MANILA, Philippines — There is nothing wrong with speaking up for the marginalized and the exploited, House Deputy Speaker and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said Saturday after actress Liza Soberano was red-tagged for participating in an online forum organized by the youth arm of Gabriela, a national alliance of women’s organizations in the Philippines.
In a statement, Zarate also expressed his support for the actress “for standing up for women and children especially those who were victims of sexual exploitation.”
“We admire Liza’s courage and for speaking up against the abuses faced by women and children. We hope that she would continue this advocacy and see the broader picture of what problems and faces of oppression are faced by many,”
Zarate also shot back at Soberano’s critics, saying: “As for those attacking and red-tagging Liza, it is not wrong to speak up for the marginalized and exploited.”
“What is wrong though is keeping silent against it or ignore others who are committing them. We should never be indifferent to injustice,” he added.
Soberano previously spoke at the Gabriela Youth webinar “Mga Tinig ni Nene: Reclaiming Our Voices on the International Day of the Girl Child” where she got emotional as she recalled women she knew who faced gender-based struggles.
But after her participation in the forum, Soberano was tagged as a communist by a vlogger named Maui Becker.