Vice Ganda publicly apologized after making a “bomb joke” during the live broadcast of It’s Showtime on Monday, February 2.
The incident happened during the show’s ‘Laro Laro Pick’ segment, where Vice jokingly compared the yellow boxes used in the game to bombs.
“Players, tapatan lamang ang mga nag-iwan ng bomba sa studio. Parang may mga nag-iwan ng bomba, ‘di ba? Pag nakita mo ‘yan sa labas di mo pupuntahan ‘yan eh,” Vice said on air, referring to the props. One of the participants in the segment was actor David Licauco.
Shortly after the segment, Vice addressed the remark and issued an on-air apology, admitting he was unaware that bomb-related jokes are prohibited by law.
“Bago tayo mag-cue ng commercial, humihingi po muna kami ng paumanhin dahil do’n sa bomb joke na sinabi ko kanina, ‘yung parang may nag-iwan dito ng bomba do’n sa kahon,’” Vice said.
He added, “Bawal daw po pala ‘yung magbigay ng bomb jokes. Wala po akong intensyong masama doon, wala pong malisya doon. It was just a joke pero bawal daw po ‘yon kaya humihingi po ako ng paumanhin.”
Under Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1727, the dissemination of bomb or explosive threats—including jokes or false alarms—is strictly prohibited in the Philippines. Violators may face penalties of up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of as much as ₱40,000.
