FORMER Pinoy Big Brother housemate Karen Bordador explained how she got the last-minute gig to host the fan meeting of South Korean actor Seo In Guk in the Philippines, and clapped back at hate comments she received after the event.
The Cafè Minandang star was in Manila to meet his Filipino fans, also known as Heartriders, for the first time. The event was held on August 12 at the New Frontier Theater and Bordador served as host.
The PBB alumna replaced actress Kristel Fulgar, who stepped down from the job at the last minute due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Fulgar, a big fan of Seo who she interviewed in 2022, earlier announced that she was saddened to lose the hosting gig.
Three days after the event, Bordador shared on X that she received “mean and baseless IRRATIONAL hate.”
“So easy to point fingers but naturally no accountability taken. Damage is done! Karma comes in many forms. Hope you learned something,” she further wrote.
While she didn’t specify what issue she was pertaining to, netizens suspect that she was referring to her hosting gig for the fan meeting.
Prior to this, Bordador posted a cryptic message on Monday about forgiveness.
“Forgive them Lord for they do not know what they’re saying,” she said.
Many X users defended Bordador from the criticisms and commended her hosting skills.
Other netizens argued that the hosting issue was neither Bordador nor Fulgar’s fault, but that of the show’s producer.
‘Impromptu hosting’
To make things clear, Bordador uploaded a vlog on Wednesday night where she detailed how she got the hosting gig.
She shared that she got the hosting offer just a few hours before the fan meet, which was scheduled for 6 p.m.
She said she does not usually accept last minute offers, but since a lot of people messaged her to be part of Seo’s event, she did not hesitate to say yes to the job.
“It was actually a big challenge for me because, well, I didn’t know I was gonna host it; it was a huge surprise. As an Aries girl, I always accept challenges,” she said.
Bordador also shared some screenshots of her Viber messages with her manager, who alerted her about the hosting gig at 1:14 p.m.
Her manager told her that she was being asked to host the event by the Korean management, as they were impressed by her the last time she hosted the fan meeting of former 2NE1 member Park Bom.
“Ka, kinakabahan ako. Sure ka kaya mo ah,” Bordador’s manager told her.
“Kasi ikaw daw hinanap,” the message further read.
Bordador agreed to do the hosting, even though she had not seen the script yet.
The organizers told her to come to the venue at 2:30 p.m. A few minutes after she arrived, she was instructed to go on stage to rehearse her spiels.
“I don’t really know what transpired earlier, because that’s none of my business. The point is they needed me that time,” she said, apparently referring to the cancellation of Fulgar’s hosting.
“I just told myself [that] I’m gonna make sure my mind’s gonna be 100 percent focused on this one,” she added.
Last-minute cancellation
Fulgar has since revealed why her hosting gig was canceled in her vlog.
The video opened with Fulgar rehearsing her spiels and meeting with Seo on stage. But as she was preparing in the dressing room, the 28-year-old actress said she was told that she would no longer host the fan meeting.
“Nandito na ako 7 a.m., nag-rehearse. And then eventually, sinabihan ako ng [Korean technical] director na hindi na daw ako magho-host. Parang, ‘Huh? Sandali lang naman parang anong nangyari?’” she recalled.
This was the first time she experienced this in her 20 years in the entertainment industry, she said.
“Wala akong ibang tinanggap na hosting kundi ito lang recent na ‘to kasi nga para kay Seo In Guk,” an emotional Fulgar said.
“Alam ko hindi naman ako super expert sa hosting, pero alam ko na kaya kong kumonek sa mga kapwa ko fans ni Seo In Guk,” she added.
She said she has been a fan of the actor for 11 years, which is why she looked at the gig as an opportunity not just to serve as host, but to be a representative of Heartriders.
But she also admitted that she was not able to give her 100 percent during the rehearsal, which led to the decision of the director to replace her.
“Kung nakulangan sila sa energy sa rehearsal, sabi ko I would do my best. Nage-expect ako na ipapaakyat ulit ako sa stage para maipakita ko ‘yung 100 percent na sinasabi ko pero hindi daw,” she said.
She continued, “Sinasabi nila na gusto lang namin ng magiging magandang event. Hindi man lang ako binigyan ng second chance para mapatunayan ko ang sarili ko.”
Fulgar apologized to those who had been anticipating seeing her on stage with their idol.
Event organizer Epic Events, meanwhile, commended Fulgar for her professionalism despite the circumstances. It explained that while it tried its best to include Fulgar in the show, the final decision was not for them to make.
“We again would like to thank Kristel and her family for being the nicest people and showing nothing but love and respect even on what transpired,” the organizer said in a Facebook post.
