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Ykada discusses digital safety with Migs Bustos | YSpeak 2.0

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Rianna Mae Santiago

As the digital age persists in evolving, cybercrimes are now becoming far more alarmingly clever and prevalent, particularly when it comes to terrible scams. Yet, even when illegal online activities are evidently rampant, users are still dealing with inadequate online protections failing to keep up with the progressing dangers, an issue that should ideally involve solutions from social media platforms, the government, and the citizens.In the fourth episode of “Y Speak 2.0,” which aired last May 30, Ykada hosts Elijah Canlas, Aya Fernandez, KD Estrada, Ralph de Leon, River Joseph, and Robbie Jaworski sat together with ABS-CBN’s lauded sports journalist Migs Bustos as he thoroughly addressed his personal struggles with identity theft and related them to digital safety.Since the year 2021, Migs’ identity has been fraudulently used by scammers, but it was in 2024 when he finally took action by reaching out to the Department of Justice (DOJ) as well as in 2025 with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to seek assistance, both brave decisions encouraged by his wife, Michelle.During the alleged “love scam,” Migs’ photos were intentionally manipulated or photoshopped to present a face corresponding to an international number in order to trick someone into losing around $200,000.When the sports anchor was discovered by the victim, the false identity was fortunately clarified. “Merong galit, merong sadness, pero what’s common was hindi naman nila ako sinisi… I was just a face,” he explained.As soon as Aya raised the issue about Filipinos’ vulnerability to scams in addition to numerous misleading posts like deepfakes, the rest of Ykada gave rational responses, firstly with Robbie’s perspective on Filipinos being one of the top consumers of social media.“We’re so actively online… The vast population of our country lives a certain time of our lives or hours of our days online; we’re susceptible and vulnerable to that,” Robbie added.Ralph then commented, saying that Filipinos are also very trusting, especially when they recognize a familiar face that they find challenging to associate with a scammer. Taking into account the expressedthoughts of the hosts, Migs answered in the best way, linking Filipinos being easily swayed in matters of the heart with enduring the deprivation of basic needs.“Marupok ang mga Pilipino. Unang-una, pagdating sa pag-ibig, marupok [din] ang mga Pilipino pagdating sa pera… Kasi gusto natin instant kasi siguro we’ve been living in such a deprived [life]. As Filipinos, parang deprived tayo kasi sa kahirapan, sa korupsyon; gusto natin umahon, kumita ng pera,” Migs elaborated.More about Migs’ reply to Robbie’s query about the online safety measures he takes nowadays, Migs raised awareness of a common journalism practice, specifically multi-sourcing, which requires the researcher or internet user to gather or verify information from multiple independent sources.“One type of source is not enough… Meron din tayong kumbaga next level of research para sure na hindi tayo maloloko,” Migs conveyed.Even a verified badge is no longer trustworthy across all online platforms since it can be purchased by anyone even without legitimate credentials. The Ykada brought this to light, stressing that it is far removed from what a verification is supposed to be.Currently, as an active journalist, aside from multi-sourcing, Migs ensures that he builds his overall credibility by continuing to speak of scamming dangers. “Number one dapat alam nila na hindi ako scammer. How will they know if I don’t let them know that this is true or not? For me, I&#x27;ve won that [legal] battle; it’s [also] because we mentioned that it’s an uncontrollable network that we don’t know how far it goes,” he remarked.At the end of the roundtable discussion, Migs then readily provided a reminder for people to be more intentional with their decisions and actions.“Kasi kapag naka-autopilot lang ‘yung buhay natin, doon tayo mahuhulog sa patibong… Kasi hindi natin siya pinag-iisipan… It’s hard to always think, but when we develop that habit, we become consistent… Then it becomes part of our second nature,” he shared, pointing out that all efforts result in having a positive impact on others, even making them aware of deceptive practices.Don’t miss the thought-provoking exchanges, hopeful narratives, and passionate advocacies on “YSpeak 2.0,” Saturdays at 10:45 PM on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL) and<a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> iWant.</a>

Elijah Canlas, Aya Fernandez, KD Estrada, Ralph de Leon, River Joseph, and Robbie Jaworski add depth to “YSpeak 2.0’s” YouTalk segment with Migs Bustos’ harrowing identity theft experience and insightful realizations.

Elijah Canlas, Aya Fernandez, KD Estrada, Ralph de Leon, River Joseph, and Robbie Jaworski add depth to “YSpeak 2.0’s” YouTalk segment with Migs Bustos’ harrowing identity theft experience and insightful realizations.

Ykada discusses digital safety with Migs Bustos | YSpeak 2.0

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Ykada discusses digital safety with Migs Bustos | YSpeak 2.0

Rianna Santiago

Published May 31, 2026 12:29 AM PHT

|

Updated June 01, 2026 07:26 PM PHT

Read More:

YSpeak 2.0

Migs Bustos

Robbie Jaworski

Aya Fernandez

Elijah Canlas

Ralph De Leon

KD Estrada

River Joseph

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© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.