Media giant ABS-CBN on Sunday, April 25, reiterated its support for actress Angel Locsin, whose planned birthday community pantry turned controversial.
“ABS-CBN believes in the goodness of the heart of our Kapamilya Angel Locsin, who in her personal capacity has tirelessly helped our countrymen in times of crisis,” said the network, who counts Locsin as one of its many talents, in a statement.
“We admire her commitment to continue serving the Filipino people with selfless dedication and love. We stand by her and thank her for being a shining example of generosity, accountability, and compassion,” added ABS-CBN.
Locsin, who first rose to fame playing Darna in a TV series on GMA, sponsored a community pantry to celebrate her birthday last Friday, April 23. The pantry, hosted at the Titanium Commercial Building in Quezon City, turned chaotic as the crowd grew and the wait lengthened. Both organizers and local government personnel were unable to control the crowd for a while.
One of the people in line, 67-year-old balut vendor Rolando dela Cruz, lost consciousness while waiting for his turn to receive goods. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but later died due to “natural causes.”
Locsin has apologized several times for the incidents, both in her social media accounts and in interviews. “Ang nangyari po ay akin pong pagkakamali. Sana po’y wag madamay ang ibang community pantries na maganda po ang nangyari,” the actress said in an Instagram post.
(What happened was my mistake. I hope you won’t drag other community pantries into this unfortunate incident.)
Both the actress and the Quezon City government have offered to shoulder burial expenses for Dela Cruz.
Locsin has remained relatively silent on social media since the incident but reposted an April 24 Quezon City advisory inviting those who went to the pantry to avail of the city’s free COVID-19 testing services.
Locsin has long poured her energy and resources into helping the vulnerable and underserved. During the coronavirus pandemic, she has led several efforts to raise funds and supplies for medical workers, other frontliners, and those who cannot afford tests for the virus.
Back in 2019, she was recognized by Forbes for her efforts, many of which stayed under the radar until years later.
She has also become a leading voice in dissatisfaction over the government’s policies and actions, particularly in Congress’ refusal to grant ABS-CBN a new franchise. Her outspokenness has come with a price – in 2020, she was red-tagged by a military officer without basis. – Rappler.com
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