Will you have coffee with me? nYEAm, or cappucci-NO?
I tried to stop myself from posting this because you may find this irrelevant already, like girl… It has been weeks- until I heard the news that Erich Gonzales has finally, FINALLY declined the extravagant, infamous, billboard invite by a stranger (who is now an online ‘sensation’) named Xian S. Gaza, who was actually a CEO.
I am a student of UST, and maybe you are expecting that I have already personally seen the controversial billboard along Morayta, which is just beside España. I wish I had, but to be honest, when I first saw it online, I choked. And by choke, I mean, it was not worthy for a 5-minute walk from my dorm to wherever it stands. A lot of my Facebook friends were sharing the links of the articles all about this billboard thingy and they find it so romantic, cute, cheesy, what else… any adjective related to Nicholas Sparks’ creations, perhaps. But there I was- cringing, uncomfortable, at zero consciousness. (Uhm doc, what is going on am I at the hospital?)
You see, I may be overly dramatic but to be straight to the point, I find it so frightening to be invited through a humungous billboard by a complete stranger just to have coffee. If it was a marriage proposal from a boyfriend to his girl, an apology from a husband to his wife, or *sige na nga* a gimmick from a guy to ask a girl to be in a relationship with him, then maybe, it was sweet. BUT TO JUST HAVE COFFEE FROM SOMEONE UNFAMILIAR? Uh-uh. Just, no.
First, it’s too extra.
Even if this Xian guy is so wealthy that maybe he can do it some other time again, it’s just too much for an invite. It costs an arm and a leg. He could’ve just donated the money to a charity. That gesture will attract Erich more, I think.
Second, it’s useless.
What are the chances that Erich would walk along Morayta, anyway? She is a public figure. She wouldn’t risk her safety in the crowded and busy streets of Morayta. And let’s be real, maraming snatcher dun, and mauubos lang oras niya para sa mga magpapapicture. I’m a Thomasian, I should know. It would make more sense if the guy invited someone from FEU, UST, UE, or any student or professor along the university belt who had more chances of going to Morayta. But still.
Third, it’s a public stunt expressing obsession.
I fan girl over Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Adam Levine, and a lot more hot guys BUT I know my limits. I also get the internal thrill and excitement when I see Daniel Padilla near me. But if I had money, will I pay for a billboard just to get their attention? Hell no. We, fans, should know where they draw the line on what we can do as their fans. They are humans too, and they need privacy. To make it simpler, I’m comparing it to this scenario: You’re just walking along the street, then suddenly a cat caller starts wolf whistling and shouting malicious words to you just so you would turn your head for him. Xian Gaza is like the cat caller.
Fourth, it’s the wrong move.
He should’ve taken things slowly, step by step. If he really was CEO and had connections to other talents like Ogie Diaz and Ella Cruz, maybe he should’ve first tried to reach out to her in private and be friends, maybe ask for her number, get along until there’s no awkwardness, then that’s the time he could ask her for coffee. Then he should’ve not paid a lot for a billboard! Right?
Fifth, it’s emotionally manipulative.
I’ve watched a lot of public proposals, and I find it really pressuring on the girl’s part when people are already staring at her and she sees their excitement in their eyes. That moment, she turns into ice and the moment freezes. She can no longer hear what her heart wants; she just tries to give an answer that would not spoil the moment, the answer that would not fail the people, especially the guy who set things up for her, and she becomes afraid that people may think that when she declines, she is ungrateful. You may seem to think that those that I’ve watched are just the same as what this Xian guy did for Erich, but no. In the videos I’ve watched, the ones invited to personally witness the proposal are just the inner circle- family and maybe some close friends. If ever the girl says no, they will understand because the people who were there personally know her, so they would understand her. With Erich’s case, it is the whole country witnessing it. So if she was to decline, then she will carry every criticism the netizens have to say.
The issue spread like wildfire. From that simple billboard proposal, several exposés have been blurted out in public about this Xian S. Gaza. The first one that I’ve seen was a Twitter thread by @waniedoo (which I’m sure you’ve already seen) and it was spilling the tea about him, scamming the funds being raised by a project involving t-shirt designs, that was supposed to be for a charity. The dirty little secrets scattered like dominos- after one exposé, another one again claims to be scammed by him. I can’t enumerate everyone, but I’m sure they are still online. Go seek for yourself.
I was also shocked to see that he has also been linked to Ella Cruz. After seeing their sweet pictures and videos online, I can’t resist to think that maybe they had a relationship (this is just a guess, basing from the pictures I’ve seen). Which I find so confusing because Jessica Cruz, the mother of Ella Cruz, has claimed that Xian Gaza was a stalker. Well, I don’t know everything, but I can’t stress to think that her daughter and Xian were so sweet, with her witnessing their sweetness personally- then she claims that he was a stalker? Strange. Because according to dictionary.com, stalker means a person who pursues game, prey, or a person stealthily, or a person who harasses another person, as a former lover, a famous person, etc., in an aggressive, often threatening and illegal manner. JUST BASING ON THE PICTURES AND VIDEOS that circulated online, I didn’t see any hint of aggressiveness and threatening which makes “Stalker” the wrong term to be used because her daughter and the guy were so sweet together, so I highly doubt it.
Of course, finding out that this Xian Gaza cut corners to reach where he is right now, made me find him creepy even more. I also thought he had some bad intentions to Erich, because who knows, right? He wouldn’t pay hundreds of thousands for a billboard if he gets nothing from it, knowing that he is a business man who had dirty transactions in the past. Also after seeing his Instagram posts with lengthy, poem-y captions dedicated to Erich, I just couldn’t contain everything anymore. I thought, maybe he was doing it to show off, after all. Or, as Taylor Swift’s song goes, “You say sorry You paid for the billboard just for show..” I’m not in the position to judge, but maybe, he paid for the billboard for his ego, to broadcast to everyone that, “Hey, I can afford a billboard.” Well, you could tell basing on the graphic design of the billboard- MS Word-ish fonts, he also has his name on the cap, and wait there’s more- he also plugged in his Instagram account. Like whuuuut? If not, maybe… he is just so crazily obsessed. Come to think of it, they haven’t had any encounters, and if ever Erich said yes, then it will be their first. But all they had was just one picture, and in that picture, he was a fan of Erich, not Erich’s somebody. So how are you supposed to say, “I can’t even espresso how much i like you a latte” to a person you just took a picture with? Weird. If still not, then I’ll just give his justifications the benefit of the doubt.
The answer is, Cappucci-NO. I kinda expected Erich to say no even from the very start. This woman has class- she didn’t get blinded with how she was preciously invited, she stood up for her decision and that didn’t change even when the price was right- well actually, she’s priceless, that’s why. Let’s be real that a lot of girls are already being easily caught with lavish proposals and gestures, so I applaud Erich for knowing what to do even with cold feet. I just hope people would understand, and that girls would learn from this, to know their worth and to not just be taken for granted. After all, any form of invitation- may it be through a text message, a Facebook chat, a piece of a hand-written letter, or a billboard, if the answer is NO, it will remain a NO for someone who is dignified.
Oh! Before I forget, after being rejected by Erich, Xian S. Gaza is now inviting her ex, Daniel Matsunaga, for tea.
I don’t know what this man is really up to but.. A penny for your thoughts?