Gil Cuerva speaks up on victim-blaming after videos of male celebs spread online

Gil Cuerva admitted that he is bothered by comments making light of what happened to him and a few other men in the showbiz industry when private videos of them circulated online.

In the latest episode of the "Trggrd!" podcast, the actor said they are victims and it is a serious situation.

"May mga fellow victims na they had the courage and bravery to talk about 'yung experience nila. That's something I won't do. I just posted once and 'yun na 'yun," he said.

"I don't want to explain how traumatic the whole thing was for me," he added. "I've kinda made peace with the whole thing already but if there's anything that kinda bothers me a little pa rin it's 'yung the whole victim-blaming."

Gil said some people tend to downplay what happened to them because they were men, saying things like they "ginusto mo naman 'yan" or "'di ka kasi nag-ingat."

"'Pag nakikita mo kasi 'yung mga sinasabi ng mga tao parang it's back at you eh. Parang whatever they said it's used again them. So 'yun lang, instead of like maybe sympathy or whatever, navi-victim-blame pa rin sila. That sucks," he said.

Gil said one silver lining of the situation is what happened to him can be used as a cautionary tale so others can avoid a similar experience.

"Siguro by this time, mga managers, parents, teachers have probably warned their kids or whatever. Parang, 'Hey, this can happen to you if not careful.' Parang use this whole negative experience as a way to be positive to other people," he said.

"I just try to handle it with, you know, grace and dignity and just move on with my life. They say nga the best revenge is just to live a good life."

In March, Gil issued a statement to address the viral video of him, saying that it was recorded without his knowledge or consent during a private moment.

"The use of a hidden camera and the distribution of that recording are serious violations of my privacy and constitute a crime," he said.

Other showbiz personalities who spoke up after their videos circulated are Ron Angeles, Andre Cue, and Nikko Natividad.

Ron and Andre said a coordinated group could be behind the circulation of the videos, while Nikko took accountability for his actions and apologized to his family and supporters. —MGP, GMA News