“Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho” (KMJS) released a statement after some Filipino K-pop fans shared accounts that their photocards were stolen following the show’s report.
On Sunday, March 5, the news magazine show featured the story of K-pop fan, Bea, not her real name. She is a senior high school student who stole over P2 million from her grandmother to buy K-pop merchandise.
Part of her collection is NCT photocards featuring Jeong Jaehyun and Mark Lee. Each of these photocard has an estimated value of P50,000.
A day after the “KMJS” episode was aired, reports about stealing incidents of K-pop photocards flooded local social media. Some K-pop fans have associated these incidents with the online magazine show’s report.
RELATED: Filipino K-pop fans report photocard stealing incidents
A social media user shared that her friend’s Enhypen Sunghoon Engene Zone photocard was stolen at MRT Cubao Station in Quezon City.
be careful y'all pic.twitter.com/yHb85Uh7nm
— izu (@lhszumi) March 6, 2023
KMJS statement
In a statement released on Tuesday, March 7, the show said that there was no official report about the photocard stealing incident in the MRT Cubao Station and in nearby police stations.
“Nakipag-ugnayan kami sa MRT-Cubao at sa iba pang kalapit na police stations para i-verify ang insidente. Ayon sa pamunuan ng MRT-Cubao at police stations, walang anumang opisyal na naiulat sa kanila na nanakawan o nahablutan ng K-Pop merchandise sa nakalipas na 48 oras,” the statement reads.
It also encouraged victims to report such incidents to the MRT authorities or nearby police stations.
“KMJS” also condemned the “trolling” and “harassment” of social media users against their team in relation to their report.
“Tulad ng ibang mga kuwentong itinampok sa KMJS, ginawa namin ang istorya ni ‘Bea’ hindi para manghusga, pero para magsilbing aral at babala. Walang intensyon ang programa na makasakit, makapahamak ng iba, o magkaroon ng pagkakahati-hati,” the show said.
It also said that they are coordinating with its legal team to take action.
Meanwhile, Bea’s family appealed to the public to stop the online attacks against them and not to reveal their identity.
“Lumapit sila sa KMJS para matulungang mabawi ang perang pinaghirapan nila,” the show said.
READ: Statement ng KMJS kaugnay ng kuwento ni "Bea" na nagnakaw ng milyon sa kanyang pamilya para suportahan ang kanyang K-Pop collection pic.twitter.com/2RrmqOnxYX
— KapusoMoJessicaSoho (@KM_Jessica_Soho) March 7, 2023
‘Not all photocards are worth P50,000’
Some K-pop fans, meanwhile, asked the show to clarify that not all photocards are worth P50,000, hoping that this would deter thieves from stealing K-pop fans’ photocards.
“Ang gusto lang naman ng K-pop Community na iclarify ng program na hindi lahat ng photocard worth 50k bakit may pang gagaslight? A simple statement would do, ‘Not all photocards are worth 50k,'” a Facebook user said.
“Bigger concern din dito is yung safety nung pc (photocard) owners. What if dahil sa maliit na paper na pinanggagalingan ng happiness namin mapahamak kami? Thinking na napakalaki ng value non. Clarification lang na hindi lahat ng pc ay worth 50K, yung kay ate Bea lang kasi sa kanya lang naman,” a Twitter user commented.
“At least post a statement na not all PCs (photocards) are worth 50K. Make a segment about collecting K-pop merch and photocards to redeem yourself kahit yun nalang,” a Twitter user said.
“We want our community to be safe again and free of the judgement na nakaw yan.’ We want accountability!” she added.
Others also said fans would find it hard to report photocard stealing incidents.
“The suggestion no police report ≠ no crime is an offensive and lazy response. The high regard that PH’s police force will take a photocard stealing incident seriously reeks being out of touch [with] how crimes are handled in the country,” a Twitter user said.
