Sarah Geronimo and Nadine Lustre, two Kapamilya talents with large fan base online, finally spoke up and pledged their support in the calls to bring ABS-CBN back on the air.
Geronimo, who was perceived silent even during the grueling House hearings into the franchise, penned a long letter on Sunday with photos of Bible quotes and candlelight.
In her statement, the “Tala” hitmaker pledged her support to her colleagues whom she called her “family” and joined calls to bring back their jobs in her home network.
She said that although she is not aware of why the franchise of ABS-CBN was not renewed, she owed a lot to the network who believed in her and treated her as their homegrown talent. She and her husband Matteo Guidicelli are both managed by Viva Entertainment Inc.
“Mahal ko po ang aking ABS-CBN family. Mahalaga po sa akin ang bawat empleyado na labis na nagdadalamhati ngayon dahil sa kawalan ng trabaho. Nakikiisa po ako sa kanilang apila na muling makabalik sa trabaho upang patuloy na makapagbigay serbisyo para sa kani-kanilang pamilya at para sa bansa,” Geronimo said.
“Ako po si Sarah Geronimo, di lamang artista, isa ring mamamayang Pilipino na umaapila para sa mga labis na apektado ng COVID-19. Magtulungan po tayo, wag po tayong magwata-watak. Ituon po natin ang ating pansin at pokus sa ating mga kababayan na sugatan at pasigaw nang humihingi ng saklolo dahil sa pagod, sakit at pagdadalamhati,” she added.
While not as vocal as her peers, Geronimo had been posting her sentiments about ABS-CBN’s battles on Instagram before.
Guidicelli likewise took to Instagram to express support to the embattled network.
On the other hand, Lustre in a series of Instagram Stories post, rallied behind over 11,000 workers who lost their jobs following the shutdown and the denial of their home network’s application to renew franchise.
Be a Nadine Lustre in this world full of bullies nang shade pa
Unity not divsion pic.twitter.com/5YgZ3wE9Zr— Nadine Superstar🌱 (@pm_slayer) July 19, 2020
Her fans on Twitter managed to make screenshots of her message and shared them on the microblogging platform.
“Gaya ninyo, Kapamilya din ako. Gaya ninyo, natatakot ako sa mga nangyayari. Gaya ninyo, nalungkot din ako para sa 11,000+ na taong nawalan ng trabaho. Gaya ninyo, umiiyak ako para sa sariling bansa. Dahil gaya ninyo, Pilipino din ako,” Lustre said.
“Kasama ako sa laban na ito. Patuloy na tumutulong at nagdadasal sa kabila ng pagluluksa,” she added.
Lustre, also a former talent of Viva, appeared to address the brewing conflict between her fans and the fans of her colleagues who are more outspoken than her.
“Pakiusap, huwag tayong mag-away, away at maghati. Wala na tayong oras,” she said.
These messages came after Angel Locsin decried the perceived “neutrality” of other personalities in the industry, even other Kapamilya artists, during another noise barrage held outside ABS-CBN’s headquarters in Quezon City.
A video clip of this made rounds on Twitter over the weekend.
'Sa mga kapwa ko artista na hindi nagsasalita, kahit magpacute kayo dyan sa Instagram, wala na kayong career na poprotektahan. Lumaban kayo kasama ng mamamayan na dahilan ng pagsikat nyo!'
ANGEL LOCSIN NAMAN PINAIYAK MO KAMI pic.twitter.com/y16588DLBd
— MENCH (@menchongdeee) July 18, 2020
Meanwhile, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, who recently became proactive in fighting for the broadcast giant, were also spotted among the protesters.
KINIKILABUTAN AKO KATHNIEL pic.twitter.com/mZEDoIVRXX
— jela (@kathtivist) July 18, 2020
Padilla was also observed to be actively encouraging his fans on Instagram to join them.
He echoed Lustre’s message and said that the Filipinos are running out of time.
Nadine tells us: "Kasama ako sa laban na ito," reminding us: "huwag na tayong maghati…wala na tayong oras."
Daniel Padilla, echoing Nadine's sentiment saying: "Kailangan natin isipin ang lipunan…nauubusan na tayo ng oras."
We should stan celebrities who stan for us. https://t.co/jMb0UtOGAF
— Jerry B. Grácio (@JerryGracio) July 19, 2020
Jane de Leon on staying positive, not joining rallies
Meanwhile, Young actress Jane de Leon, who is set to play the iconic role of “Darna,” also issued a long statement on Instagram last Sunday.
While she expressed how much she was hurt by the closure and the loss of jobs of workers, De Leon also argued that the COVID-19 pandemic persists and going outside to rally puts front liners more at risk.
“Dadagdag pa ba tayo sa lumolobong bilang at patuloy na pagtaas ng COVID cases sa ating bansa?” she asked.
She then encouraged others to “move forward” and “not be judgmental” on how they cope with the national concerns in the country.
“Even if the world stops, we still have to keep moving forward. We can show our support in many ways. Let us not be judgmental and imposing on what others should do according to personal standards and beliefs,” she said.
The Kapamilya star also encouraged prayers in times of crisis.
However, some of her remarks did not sit well with some Filipinos.
Jane de Leon might be the upcoming Darna, but she wouldn’t embody it in real life as Angel Locsin does.
What Jane embodied was toxic positivity. pic.twitter.com/1SrbIbDztS
— Jam (@So1oLeveling) July 20, 2020
