Paolo: Wala po akong kasalanan

MANILA, Philippines - Check out a Reuters story on Page A-22 (Celebrity News in World section) of today’s STAR about a Spanish-language US TV network presenter who was fired after he likened US First Lady Michelle Obama to a cast of the film Planet of the Apes.

Rodner Figueroa made what was perceived to be a “racist” comment on the work of Paolo Ballesteros who copies the looks of famous people. Paolo was not mentioned by name in the Reuters dispatch but he was in an online story about the incident.

Contacted for comment by The STAR, Paolo texted the following message (quoted as is, in Taglish):

Naku, oo nga, may nakapagsabi saken. Di ko alam kung ano ire-react ko kasi for my IG account ang followers ko lang ‘yung ginagawa kong transformations. Tsaka, minsan ginagamit ko pong characters sa Eat, Bulaga! Di ko rin alam na mapapansin sa ibang bansa ang mga ginagawa ko kasi pinaglalaruan ko lang naman ang mga makeup ko sa bahay. Wala po akong kasalanan, hihi!

Among the celebrities copied by Paolo were Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson (pictured above) and Kim Kardashian (also pictured in lower photo).

In a letter written in Spanish posted on the website Latin World Entertainment, the apologetic Figueroa said that his comments were not directed at Michelle Obama but toward the makeup artist.

“Basta,” repeated Paolo, “hindi po ako guilty. I will never ridicule or insult anybody in my ‘works of art’.”