(UPDATED 2:47 p.m.) An events, public relation and music marketing team on Thursday evening apologized and took the responsibility for the “technical glitch” where Mark Averilla, known as Macoy Dubs, appeared on Facebook live of Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla‘s Facebook page.
Online users on Thursday took screenshots of Averilla’s appearance on Remulla’s Facebook page, prompting speculations that the content creator is managing the governor’s page.
In a statement on October 15, however, Gabi Na Naman Productions (GNNP) explained that the live stream was a rehearsal for an event with Averilla. It said that streaming partner CSG Photography encountered an error wherein the content creator suddenly appeared on Remulla’s Facebook page.
It also noted that the provincial governor’s page is a “client” of CSG Photography.
“Gabi Na Naman Productions (GNNP) is extending its sincerest apologies to our event host, Mark Averilla also known as Macoy Dubs for the technical glitch that happened this afternoon, around 4 pm (October 15), during an online run for a client’s virtual event scheduled on Sunday, October 18,” the marketing firm said.
“Our streaming partner, CSG Photography, encountered an error during the streaming of Macoy Dub’s rehearsal. In effect, Macoy Dubs erroneously on Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla’s Facebook account, one of CSG’s clients,” it added.
Our official statement.
Posted by Gabi Na Naman Productions on Thursday, October 15, 2020
Remulla camp experienced hacking of page
However, in a message sent to Interaksyon, Remulla’s camp clarified that it is not associated with CSG Photography.
“We do not even know who these people are. We have never hired a CSG Photography nor do we know who that event group is,” Remulla’s camp said.
“We detected something similar to a hacking of our page yesterday at 4 p.m. Was able to retrieve the account,” he added.
Meanwhile, GNPP assured that the it is more cautious to prevent the event from happening again in the future.
“As the managing group of the online event, our team takes responsibility of the system error that occurred today. Rest assured that moving forward, we will be more cautious in handling these matters,” it said.
The marketing firm in August uploaded that it conducted similar live stream rehearsal for its virtual event.
Rehearsing for #CSVirtuify2020 live stream. pic.twitter.com/XTvlgS9Q4z
— GNN Productions (@GabiNaNamanProd) August 26, 2020
Meanwhile, Averilla on Thursday also appealed to his fans for understanding, citing that an error occurred during the Zoom event which was streamed on Facebook Live.
“Mga bessy if nakita niyo po ako sa FB live ni Jonvic Remulla, please please understand na nagkaroon lang ng error. It was supposed to be a run-through for content creators’ event this Sunday. We’re fixing and figuring out papano nangyari yun. ZOOM must be really secured,” he said.
Mga bessy if nakita niyo po ako sa FB live ni Jonvic Remulla, please please understand na nagkaroon lang ng error. It was supposed to be a run-through for content creators event this Sunday. We're fixing and figuring out papano nangyari yun. ZOOM must be really secured.
— Macoy Dubs (@macoydubs1) October 15, 2020
Averilla also quipped that it was fortunate that what was shown was just him browsing through his phone.
wala naman pong pagbabayis na nangyari pero puro mukha ko po na nagbabasa at nag che check ng phone ang lumabas. HAHAHAHAHA
— Macoy Dubs (@macoydubs1) October 15, 2020
What was the Zoom glitch?
The Zoom rehearsal streamed on Facebook had already been deleted on Remulla’s page.
Some Filipinos, particularly vocal supporters of the Duterte administration, managed to make screenshots of it and share the “glitch” across Facebook and Twitter.
Huli ka MACOY, yari ka tnyt sa akin
Posted by Banat By on Thursday, October 15, 2020
In the comments thread of Averilla’s tweet, several Filipinos also accused him of being “bayaran” or bribed by the opposition of the administration.
Hello daw! Ahahhha zoom ur ass. pic.twitter.com/oF07heGG1B
— Batman95 (@loydcatahum) October 15, 2020
The popular TikTok star was among the group of local influencers and bloggers who filed a petition against the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 to challenge its constitutionality.
He’s also vocal in his criticisms against some government policies and advocacies for the rights of women and the LGBT community.
Averilla is set to host Generation TikTok, the platform’s biggest virtual event of 2020, on Sunday, to celebrate its growing diverse community.
‘Zoombombing’ and other video conferencing woes
Video conferencing through Zoom, Skype and other platforms became the new default approach for work, classes and other forms of social gathering following the tough lockdowns implemented across the world due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Zoom, in particular, saw a rapid growth in its user base during this period. A Zoom meeting, webinar or call can also be streamed via Facebook Live for easier access to a wider audience.
The software company said its users can enable all members of an organization to live stream meetings or webinars on Facebook.
“You can stream a Zoom webinar or meeting live on Facebook to your Facebook timeline or a group or page that you are an admin for. This allows your participants to join via Zoom or viewers to watch and comment on Facebook Live,” it said.
Despite these conveniences, the software’s application also faced complaints on security and privacy issues as well as hacking, which later was coined as “Zoombombing” or “Zoom raiding.”
READ: Explainer: Zoom bombs make choosing video apps harder for lockdown chats
The company previously advised its users to use a password or code to prevent “trolls” from disrupting sessions and discouraged sharing their Zoom links on social media.
(Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the statement of Remulla’s camp)
