ANGEL SA MARAWI copy

WALA pa ring tigil ang ilang netizens sa kaba-bash kay Angel Locsin dahil sa pagkakawanggawa sa mga kababayan natin sa Marawi City at Iligan City na publicity lang daw ang habol dahil hindi na siya ang gaganap na Darna.

Ang nakalulungkot, kakilala pa ng aktres ang ibang bumabatikos sa kanya na ipinagkibit-balikat na lang niya.

Hello, si Angel nga mismo ang umatras bilang Darna kaya anong publicity ang kakailanganin niya at patunayan?

ALAMIN: Ano nga ba ang EBET Law na pinirmahan ni PBBM

Samantala, may nagngangalan namang Bella Jane na sumulat ng open letter na agad nag-viral dahil nagustuhan ng publiko na agad umabot sa 2,452 ang ‘shares’. Naririto ang naturang liham:

Angel Locsin,

I don’t know if you’ll get to read this or not. But, I need to write this. Not to put you more in the spotlight but to shed light to what you made me realize.

Let me start this by saying that I was never your fan. I knew of how great your acting prowess were with top-rated series to beat. I’ve heard of your philanthropic deeds -- from Ondoy, to Yolanda and even to your Mindanao visits.

The ones you did in silence. You were there visiting areas in Mindanao for the sole reason that you wanted to get rid of your own biases and hear stories of Mindanaons yourself.

This happened even before this Marawi crisis took place. You did all of these in the absence of any title given to you. You were not a part of the UN food program or a UNICEF ambassador.

Surely, this is not just a promo ad or of you gaining the spotlight. And yet, despite knowing everything, it wasn’t enough for me to notice how great you are as a person nor as an actress of influence.

Not until Marawi.

Oh girl, you had me there. I was caught off guard. Unaware of your magnanimity. I saw you in a different light, a lot brighter this time.

I began to realize your true worth and saw how different, emboldened you are to other actresses of your kind. I saw pictures of you from media outlets clad in hijab, void of any make up and being one with local communities there. I then said this to myself, “Atta girl”, heaved a sigh and let that sudden onslaught of realizations- one after the other hit me like a stupid fool that I was.

As someone born and raised in Mindanao, I had my own fair share of biases. And, I have never set foot to areas associated with danger. I’ve never been to Marawi, Lanao, even Pikit which is an area nearer to where my roots were.

Those biases were brought to me by my father’s protective stance, of him being a retired soldier who had experience firsthand what it was to fight a terror stricken Mindanao back in the 80’s and 90’s.

Your act slammed that Mindanaon in me. Of why I can’t do the same thing to my fellow Mindanaon too. Of why I can’t get rid of my own biases.

It was entirely different in your case. You lived under the glaring lenses, a glasshouse for celebrities. I am in awe of the beatings of your own heart. You redefined the meaning of what sexy and being beautiful is -- unlike those stars I followed in Instagram.

Stars who displayed their Cartier bracelets, posh travels, body showing swimsuits, OOTD’s, series of lip pouting, leg showing and everything under the sun. Of stars who uses their influence to sing and dance for “trapo politicians” just as long as they get paid and continue living their own selfish lives. Stars, who, in one way or the other, thinks that singing a jeje song of “Naseyo na ang lahat” makes them the perfect voice in order for fans to support whoever they support- without rationality.

An amount of money will do. Of stars who expresses their opinion to every national issue but are not doing anything, never even bothered to make a personal journey to see if their rightful opinion is the same as the reality in the ground.

Stars who posts everything on IG when they did a single charitable act, smiling sweetly to the camera. Of stars bickering as to whether or not she wears an authentic D&G shirt. Enough to enumerate the superficiality in them.

You redefined everything. And be that as it may, let me say this to you, a compliment or gratitude of some sort: “Ang tunay na maganda at sexy ay nasa Marawi.”

To this day onwards, you got an admirer in me. Hanggang sa muli mong paglipad.”

Nabasa ni Angel ang open letter na ito ni Ms. Bella at simpleng sagot niya, “salamat ate”. (REGGEE BONOAN)