Raffy Tulfo in Action has never appealed to me. I find it normalizing scandals and unethical acts, and exploiting poor people’s narratives. However, as some of its episodes turn viral, I find it best to discuss the moral issues in those specific episodes, especially in my ethics classes.
Recently, an episode with 2.3 million views, earned 23,000 comments. It involved ex-partners Liza and Rolando. They have four children and the third child Ma. Alexandra, an 18-year-old senior high student, supports her mother Liza on her complaint as she is not receiving the 500 pesos allowance previously agreed upon. Out of the four children, only Alexandra receives financial support from her father Rolando as her other siblings have married.
No Saint
Rolando is no saint. He has a legal wife while he had a 22-year relationship with Liza, and currently has a new partner.
However, Rolando also shoulders the payment for the house, electric bill, and water bill, despite not living in the same house.
The complainants are blaming the new partner as the cause of why Rolando does not fulfill his promises.
Rolando drives a grab car which I am assuming is his own, and he reveals that he takes breaks once in a while as he has days when he does not feel well.
Rash Judgment
Netizens were quick to chime in, giving their sympathies to the crying Rolando, as he vented out the embarrassment with this ex-partner’s decision to broadcast their situation.
He looked genuinely sincere when he verbalized his love for his daughter and that he wanted her to finish her studies.
Most of the comments were thrown against Liza and Alexandra.
Many single mothers pointed out that they raised their children alone. That they did not depend on a man to provide for their needs. I don’t know if all the commenters have seen the full episode.
People tend to pick slices of the conversation and highlight it to make someone look bad. And I am also quite keen that the audience can be swayed to take a side, especially through tears.
Spontaneous
I am not even fully convinced that these people were not given a script to follow.
As we are not part of that show, there is no chance we get to know whether they are acting spontaneously or again, following a script. But the way I see it, each of them has committed a mistake. And those mistakes do not have to be exposed for public consumption.
Given that they have lived together for 22 years, they should have decided to talk it out between themselves.
However, going on air may mean some financial reward or assistance, I am just hoping that they get what is commensurate with the stakes they bargained for.
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