The Pasiglaban rally for Vice President Leni Robredo’s Presidential and slate campaign held in Pasig City last March 20 marked the most crowded people’s rally on record, with more than 130,000 attendees.
Robredo’s supporters were overjoyed to celebrate this historic milestone, witnessing a ray of hope from thousands of supporters yearning for a clean and honest administration in the next six years.
Pink rallies from all around the Philippines consistently trended on various social media accounts not just for political reasons, but also because celebrities, influencers, and bands dedicated their time to play for free to support Robredo’s candidacy.
This has sparked heated debates from the opposition, who claim most who attend pink rallies went there only to support the performing artists and not Robredo’s slate. Furthermore, Robredo’s supporters, dubbed as “kakampinks,” proudly stood up to show that they came out to support Robredo’s presidency, not for any other motive.
This was also evident among celebrities, who openly proclaimed their support and emphasized that they were doing it voluntarily for the sake of the country’s future.
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Furthermore, Donny Pangilinan became the talk of the town after performing at the Pasiglaban rally in favor of his uncle and Vice Presidential aspirant, Senator Francisco “Kiko Pangilinan”. Despite Pangilinan’s absence in Pasig to prepare for the Comelec’s Vice Presidential debate, the actor turned up, and people were happy to see his charm on stage.
The 24-year-old actor made his television debut in 2016 as a VJ for Myx, a Philippine pay-TV channel situated in Quezon City and operated by Creative Programs Inc., an ABS-CBN Corporation subsidiary. He is one of the most prominent young actors on Philippine TV nowadays after starring in films and television shows such as He’s into Her and Love is Colorblind, which all premiered in 2021.
Following Pangilinan’s viral appearance in Pasig, the opposition party drew comparisons between him and Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’ son, Sandro Marcos.
People were uploading proof that the Marcos-Duterte tandem’s representative is more than just a pretty face because he is more academically competent than Pangilinan and Sandro is a public servant while Donny is an actor.
A list of Marcos’ son’s qualifications was included in the post, citing his international academic background from the London School of Economics, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in Development studies. Meanwhile, Pangilinan’s niece attended Brent International School and the University of the Philippines’ open university.
Meanwhile, some were rebutting the comparisons and arguing that comparing the two wasn’t relevant to the main point of who would be the best leaders to serve the country in the next 6 years. Many also find it funny that they were so proud of Sandro’s academic credentials yet they can’t say the same about their Presidential candidate, Bongbong Marcos, who claims to have college accolades both locally and internationally but subsequently revealed is not true.
After all, the comparisons are pointless since neither Sandro nor Donny should be the center of attention, but rather the politicians who should be proving to the public why they are worthy of the political seat they are vying for.
So, instead of arguing who is better between the two, we should be more critical and engaged in questioning who is the most deserving political candidate for our country’s future.
Photo Credit: https://web.facebook.com/officialdonnypangilinan/posts/512058263617158, https://web.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1018633894885520&set=a.396850205146313
