‘Wrong place, wrong time’: Paulo Avelino defends Jake Cuenca over car chase incident
MANILA, Philippines — Kapamilya actor Paulo Avelino defended his friend Jake Cuenca over the car chase issue that recently happened between the actor and the Philippine National Police.
In his Twitter account, Paulo said he will also not stop for anyone shooting his vehicle wearing civilian clothes.
“I wouldn’t stop for anyone shooting my vehicle wearing civilian clothes. Pass through a checkpoint? Hinarang ba?” Paulo said.
In another post, Paulo said Jake is not drunk when the incident happened. He also added that Jake is on his way to Paulo’s home to visit him after he recovered from COVID-19.
“Drunk? No. Nakainom? Maybe. Nakasagasa ba? Nakasakit ng tao? Hindi. Walang malay na nagmamaneho papunta dito sa punyeta kong bahay dahil kaka-recover ko lang sa covid,” he said.
Drunk? No. Nakainom? Maybe. Nakasagasa ba? Nakasakit ng tao? Hindi. Walang malay na nagmamaneho papunta dito sa punyeta kong bahay dahil kaka-recover ko lang sa covid. https://t.co/vSFrRHhfFq
— Paulo Avelino (@mepauloavelino) October 10, 2021
Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar earlier slammed Jake for his actions, saying what the actor did was “reckless and only showed lack of discipline and respect to authorities.”
A Grab driver was hit by a stray bullet after a car chase between police and Jake.
The police general said that personnel of the Station Drug Enforcement Unit of the Mandaluyong City Police were about to leave an area in Barangay Barangka in the city after conducting an ant-illegal drug operation when their car was hit by Jake’s vehicle.
Instead of getting out of the vehicle to acknowledge the officers, Cuenca sped off, which resulted in a car chase.
Recently, Paulo Avelino spoke out in an interview about the controversial incident involving Jake Cuenca and PNP Chief Eleazar. Accordingly, in some notable statements, Paulo Avelino shared his personal opinion on Jake Cuenca not standing up to defend PNP Chief Eleazar in a tense situation, causing a stir in public opinion and many people questioned Jake’s role in the incident.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Guillermo Eleazar has recently been criticized when his decisions in handling certain cases did not receive full support from some influential people in the community, including Jake Cuenca, who did not express any words of defense for Eleazar in these tense situations.
In that context, Paulo Avelino joined in commenting on the incident and clearly expressed his views. According to the actor, although Eleazar’s decisions may not always be perfect, the role of the PNP Chief is extremely important to the stability of the country. He believes that without the protection and support of influential people, the PNP will find it difficult to do its job well, especially in sensitive times.
Paulo Avelino also did not hesitate to criticize Jake Cuenca for not standing up to protect PNP Chief Eleazar in an important situation. He emphasized that in such difficult situations, showing support from influential people like Jake is very necessary, especially when Eleazar is facing great pressure.
“Jake is a very influential person, and I think if he stood up to protect Eleazar, many people will see the problem in a more positive light,” Paulo said.
Immediately, Paulo Avelino’s statement attracted public attention. Some agreed with him, saying that entertainment influencers should show clear support for the authorities when necessary, while others said that protecting an individual in such situations is a personal choice and should not be imposed.
Despite the mixed views, the incident has highlighted the issue of the responsibility of influencers in protecting public figures in the face of a crisis.
With recent developments, the debate on the role of public figures in protecting authorities like PNP Chief Eleazar has not shown any signs of cooling down. Paulo Avelino and Jake Cuenca remain the names that have received special attention from the public, and the question of how to ensure a sustainable cooperative relationship between celebrities and government agencies continues to be an issue that needs to be clarified.
