‘Too political’: Comedian Ethel Booba reveals story behind ‘disowned’ Twitter account

MANILA, Philippines – Ethel Booba revealed in a YouTube video that she has never been behind the controversial Twitter account @iamethylgabison, days after she disowned the page on Thursday, April 9 and called it “fake.” (READ: Ethel Booba disowns controversial Twitter account)

In a 30-minute video posted on her Youtube channel on Tuesday, April 14, Ethel, whose real name is Ethyl Gabison, first thanked her followers (“mga boobayans“) for waiting patiently for her side of the story.

She briefly went through a timeline of her finding out about this “fake” Twitter account. (READ: TIMELINE: The Ethel Booba account that is apparently not Ethel Booba’s)

According to Ethel, she first found out about the page 8 years ago in 2012 through a friend of hers and her siblings; the “fake Ethel” befriended them prior. The person, who Ethen did not name, said he or she was “Ethel’s fan.”

It was in 2016 when Ethel’s friend noticed that “fake Ethel” would grab photos from Ethel’s real Facebook account and crosspost it on Twitter. 

“Kuhang-kuha niya ang pagsasalita ko. Natuwa naman ako kasi maganda naman, di naman nakaka-harm sa ibang tao. Puro mga quotes, nakakatawa,” Ethel said in her vlog about letting the “fake Ethel” be. (She could really talk like me. I was amused because it was nice and it didn’t harm anyone. It was all quotes; it was funny.)

“Walang politika, walang siraan, nakipag-collab pa nga ako with friends,” she added. (There were no politics involved, no bashing, I even collaborated with friends.) The “fake” account’s viral popularity even led to an invite from Viva to create a book, called #Charotism: The Wit and Wisdom of Ethel Booba, a collection of her viral tweets that was published in 2016. Ethel promoted this book. 

In previous media interviews, Ethel herself has acknowledged the existence of the Twitter account, while saying that a group of people was tweeting out its content. In her April 2020 video, Ethel said she’d forward – allegedly through intermediaries – possible content for the Twitter account. But she insisted she never actually had control over it. 

2019 saw the start of her more “political tweets,” which Ethel’s siblings noticed and told her about – that it began bashing the current administration and a few senators.

Ethel also said that the “fake Ethel” had been sending her alleged personal contact number to followers through Twitter DM. According to Ethel, this wasn’t hers – it was her friend’s. 

She then reported the account. “Medyo below the belt ang mga tweets niya. Yung twineet niya na ‘nagbabayad naman tayo ng tax, bat ba tayo mag-aambag?’ Nanggigil ako,” she said. (The tweets were already below the belt. One tweet tweet ‘We pay taxes, why are we asked about what we are contributing? I got angry.)

“Lalo na sa sitwasyon natin ngayon, may pandemic tayo. We are in a desperate situation right now. Naiiyak ako kasi di natin alam if makakalabas ba tayo. Bat ba ako magmumuhkang muramot na tao? Di ako maramot na tao. Kung alam mo lang ako,” she added, teary-eyed. (Especially in this desperate situation right now, we’re in a pandemic. I’m crying because I don’t know when we can leave. Why do I look like a selfish, greedy person? I’m not. If only you knew me.)

Her boyfriend, Jesse Salazar, who was behind the camera, also said that their newborn baby had also been the victim of these “bashers,” and that Ethel was one of the first celebrites to promote a fund raiser.

On allegations that she was earning money from Twitter by being part of the “dilawan” liberal camp, she retorted: “Edi dapat ang yaman yaman ko na, sa dami nang siniraan ni fake.” (Then I should be so rich, considering how many people “fake Ethel” ruined.)

She then shared in “transparency” that she supported President Rodrigo Duterte during his campaign in Davao. 

“Binoto ko as president tas ikokontrahin ko? Bat ganyan?” (I voted him for president then I’ll go against him? Why would I do that?)

“Wag kayo magalit sa akin. Kaya dapat itanong niyo muna ako. Kung may direct contact ako sa kanya, ipagmumurahan ko na yan eh. Dapat nga di tayo Duterte or dilawan, dapat nga ngayon magkaisa tayo. Dapat mag tulong tulong tayo,” she added. (Don’t get mad at me, you should’ve asked me directly first. If I had direct contact with her, I would’ve cursed her. We shouldn’t be either pro-Duterte or ‘dilawan,’ we should be one. We should help each other.)

She said, however, that she hasn’t gotten death threats. She also said that so far, the only social media accounts that are hers are her public Facebook account, her Youtube channel, and her Instagram account.

“Tigilan mo na yan. Makakarma ka yan,” she said to the “fake Ethel.” (Stop it already. You’re going to get what you deserve.)

She then proceeded to thank her followers for their continuous love, saying that if that were really her, she wouldn’t have shut the Twitter account down, considering that its traction had actually been getting her endorsement invites.

“Please stop it. Lesson learned – wag basta basta maniwala, kahit sabihin na #1 fan. Huhudasin ka padin pala sa dulo,” she said. (Please stop it. Lesson learned – don’t believe in everything so easily, even if she says she’s your number one fan. In the end, she’s just going to betray you.)

“Ang gusto kong mangyari magkaisa tayong lahat. Walang Duterte, dilawan. Magkaisa tayo,” she added. (What I want to happen is for us to be united. No Duterte, no yellows. We are one.) – Rappler.com