Awra Briguela admits she feels like giving up amid continued criticism

Awra Briguela opened up about the emotional toll of facing continued criticism, saying she feels like giving up every day, as she tries to move forward from the 2023 incident that led to her arrest and legal case.

On Friday’s “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,” the actress said the criticism has continued even as she tried to become a better person.

“Every day,” Awra admitted tearfully in Filipino, when asked if she has ever wanted to give up amid the intense bashing.

“My siblings and even my friends know this. No matter what I try to do, after what happened, Tito Boy — it took me a year before I faced people again, before I continued my studies,” she said.

She said the criticism persisted even after she resumed her studies and continued working toward her goals.

“When I continued my studies, until I graduated from senior high school, people still had things to say about me. And even now that I am just continuing all the good things I started after my mistake, they still have a lot to say,” she said.

According to Awra, the criticism has been particularly difficult to deal with, now that she is in college.

“Every day. I really feel like I don't want to do this anymore, but what I think about are my siblings and my parents, who never gave up on me and continue to fight for me. They are the ones who motivate me,” she said. “But if it were just me, Tito Boy, I really don't want to anymore, because it feels like no matter what I do, it doesn't matter.”

In the interview, Awra addressed the 2023 incident at a bar in Makati's Poblacion district, which resulted in a legal case that was later dismissed.

She said the matter had long been resolved and that she had privately apologized to those involved and taken accountability for her actions.

“What happened back then has been over for a long time, and the cases have already been dismissed. I faced the case for almost a year and I really, privately apologized to everyone involved. I also took accountability, and it took me more than a year to truly move on and start again after the mistake I made,” she said.

Awra also recalled posting an open letter about the incident, saying the public apology was her personal decision, which came only after she made sure the matter had been settled privately.

“Before I posted the open letter, I made sure that everything had been settled privately, Tito Boy. I made sure that everything was okay before I posted that open letter,” she said.

Asked if the public apology was part of an agreement, Awra clarified that it was her own choice.

“No. It was really my personal choice. And it was my reflection after everything that happened,” she said.

The actress also became emotional when asked what she would tell her younger self.

“I would, of course, apologize. Because I did so many things that she didn't deserve. I just want to apologize to the young Awra because, gosh, there were so many things back then. She was full of dreams, Tito Boy. But now, I almost have no dreams to speak of,” she said.

She continued, “My only dream now is to get through life. So my only message to her is sorry. Sorry for the wrong things I did that you didn't deserve, because she really didn't deserve all the decisions I made in my life.”

Despite her regrets, Awra reminded her younger self of the strength she had shown.

“But I want to tell her that she is so strong. She is so resilient and so strong,” she said.

In June 2023, Awra was taken to a police station in Makati after she got into a brawl with another customer outside a bar in Poblacion. She was released on bail a day after the incident.

In a YouTube video uploaded on Vice Ganda's channel in 2024, Awra said she has learned her lesson from what happened. — LA, GMA News