“After that visit in their headquarters sa may Pasay City, mas naliwanagan ako na ‘Ay, pwede ka pala lumaban at may paraan ka para lumaban.’ Anyone actually can go there and file a case,” Robi stated. “Ako, wala naman akong special meeting. I just asked nasaan. If you would file, it will take a longer process, but if you’d ask queries sa mga attorneys, they would happily assist you.”
In February, Robi posted an update on his purpose of visiting the NBI.
“ACCOUNTABILITY. I visited the NBI today and met with Chief Bomediano and Atty. Tucay. Thank you for answering all my questions!” Robi wrote in a caption.
The visit followed an online threat Robi received from a troll following the announcement that Donny Pangilinan and Kathryn Bernardo will both be judges for the seventh season of Pilipinas Got Talent, which Robi will host. In the comment, a troll threatened Robi if he teased both his good friends Kathryn and Donny being together in one show.
Though he usually ignores bashers, this time Robi decided to act. With the support of his wife, Maiqui Pineda-Domingo, he responded and took legal steps.
“Kasi kadalasan hindi mo papansin iyon especially if wala masyado threat, wala naman background, wala siyang ganoong kalaking following. Siguro at that time, pagod lang din ako. May bumulong sa akin (inner voice) na ‘Oy, sampolan mo nga ito’,” Robi expressed.
“Whenever I do reply to people — kasi hindi naman ako masyado ma-ganoon — I ask permission kay Maiqui. Sabi ko, ‘Replyan ko lang ito. Sampolan ko lang please,’ and surprisingly she said yes.”
Before replying, Robi did his research on the account.
“I did my due diligence first na, ‘Sino ba ito?’ Tiningnan ko muna kasi kung magre-reply ako dapat ko munang alamin sino kakalabanin ko,” Robi shared. “All the more reasons na hindi ka dapat pumatol. For me (ay) itlog, zero followers, pero palagi nagco-comment and notorious commenter.”
Despite the troll account being anonymous, Robi believed the person behind it should still be held accountable.
“Sa likod ng keyboard na iyon, tao ka pa rin and kaya ko pa rin hanapin ikaw. Isa ka pa ring tao na nag-effort na ilagay ang mga letters na iyon, i-combine iyon at mag-isip ng masamang thoughts na ganoon at kaya mo magreply or magcomment ng ganoong klase so legitimate na tao ka, legitimate na may actions ka, and legitimate na may repercussions ka,” Robi stated.
Both Robi and Bianca acknowledged that over the years, the online environment has become more toxic, changing how they express themselves on social media.
“Actually, si Robi, often asks me, now more than ever, na kapag may naisip ka gawin o sabihin, ‘Ready na ba ako ma-bash?’,” Bianca shared. “That honestly concerns me because for us, let’s just say 10 years ago, we would just post what we want to post kasi hindi naman tayo barumbado magpost.”
She added, “So now that pareho tayo and I would like to think na opinionated or vocal, mayroon na tayo ganoong corner ngayon that stops us from truly speaking our mind.”
Robi and Bianca also reflected on how social media has changed over the years. They noted how the fear of being bashed has made them more cautious about sharing their thoughts online.
Robi shared, “It came to a point na with all the bashings that happens or that happened before, natakot din ako magbigay ng opinion ko.”
“Maybe, that’s why it restricted me for the longest time na I just want to say something pero hindi ko alam kung tama o mali, kahit personal opinion ko iyon. Baka may fear sa akin na kapag nagcomment ako, people will attack me because of this illegitimate account or even na because I just speak my mind,” he added.
Bianca agreed, noting, “Ngayon, parang as much as it’s good to think na before we click, iba rin na we feel like we can’t speak up kasi now, anything we say, polarizing kaagad when in fact sa totoong buhay, nuance exists.”
Reflecting on the experience, Robi shared an important lesson about online responsibility.
“Ang takeaway ko from all the things that happened is awareness. It’s one thing to be aware,” Robi remarked. “Dapat iniisip mo, kung (di mo) kaya mong sabihin sa mukha ng tao, ‘wag mo na lang gawin kung masakit lang talaga.”
He went on: “Kung gagawin mo iyan, panagutan mo. Kung manunumbat ka, panagutan mo kung ano ‘yung pwede ibalik sayo ng kung ano sinabi mo.”