Camille Prats says show didn't mean to offend call center agents

MANILA, Philippines – Camille Prats did not expect the negative comments her GMA-7 show “The Borrowed Wife” got over a dialogue about call center agents.

Last month, the said afternoon soap opera received flak from call center agents after one of its main characters (Rico, played by Rafael Rosell) said a remark about employees of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

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“Hindi ko na kaya! Hindi ko kaya bawat araw iisa lang ang sasabihin ko. Nakakapurol ng utak. Hindi ako nag-aral para sumagot lang ng telepono,” Rosell’s character told Maricar (played by Charee Pineda) after resigning from his call center job in one of the episodes of “The Borrowed Wife.” The said dialogue exchange earned the ire of some call center agents, who vowed to boycott the show.

Camille said it was not the show’s intention to offend anyone working in the BPO industry. However, she added that the said dialogue was said by a TV character and was not the personal opinion of the actor or anyone behind the show.

“Yung napagusapan kasi namin, because Rafael and I were talking about it, if it was something that was said by Camille as Camille, then they have all the right to be offended by it,” the Kapuso actress said on the sidelines of the Health Campaign event organized by life insurance and investment company AXA Philippines on Saturday, February 8.

She further explained: “Yung naging remark na yun is from Rafael’s character. He’s in a very high position, he’s a chief finance officer. He lost his job and then all of a sudden he has to find a job na hindi yun yung nakasanayan niyang trabaho.”

“So kahit sinong tao na andun sa posisyon at bumaba ka sa ibang posisyon, you’ll be so frustrated and you’ll say things like this.”

The 28-year-old believes it’s a matter of viewers being unable to differentiate reality from fiction.

“Minsan talaga, it’s not put there in an offensive way. We have no intention of offending anyone,” she said.

Still, Camille understands why some employees of call center companies got offended, saying she has so much respect for the BPO industry.  

“I have a lot of friends who are call center agents and I think it’s one of the industries na nagbigay ng maraming trabaho sa maraming tao sa atin. Marami nang maganda ang buhay dahil sa kanila. It’s growing and it’s good for our economy. Malaki ang utang na loob natin sa mga BPO companies na pumasok sa bansa natin,” she shared.

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“We don’t mean to offend them or insult them. Kung na-hurt man sila, pasensya na but role lang ito. It’s a fictional character. He (Rico) does not exist in real life and these are the things na he had to go through as a person,” Camille added.

If ever Camille encounters a possibly offensive dialogue for her character, would she speak up in order to have it changed?

“I’m very pakielamera with the things that I say so yes, I would,” she said, adding the people behind “The Borrowed Wife” did not think the maligned call center dialogue would offend anyone at the time it was taped.