V33BETTER and V33WISER.
That’s the message that Blacklist International star Johnmar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna wants everyone to embrace in light of the controversy surrounding him and Omega Esports gold laner Duane “Kelra” Pillas.
The beloved support player — who is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community — finally broke his silence almost two days after Kelra’s discriminatory comments towards him and teammate Danerie “Wise” Del Rosario made rounds on the internet.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, the 27-year-old MPL champion first thanked everyone who spoke out and supported him through this trying time. He also thanked Tier One — the management behind Blacklist International — for being with him in the entire process.
“I believe that this issue should be addressed correspondingly because this is one of the reasons why I am here for – Equality and Respect for all. I hope this serves as a lesson for everyone dahil hindi lang naman ang bansa natin ang naapektuhan, kundi pati na rin sa iba. Gusto ko lang ipaalala sa inyo na hindi kailanman naging maganda ang pambabastos at never itong naging katawa-tawa,” expressed OhMyV33NUS.
“Sabi nga nila, ‘Words matter;, kaya ayaw kong sumagot sa issue na ito na alam kong hindi magkakaroon ng magandang epekto.
“Sana din ay lagi nating tandaan na bago tayo chumikka, maiging pag-isipan tlaga muna. Let’s all have a sense of responsibility to whatever we do because everything has its own consequences. And as a member of LGBTQIA+ and a professional player, I will continue to be an inspiration to fight and uphold my advocacies,” the former ONIC PH captain added.
Kelra, who issued a public apology prior to OhMyV33NUS’ Facebook post, was handed an undisclosed amount of fine and a 14-day suspension without pay by the MPL-Philippines.
Blacklist International also posted its own statement regarding the issue, calling out everyone to be better while also expressing their support to their captain.
