future.

"Bakit mo tatanungin ang isang 12-year-old kung may balak siyang mag-VivaMax?! Saang mundo naging OK at normal para sa isang showbiz reporter ang ganyang tanungan?" Vargas wrote.

But what's more disturbing for Vargas was media's reaction after the question was asked.

"Bukod sa hindi age-appropriate, nakakabahala na nakatutok ang mic sa isang bata tapos ganyan ang 'hirit'—at mas nakakadismaya na may mga natawa pa sa paligid," she said, noting that "Normalized sexualization of minors in media is NOT humor; it is boundary-crossing and unacceptable,"

For the comedienne, "press conferences and media huddles should be a safe space, especially for child actors."

She believes asking about "sexually explicit content" is not "casual banter" nor was it 'pagsakay sa uso'— "it’s inappropriate and unprofessional."

"The fact that adult reporters in the room laughed shows how much work still needs to be done regarding child protection and ethical journalism in entertainment," Vargas stressed.

Vargas is not afraid of the repercussions of her online reaction even though "I know may kapasidad sila to get back at me, na mag sulat ng masama kasi binagga ko sila."

She felt she has the right to react since she's a mother herself and experienced it when she was just starting in the business.

"Showbiz reporting needs boundaries. Being a 'veteran' reporter is not a license to cross ethical lines," she reminded the veteran reporter, askibg him to be a model of professionalism at respect. Sge felt that he needed to issue a public apology,

"We should be aware that minors, even in showbiz, are children first. They should never be subjected to adult-oriented or sexually suggestive topics," she said, calling the incident a form of abuse.

In the end, Vargas praised Zaijian Jaranilla for stepping up and protecting Kanye.

"It takes courage to stand up to senior figures in the industry, but Zaijian showed what real accountability and protection look like," she finally wrote

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