Local director Darryl Yap once again addressed those who are accusing him of sexual assault online following his threat of suing them earlier his week.
Yap had recently been the subject of online criticisms over two main issues—his short film titled “Ayudamn,” which some Filipinos found offensive to single parents and his old tweets that appeared to be promoting child rape and pedophilia.
On Thursday, Yap addressed a Twitter user who accused him of being a sexual predator on Twitter.
He responded to Twitter user @shikeycondez who shared supposed screenshots of his past conversations with the director.
The accuser claimed that Yap “groomed” him when he was just 16 years old. Grooming or child grooming refers to an approach or process wherein sexual offenders build an emotional connection with children or teenagers to manipulate and exploit them.
The online user also claimed Yap’s videographer Vincent Asis has relations with minors.
Yap later responded to the online accuser with a similar thread of screenshots of their supposed past conversations, which revealed that the latter told him he was a rape victim.
my latest convo with @shikeycondez was when i learned about this.
knowing him,dahil sa mga kwento nya na gusto nya minsan magpakamatay dahil sa mga gulo nila sa pamilya,at binubully siya school at may pinapantapat sa kanyang ibang tao sa ranking,i was very nice to him(a thread) pic.twitter.com/PdzY1VIJ17
— Darryl Yap (@DirekDarrylYap) May 27, 2020
He also claimed that the accuser only edited and manipulated some of the screenshots he shared in his version of the story.
Yap ended the thread by telling off the user to stop recalling issues they had in 2016, claiming that nothing happened between them in the first place.
“At sayo @shikeycondez, sabihin mo sa tagaBulong mo ngayon Jan, tapos na. ang issue mo noong 2016 at mga issues niya ngayong magkasama kayo ay maaari nyo nang ilibing. magkaroon tayo ng kanya-kanya nating buhay. Salamat,” Yap said.
Yap is known for his short films, a few of which were perceived controversial and drew backlash online, he them released through the Facebook page VinCentiments.
In 2019, he directed a full-length movie titled “Jowable” which became a box-office hit in local theaters and was later acquired by streaming giant Netflix.
Last May 11, Yap drew flak anew for the short film “Ayudamn” a story which follows a resident’s rant. It centers on the female character played by actress Loren Marinas, who has not yet received her relief goods despite being in quarantine for a long time.
The actress’ remark against single parents in the short film did not sit well among some Filipinos online.
Tagged in calls vs child rape and exploitation
Meanwhile, Yap’s name was mentioned in the government’s campaign against the exploitation of children, which was spearheaded by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
Mga mahal, ito po ang mga hotlines na pwede niyong tawagan to report any cases of online sexual exploitation of children…
Posted by Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday, May 21, 2020
Two weeks ago, Hontiveros reported online social media accounts that contain lewd photos of young girls and reports of rising cases of domestic abuse during the lockdown.
Yap shared a screenshot of a Facebook user who accused him of being among those perpetuating such cases.
Magandang Araw po sa ating lahat.Simula po noong naging matunog ang aking pangalan sa Social Media, lalo na noong…
Posted by Darryl Yap on Sunday, May 24, 2020
The local director then threatened to file legal complaints against the Facebook user and others whom he alleged were spreading false information against him.
In a lengthy rant on Facebook, Yap described these online posts as an “elaborate cybercrime” and a “personal attack.”
“I am not a pedophile, I never abused children, I never admitted such and being tagged as one is very harmful not only to me but to the concerned society,” Yap said.
He then expressed confidence that such critics won’t succeed when he promotes his succeeding projects.
“Hindi kayo nagtagumpay noon sa #JOWABLE, hindi rin kayo magtatagumpay sa #SAKRISTAN,
at lagi ko ring gagawin ang lahat para maging ganoon lagi ang kahihinatnan ng kwento natin;
Hindi kayo magtatagumpay,” he said.
Poll Commissioner Rowena Guanzon also recently urged the public to boycott Yap’s movies and report him to his management.
“People should boycott his movies and report him to his financiers,” Guanzon said.
This was her reaction to a Twitter user who shared a screenshot of Yap’s controversial 2017 tweet: “Masarap ang bata.”
People should boycott his movies and report him to his financiers . https://t.co/HNvcICb5L5
— Rowena Guanzon (@rowena_guanzon) May 22, 2020
Like Hontiveros, Guanzon earlier slammed a report indicating that the Philippines became the world’s source of online sexual exploitation due to endemic poverty.
