Netizens commended the comedian-host for handling what could have been a very uncomfortable situation on the show because of a daily contestant.
Vice Ganda promptly corrected a Miss Q and A daily contender, who had an awkward moment during the August 2 episode of It’s Showtime, and used derogatory words as his opening statement. During the introductory portion of the drag competition, daily contestant, Dimple Ruiz, rendered the whole studio speechless when she used some words that are apparently already considered derogatory or a form of ‘insult.’
“Oh ano? Nagulat kayo ‘no? Akala n’yo ngongo ako ‘no? Mongoloid kaya ako (I bet I got all of you surprised! Did you mistake me for a ‘ngongo’? You’re all wrong, ‘cause I am actually a mongoloid,” said Ruiz, which took the whole studio in a shock.
‘Ngongo’ has long been considered as an insult for people with speech impairment, while ‘mongoloid’ is an obsolete term for indigenous groups of people living in large parts of Asia. Both these terms have are viewed as pejorative or derogatory.
While Ruiz was able to finish her opening statement, the discomfort he brought evidently made most of the audiences and the hosts speechless. Vice Ganda promptly corrected Ruiz’s blunder. The comedian-host notably tried to halt the contestant and said, “Hindi ‘yan ‘yung intro mo noong rehearsal, ha (That wasn’t what you were rehearsing earlier).”
Twitter user @BIENsays shared the clip where Vice Ganda immediately issued a statement for the contestant and the show.
“We would like to inform the viewers that the views and opinions of the candidates, do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the hosts, the show, and the Network. Gusto naming… in behalf of candidate number 3, ngayon pa lang humihingi na po kami ng paumanhin sa mga maaaring na-offend, o hindi nagustuhan ang mga sinabi niya sa simula, lalo na po ang pag-gamit ng mga salitang ‘ngongo’ at ‘mongoloid’, kasi hindi na natin ‘yun ginagamit.
(We would like to… in behalf of candidate no.3, we would like to apologize to everyone who got offended by what the contestant said, especially his usage of the words ‘ngongo’ and ‘mongoloid’. Those words are already obsolete).”
BIEN’s tweet reads, “It was a wise move of @vicegandako to immediately call out the contestant who makes fun of people who have physical impairments and issue an apology. @itsShowtimeNa #ShowtimeAugust2Natin.”
It was a wise move of @vicegandako to immediately call out the contestant who makes fun of people who have physical impairments and issue an apology. @itsShowtimeNa #ShowtimeAugust2Natin pic.twitter.com/sD7BP2i0De
— Hanash Daily #KikoBam2025 #HeidiSonny2025 (@BIENsays) August 2, 2022
Other netizens also commended the comedian-host for calling out Ruiz and inevitably shedding light on an often-neglected social issue.
“yooo i’m actually liking vice ganda’s character development, esp when she called out one of the contestants earlier. and the audience??? we’re being progressive oh my gosh. when kaya sa eat bulaga choz,” tweeted @ami_kirio.
https://twitter.com/ami_kirio/status/1554372618773757952
Yan similarly expressed her appreciation of Vice Ganda’s quick response to Ruiz’s mistake. “kudos to ms. vice ganda for calling out the contestant.
i love how she managed to stand up and call out the bad statement that the contestant had said and i love how she handled the heavy situation properly,” she said in her tweet.
kudos to ms. vice ganda, for calling out the contestant.
i love how she manage to stand up and call out the bad statement that the contestant had said and i love how she handled the heavy situation properly.#ShowtimeAugust2Natin
— yan (@ntprzion) August 2, 2022
Ruiz, meanwhile, shared in his social media accounts, that the comedian-host reached out to him and comforted him after the incident. The daily contender notably already issued an apology during the segment.
“Thanks Meme Vice sa pag-comfort sa akin after ng pagkakamali ko. Talagang sinadya nyo pa ako puntahan sa dressing room to comfort me. Napakabuti mo pong tao, sorry po ulit.
(Thank you Vice Ganda for comforting me, after my mistake earlier. You even reached out to me and went to my dressing room to comfort me. You truly are a good person. Again, I am very sorry), ” his Facebook post reads.
https://twitter.com/rockygeslani/status/1554373644268486659
Ruiz lost the competition that day, but there is no doubt that he learned something valuable, especially one coming from Vice Ganda.
