Before rumors about celebrities go viral, these start out as blind items. Actor Joshua Garcia knows how to handle such blind items — he says he ignores them.

“Kasama iyon sa trabaho namin. Hindi ko masisisi kung bakit ginawan ako ng blind item. Kasi ‘yung reaction ko before noong ginawan ako ng blind item, kasi ikinuwento lang sa akin, sabi ko, ‘Hayaan mo na.’ Parang ganoon lang ang sinabi ko,” Garcia said, recalling how he handled a blind item about him, during the online press conference for “Viral Scandal” last week.

(That’s part of our job. I can’t lay blame on why a blind item was made about me. My reaction at that time was just to tell the person who told me about it, “Just let it go.” I think that was all I said.)

Social media is right at the core of “Viral Scandal” as it tells the story of Rica (Charlie Dizon) who got embroiled in a scandal which went viral. Meanwhile, Garcia believes that dignifying a rumor about him does not improve the situation, so he deems it wise to just ignore rumors.

“Kasi the more na mag-focus ka, the more na pagtuunan mo siya ng pansin, the more na mapapansin din siya ng mga tao. Kung nabasa mo ‘yung blind item at hindi ka sang-ayon, ‘di ba, parang ‘wag mo na lang pagtuunan ng pansin. Baka mamaya mali naman ang sinabi nila,” he explained.

(The more you focus on it, the more you give it attention, all the more will people notice it. If you read the blind item and you don’t agree, just ignore it. Maybe what it says isn’t even true.)

Good thing that Garcia is also not so much into social media, it keeps him protected to a degree.

joshua garcia ig — Joshua Garcia. Image: Instagram/@garciajoshuae

“Hindi ako mahilig mag-social media. Iyon ‘yung maganda rin sa akin. Medyo aware din ako, alam ko na medyo wild ang social media, medyo wild ang mga tao doon,” he said.

(I an not into social media. That’s what’s good in my case. I am also sort of aware, I know that social media can be wild, people can be wild there.)

Garcia plays architect Kyle Constantino in the series, which starts airing today, Nov. 15, on the Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, iWant TFC, and A2Z Channel 11 and TV5.

The series also features Maxene Magalona, Jameson Blake, Markus Paterson, Gian Magdangal, Louise Abuel and Dimples Romana, among others. JB

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