Albie Casiño has publicly addressed the recent wave of sexual harassment allegations in the entertainment industry, asserting that he has never had a negative experience with acclaimed director Joel Lamangan.
During a press conference for the new Vivamax Original Movie ‘Butas’ on August 27, 2024, Casiño was asked about his views on the ongoing sexual harassment cases involving male celebrities. This inquiry follows reports from emerging Sparkle artist Sandro Muhlach, singer Gerald Santos, actor Ahron Villena, and a TV5 news researcher who have all reported incidents of harassment by industry figures.
“I always speak for myself but I don’t want to speak and maybe invalidate other people. So, yun ang unang-una kong sasabihin,” Casiño stated. “Everything I can say right now is only based on my sole experience. I can’t talk about anyone else’s experience other than my own because everybody has the right to live their own experience.”
“But this is, like I’ve said, my experience. Never naman may nangyari where I felt taken advantage of. Never!”
Casiño, who stars in the Vivamax film ‘Butas,’ explained that throughout his career, he has never felt harassed or violated. “I’ve worked with multiple directors and I’ve had to wear plaster multiple times, and I’ve never felt violated. Thank God na rin that it never happened to me. But like I said, I don’t wanna be invalidating anyone else’s experience,” he said.
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Although Casiño did not specify names, his comments seem to address concerns raised about director Joel Lamangan. There is speculation that Lamangan might be the director mentioned by Ahron Villena, who alleged harassment during a film shoot that required him to use plaster for his private parts.
“I’ve never had anything bad…I want to say something kasi I feel like this director I’ve worked with before is kinda under fire. But like I said, I’ve worked with him and nothing bad ever happened,” Casiño clarified.
Casiño has collaborated with Lamangan on several projects, including ‘Rainbow’s Sunset’ (2018), ‘Isa Pang Bahaghari’ (2020), and the Vivamax movie ‘Biyak’ (2022).
