An Open Letter to the Producers of Sunday PINASaya

To the producers of GMA7’s Sunday PINASaya:

Warmest greetings!

We, fans and supporters of Mr. Alden Richards (and Miss Maine Mendoza), would like to make an urgent appeal to the producers of Sunday PINASaya, one of GMA7’s most bankable shows, to allow Mr. Alden Richards to further showcase his talents (e.g. acting, singing, and dancing) by and while upholding a neat, healthy, and decent image. In this light, we specifically request you to cease, or at least, re-design one of Sunday PINASaya’s segments: “Chef Boy Next Door” and make it an avenue for Mr. Richards to exhibit his skills and not his objectified body/image.

We, fans and supporters of Mr. Alden Richards, are avid viewers of Sunday PINASaya. We are generally very happy with this experimental variety show that you came up with. We are very pleased to see something new and refreshing on TV. We definitely appreciate the time, effort, and money that you’ve invested just to make the viewers feel entertained and satisfied especially every Sunday.

However, there is one segment in your show that unfortunately makes us feel uncomfortable and worried–and that is the segment called “Chef Boy Next Door” wherein Mr. Alden Richards is the lead and Mr. Jerald Napoles is the co-host. In this segment, the hosts would pick one member of the audience to get a chance to taste the featured dish. As a reward, the audience member also gets to kiss one part of Mr. Richard’s body (it could be the cheeks, chest, abdomen, legs, etc.).

We appreciate Mr. Richard’s very accommodating demeanor and we totally understand if the fan/audience member cannot contain his/her “kilig.” We also understand that as one of your most diligent talents, Mr. Richards was just being faithful to the script and obedient to the director. Regardless, we strongly feel that Mr. Alden Richards, famous not only for his singing ability and acting prowess but also for his wholesome appeal and decent image, does not have to “sell skin” to gain greater popularity and a sturdier foothold in the entertainment industry.

We are well-aware that in the entertainment industry, talents, whether male or female, are often expected by their management to assume a “mature” role/image through skin exposure (or basically, by allowing themselves to be sexually objectified) to ensure career longevity. But we certainly hope that Mr. Alden Richards (and Miss Maine Mendoza, of course) will not take this path. And instead, Mr. Richards (and Miss Mendoza) will continue to serve as role models to their countless number of supporters, to the youth, especially.

We are not only avid fans and viewers, we are not only consumers willing to spend money on buying Mr. Alden Richard’s endorsed products, we also are humans, and many among us are women, teenagers, mothers, parents–and we sincerely care about how Mr. Alden Richard is presented by the mainstream media.

What we truly love about Mr. Richards is, again, with greater emphasis, his very wholesome and decent image. He seems very accommodating and responsible. He seems like he really cares about his family, co-workers, and his fans. He seems like a fine young man. He is known for being a responsible son and breadwinner to the family. Furthermore, he is delighted by many people because of his faith in God. In an industry typically known for its decadent culture, Mr. Alden Richards (and Maine Mendoza) is (are) a breath of fresh air. These are just some of the things that we admire about him.

We assure you that we will continue to watch and support Mr. Alden Richards and Sunday PINASaya. However, we definitely hope that you, the producers of Sunday PINASaya (APT Entertainment, TAPE Inc.) will closely listen to what we–fans, viewers, supporters, stakeholders–say and feel regarding this issue. We hope that this may be a joint effort between you, the producers, and us, the active consumers-spectators.

Very sincerely yours,
Concerned ALDUB Fans