Kaye Etong, the eldest daughter of ABS-CBN anchorman Ted Failon Etong, believes that her father had nothing to do with the shooting incident involving her mother, Trinidad.

“Isa po itong malaking kalokohan para pagbintangan si Papa na isang suspect o yung mga nasa bahay noon nung mangyari yun na lahat sila ay suspect, pero lalo na po si Papa,” she said in an interview with Korina Sanchez on radio dzMM.

“Hindi po puwedeng may kinalaman si Papa sa nangyari kay Mama. Wala po siya doon,” said Kaye.

She stressed, “Hindi po ako naniniwalang suspect ang tatay ko sa nangyari sa nanay ko.”

Kaye related that what happened to her mother was an “unfortunate event.”

“It was a self-inflicted,” she declared. “My mother tried to commit suicide by shooting herself in the head.”

She also confirmed that her mother’s suicide attempt was due to financial problems.

She did not give details but added, “Naging malaking problema ng Mama ko na di na nakayanan."

Trinidad or "Trina" was rushed to the New Era Hospital Wednesday after she was reportedly found in Kaye’s bathroom on a pool of blood. There was a gunshot to her head.

On the alleged suicide note that Trina wrote, Kaye said that when she saw the letter at Camp Karingal police station, “Alam ko pong sulat ni Mama.”

She said that she knows her mother’s handwriting. She even shared that her mother does not like her handwriting that is why she even asks Kaye to write down things for her.

Kaye also confirmed that the letter was written by her mother because of how she phrased the sentences.

Moreover, she said that the words “po” and “opo,” which are in the letter, are words that her mother uses all the time.

Kaye said that her mother uses “po” and “opo” because, “Ganun po kami sa pamilya namin, kahit po si Mama nagpo-‘po’ at ‘opo’ po sa akin.”

She said that her mom would tell her, “Anak kain ka na po.”

“Ganun po talaga siya kahit kanino po, mga kapatid niya kahit nakakabata o nakakatanda, ganun po talaga may ‘po’ palagi.”

‘Tragedy turned into spectacle’

Kaye also confirmed that she and her father waited for around seven hours at Camp Karingal on Wednesday.

She said that she had not visited her mother in the hospital at that time ever since arriving in Manila yesterday. Kaye, who is studying in Cebu, had to rush to Manila as a chance passenger upon hearing the news from her father.

“Mom got into an accident and they need me here in Manila as soon as possible,” was what Failon told Kaye in a phone call made around lunch time on Wednesday.

She said that the initial agreement at the police station was that she and Failon could go home after her father and their helpers give their statement.

But they were told that they had to wait for the test results with the reason “para daw sabay sabay po yung pagbigay ng resulta.”

“We were waiting for a single signature for over three hours,” she related.

Kaye then could not help but beg the police to let her see her mother fight her life in the hospital. “Please po. Gusto ko na po makita ang nanay ko na nag-aagaw buhay. Maawa na po kayo sa amin.”

“Gusto ko rin sana umapela na tratuhin naman po nila ito nang patas. Actually, hindi po ito kaso eh. Wala namang krimen na naganap,” she said.

“Isa itong napakasakit na tragedy na ginagawa nilang spectacle,” declared. “Hindi po nila alam ang epekto sa bawat isa sa sa amin.”

“Kung makikita niyo lang po ang itsura ng nanay ko ngayon. Tapos ginagawa lang po nila itong joke. Pinagtatawanan lang nila sa istasyon, pinagtatawanan sa bahay namin. Pinapa-reenact pa kung paano nakahiga si Mama sa floor. Tama po ba yon? Tapos pagtatawanan, tapos magpapa-picture kay Papa habang kumukuha ng paraffin test,” Kaye complained.

“Wala pong respeto,” Kaye added. “Tao lang din po kami. Kesehoda po na anchor si Papa. Sana po, patas lang po. Walang kulay, walang bias” she appealed.

She also commented on the issue surrounding her family, “Masakit na nama-magnify po. Magnified sa amin dahil nga kilalang anchorman si Papa.”

“Sobrang sakit na po na nangyari po ito sa nanay ko. Now it’s even bad enough na ina-accuse ang tatay ko na siya ang gumawa nito sa nanay ko. Tapos kung anu-anong balita ang kumakalat na wala namang basis,” she added.

She then told the public, “Kayo na pong bahala mag-decide kung saan kayo maniniwala, kung ano po yung pakikinggan niyong katotohanan.”

Same story

Kaye also said over dzMM that she and Failon had a private talk. “Everything that he said on his statement is everything that he told me last night,” she said.

“Ganun-ganun din, Tita,” she told Sanchez.

“Naniniwala po ako dahil narinig ko po sa sarili kong tenga,” she said. “Pare-pareho po sila ng mga salaysay. Iisa lang po ang storyang sinasabi nila. Kahit po nagkakagulo na nung mga panahon na iyon dahil gustung-gusto na nilang madala si Mama sa ospital, iisa pa rin ang storyang sinasabi nila. At doon po ako naniniwala.”

She then related that the story she believes in goes, “Umalis si Papa si radyo, sa radio show niya. Constantly tinatawag-tawagan niya si Mama pero parang hindi sumasagot sa telepono. Pag dating nga po nila, naka-lock yung mga pintuan. Tapos pinakuha ulit yung susi sa banyo dahil hindi nadala. Magkasama po sila nun nung matagal na po naming katulong sa bahay, si Ate Lot.”

“Magkatabi po sila nun nung binuksan po nila yung pintuan sa banyo ko. Sa banyo ko naganap lahat yun. Pagkabukas po nila, nandun na po si Mama, naliligo po sa sarili niyang dugo,” Kaye shared with her voice cracking.

She then revealed that her mother is going through blood transfusion because “she lost that much blood.”

Kaye also talked about her mother’s current condition at the hospital. She was granting dzMM the interview while at her mother’s room at New Era Hospital.

“Hindi pa naman po stable lahat pero we’re hopeful na magiging stable din po lahat ng stats niya.”

She said that her mother’s latest blood pressure reading was okay at 95/50.

“She's been a fighter, always… Matatag po talaga si Mama,” she said, adding that her mother went through two caesarians and operations for appendicitis and myoma.

Kaye also revealed that a neurosurgeon is set to arrive to conduct more tests in order to determine the exact damage caused by the gunshot.

She also related that Failon told her that her mother did not undergo a paraffin test.

Meantime, she took the time to address the public, saying, “Gusto ko lang pong magpasalamat sa lahat ng taong sumusuporta, nakakaintindi, rumerespeto at naniniwala po sa mga nangyayari ngayon sa amin, mga kaibigan namin at kapamilya na buong gabi, araw nandito po nagbabantay sa amin at inaalagan po kami, si Mama.”

“Ito pong nangyari sa amin, kahit kaninong pamilya puwedeng manyari ito,” she remarked.

She also shared that her 12-year-old sister Karishma still does not know anything about the incident.

They are shielding her from the news, but Kaye said they will eventually let her know about it.

“Kailangang-kailangan po naming ang mga panalangin ninyo. Sabay-sabay po tayong manalangin para sa kaligtasan po ng nanay ko,” Kaye concluded.