
Myra Abo Santos, the mother of the young lady that Ellen Adarna called a paparazzi, is not backing down.
After speaking out her thoughts in a special report by SmartParenting.com, the mother of the 17-year-old Eleila Santos did not hold back and wrote a lengthy Facebook post that was equal parts emotional, honest, sharp, and fearless.
Myra began her letter by saying that the whole incident has caused her family hurt and brought them "unneeded stress and unwanted attention."
"I am the mother of Eleila A. Santos, the 17 year old girl you identified and accused as paparazzi in a series of Instagram posts.
"We are reaching out to you to let you know how deeply hurt we are by the unneeded stress and unwanted attention you caused after you uploaded a photo and video of her on Instagram, without any consent from us."
The next words of Myra's open letter carried a strong indication that she's standing by her daughter's story.
Myra admitted that at the outset, she thought that the issue would be resolved quickly and that Ellen, being a mature grown woman, would give her daughter and her friend the benefit of the doubt.
"After her friends told her about the ‘Instagram Story’ that you posted where she was first identified, she was mature enough to immediately write privately to you and explain the situation: that she was taking footage of her food. We initially took it lightly, thinking things would be resolved quickly and the 30-year-old you would give the two minors the benefit of the doubt. Even her aunt wrote a private message to you, and mentioned she is a minor. However, we did not hear anything from you."
To her surprise, Ellen did the opposite, Myra claimed. It is at this point her letter took on a different tone.
"Instead, you posted a one sided narrative and insisted on erroneous and unfounded accusations again on Instagram. You have claimed my daughter is guilty, rude, and has been repeatedly insinuating my daughter is lying. You even said that you can handle bashers and hope my child could, too. I want to tell you that she is not like you, she never needed to. She is a private individual who has not even turned 18. As a celebrity, we would have thought you would understand the value of privacy."
Myra said that what Ellen did—posting a video of Eleila on her Instagram and tagging her as a "pap," short for paparazzo/paparazzi—only showed the actress's true intention: to shame her daughter.
"When we watched this video, coupled with the lack of an actual response from your side – it was clear to us – you did not want an explanation. You only want to defame our daughter publicly."
While the incident has brought her family hurt, Myra said that it also made her realize how strong her daughter is.
"My daughter, even though was not in the wrong, immediately reached out to you via an IG about the misunderstanding. She is my only living child. She is just 17 years old. The only good thing about this is I found out how strong and formidable she is; and how happy I am of how she turned out to be – a genuine person who can stand her ground. Now it is my turn to protect her, just as how our state protects its children."
Myra ended her letter with a stern warning for Ellen Adarna: apologize publicly. If she doesn't, Myra and her lawyer would take legal action against Ellen.
"My family and I have begun seeking legal assistance. As advised by our lawyer, we are now writing this letter. As her family, we ask you to publicly apologise to Eleila. We prefer not to take this further, but as our only daughter, we are ready to take this wherever needed to protect her integrity.
"As much as no one has the right to breach your privacy, you have no right to ruin my daughter’s reputation.
"My lawyer indicates that you will have five days to reply to this letter. Should you fail or refuse to do so, we will not hesitate to take the appropriate legal actions necessary under the circumstances, to protect and uphold the best interest and welfare of our 17 year old, Eleila A. Santos."
See Myra Santos's Facebook post for Ellen Adarna in full: