Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — In a Facebook post expressing rage and disgust, actor Ping Medina on Monday accused co-actor Baron Geisler of urinating on him while they were shooting a scene for the independent film, Bubog.
Medina said they were shooting the scene where he was playing an informant and a victim of extrajudicial killing — hogtied with packaging tape on his mouth — while Geisler played the man who ordered his death.
Medina said the scene was supposed to play out with the three policemen to throw him inside a cargo crate.
Then at the end of the scene, Geisler was supposed to remove the tape, listen to him beg, and leave him to the police scalawags.
But the scene took a different turn, much to Medina’s shock.
“May gagawin ako sayo Ping ah. Sana wag ka magalit. [I’m going to do something to you, Ping. I hope you don’t get angry]” He thought Geisler was going to spit on him. But he said he heard Geisler open his pant zipper.
“Napakabilis ng pangyayari. Naramdaman ko na lang na may bumabasa sa dibdib ko. Medyo mainit at may amoy… Umagos ito. Basang basa ang shirt ko. Umagos ito hanggang sa bibig ko. Buti may nakatakip na tape… Umiiwas na ako sa agos ng ihi, pero di ako makagalaw,” Medina said in a Facebook post.
[Translation: Everything happened quickly. I felt liquid on my chest, it was warm and had a smell… It flowed. My shirt got wet. It went to my mouth, good thing it was covered in tape… I tried to avoid his pee, but I couldn’t move.]
Unsure if Geisler really urinated on him, Medina asked his co-stars. Geisler denied it, but the faces of the three actors who played the cops said otherwise, Medina recalled.
“Sinusubukan ko talagang hindi pumutok. Pero di ko alam, isang beses lang nagdilim ang paningin ko sa buong buhay ko. Dalawa lang yun: Susuntukin ko yung cargo container na gawa sa bakal. O BABASAGIN KO YUNG MUKHA MO. Hindi ko na rin pinagisipan masyado. Sinundan ko na lang ang instincts ko. At bigla na lang nangyari na hindi ko namamalayan,” he said.
[Translation: I tried not to lose my temper, but I don’t know, I have only lost my cool once in my life. There were two options: I’ll punch the metal cargo container or I will wreck your face. I did not think about it. I followed my instinct. I happened without me noticing.]
Medina punched and kicked the metal cargo container, which led him to fracture his hand.
Medina to filmmakers: Don’t cast him, please!
Medina noted Geisler was back to drinking alcohol, even after he said he was trying to be sober for his mother who was in the hospital.
In his curse-laden post, Medina called on entertainment heads Cory Vidanes and Jake Tordesillas and independent filmmakers not to cast Geisler in their shows or films.
“Ito ba ang klase ng tao na gusto niyo makatrabaho? Binigyan natin ng benefit of the doubt… Hindi ka isang ganap na “actor” dahil ang tunay na actor ay may malasakit sa trabaho. Hindi yung pumupunta ka sa set na lasing and god knows kung ano pa tinira,” Medina said.
[Translation: Is this the kind of person you want to work with? We gave him the benefit of the doubt. You are not a true actor because a real actor cares about his job. You don’t go on set drunk or high on whatever.]
Geisler: It was a misunderstanding
Addressing his director Arlyn Dela Cruz, Geisler said the incident was merely a misunderstanding.
“I asked you three times na direk may gagawin po ako then you just said gawin mo nalang sa eksena. Kung tinanong nyo po ako kung ano yun di sana naiwasan ang mga bagay na ito. You are our captain sa set,” he said in a Facebook post.
[Translation: I asked you three times that I will do something, then you said I do it during the take. If you asked me what it was, we could have avoided this.]
“You were trying to pull off a Brillante Mendoza, bulong ka sa artista na samapalin mo para magulat or maganda reaction [You whisper to actors to slap the co-actors to get a good reaction]. So low po of you to discredit my name. You are better than that po,” Geisler added.
Geisler also appealed to the public not to judge him based on the post of Medina.
“Hindi ako naapektohan sa paninira… Lalo na sa mga naniniwala agad. Inspect.. know the truth. Wag mag judge agad. Plastic na industria. Tara!!! Lawyer up guys!!!,” he said.
[Translation: I am not affected by intrigues. Especially to those who easily fell for it, inspect, know the truth. Don’t be quick to judge. Fake industry. Let’s go, lawyer up!]
Director: Baron needs treatment
Bubog director Arlyn Dela Cruz said she repeatedly explained what the scene needs from Geisler — which was to be a detached leader of a syndicate. She added they rehearsed and did not tell Geisler to surprise his co-star.
“Walang galit dapat. The way of the syndicate, pumapatay nang walang bagabag… We rehearsed and I acted or demonstrated to my actors what each of them should be doing to make that scene work and to be able to send the message that I wanted to relay,” she said in a Facebook post.
[Translation: There should be no anger. By way of syndicates, killing without conscience.]
The director sided and echoed the statement of Medina, saying Geisler was eaten alive by Medina during the scene. This, she said, caused Geisler to be intimidated and insecure.
Dela Cruz has already removed Geisler’s role in the film.
She also advised Geisler to seek help getting treatment for alcoholism and his dependence on anti-depressant pills.
Geisler has had his name dragged into several altercations in the past years, with one even leading to a mixed martial arts exhibition match inside a ring.
