“History is like tsismis,” starlet Ella Cruz said when asked about the lessons she learned from portraying Irene Marcos in Darryl Yap’s upcoming movie, Maid in Malacañang.
While she views it as a harmless quote defending her role in the film, netizens thought otherwise and showered the actress with flak on social media. As of writing, Ella continues to trend on Twitter and is the butt of jokes on numerous posts.
The full quote she said during an interview to promote Maid in Malacañang goes, “History is like tsismis. It is filtered and dagdag na rin, so, hindi natin alam what is the real history. Andoon na iyong idea, pero may mga bias talaga. As long as we’re here alive at may kanya-kanyang opinion, I respect everyone’s opinion.”
Some of the netizens who commented on Ella’s controversial statement was Edwin Lacierda, former presidential spokesperson for the late President Benigno Aquino III. He cited Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s quote: “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.”
TV presenter and former volleyball player Gretchen Ho joined the public, saying, “History’s narrative, while subject to the perspective of the author, must be written based on facts, and not opinion,”
Meanwhile, historian Xiao Chua, who was tagged multiple times on Twitter to comment on Ella’s remark, tweeted, “Sino ba itong pinapakomentuhan ninyo sa akin? Hindi ko siya kilala. Hindi siya mahalaga. Waste of time.”
Netizens also created several memes mocking Ella’s remark, showing gossipers (or mga Marites colloquially) as historians if the young actress’s claim is valid.
At this point, netizens are calling to reopen the schools. They likened Ella’s quote to the Pinoy Big Brother episode, where the housemates played a quiz bee and were unknowledgeable in Philippine history.
Ella has yet to comment on the ongoing controversy, but netizens aren’t letting up and continue to call her out, hoping they’ll get through to her and educate her that facts are entirely different from opinions.
Yap’s Maid in Malacañang focuses on the Marcos family’s last three days in the presidential palace back in 1986.