FILE PHOTO: Vice President Leni Robredo during the second installment of the Pilipinas Debates 2022: The Turning Point on Sunday, April 3, 2022, at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza. (VP Leni Media Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — While more celebrities have come out to endorse Vice President Leni Robredo’s presidential candidacy in the run-up to the May 9 polls, some influencers volunteering for her house-to-house campaign have hit some snags as some residents gave them the cold shoulder.
On Tuesday, at least three celebrities have openly announced support for Robredo’s bid — former child actress Camille Prats, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, and Miss International 2016 Kylie Versoza — adding to the already long list of actors, actresses, and other well-known personalities backing the Vice President.
Wurtzbach, who just finished casting her vote in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, said in an Instagram post that it felt good to vote, knowing that she is finally making her stand public.
“As a first-time voter, I must say that it felt so good to vote today. Emotional actually. May halong excitement & relief that I finally took my stand. Shading that little black dot felt like I was finally making a choice towards our future. I know I’m only 1 person. Only 1 vote out of millions but every vote counts,” she said.
“Today, I am even prouder to have voted for Leni to be our next President. I’m sharing this with you dahil naniniwala ako sa kakayahan ng isang babae. Naniniwala ako at naninindigan ako para kay Leni,” she added.
Prats, meanwhile, said she only made her political choices public now because she gave much thought to her decision since the election is “our chance to make things right for our country.”
“Today, I am taking a stand. For my children’s future and for every Filipino child and family who dream of having a better chance at life. Na araw-araw nating inilalaban at araw-araw ding pinagkakait ng pagkakataon at ng panahon. This is our chance to make things right for our country,” she said.
“Bakit ngayon lang? Matagal ko po itong pinag-isipan at pinag-aralan. Hindi padalus-dalos lang ng sumabay sa uso. Ako po ay tumatayo para sa ating bansa bilang isang mamamayan na nagmamahal sa ating bayan at mga kababayan. Sa gobyernong tapat, lahat tayo ay aangat. Ma’am @bise_leni gabayan po kayo ng Diyos sa inyong mga hangarin para sa ating bayan,” she added.
As for Versoza, she shared a post of her wearing a pink crop top, which she captioned by using a hashtag attributed to Robredo – #LetLeniLead.
Snubbed
Amid these developments, influencers who tagged along with the Robredo team’s house-to-house campaign were not warmly welcomed by some residents supporting a different candidate.
In a video shared by celebrity wedding photographer and videographer Jason Magbanua, several influencers like Kerwin King, Mela Habijan, Inah Evans, Renz Saavedra, Arman Ferrer, Joy Barcoma, Krissy Achino, and Enzo Almario narrated their experiences in doing house-to-house visits in hopes of attracting more voters for Robredo and her running mate, vice presidential candidate Senator Francis Pangilinan.
READ: 10,000 join house-to-house campaign for Robredo
According to Habijan, who was crowned Miss Trans Global in 2020, a woman tore the Robredo-Pangilinan leaflet she gave her at the Balintawak Market. Evans, meanwhile, said that some supporters of a particular presidential bet slammed their doors when they tried to engage them in a conversation.
“It’s okay. Masaya na rin ako dahil naipakilala ko si VP Leni sa mga tao,” she said.
“Medyo struggling kapag BBM sila pero masaya pa rin kumatok,” Evans added.
Still, the volunteers remain positive about Robredo’s chances given that a lot of people have listened intently to their messages about the Leni-Kiko tandem.
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