4 Philippine Showbiz Today
Cover Story
January 22 - February 7, 2018
Robin Padilla praises Piolo Pascual,
celebrities for helping Marawi
Eight months have passed
since the siege of Marawi City by
Abu Sayyaf militants came to the
fore. To many, the events are far
too painful and horrible to recall.
Yet despite the end of the battle, a
fragmented Marawi has yet to see
bigger developments in its recov-
ery from destruction.
Actor Robin Padilla’s recent
appearance in “Pilipinas Got Tal-
ent”, where he reprimanded a Ko-
rean contestant for not speaking
Tagalog, may have been a hit or
miss to people. But one thing he
can’t be faulted for would be his
unapologetic declaration of love
for his country.
Padilla, a Muslim, couldn’t
help but deliver a heartfelt mes-
sage to his friends who accompa-
nied him to Mindanao to visit the
people of Marawi. In an Instagram
post that Padilla shared last night,
he thanked actors Piolo Pascual
and Jose Antonio Lopez, actress
Nadia Montenegro, former man-
ager Betchay Vidanes and film di-
rector Joyce Bernal for their pres-
ence.
“Masayang Masaya ang mga
kapatid ko kasi naramdaman nila
na tunay kayong nagmamahal
at nag aalala sa kanila,” wrote
Padilla. “Batid nila na wala kay-
ong business sa kanila o pangan-
gailangan sa kanila hindi kayo
mga politiko at lalong hindi ne-
gosyante pero naglakbay kayo ng
Malayo at Nagpakahirap!”
(My brothers and sisters are
very happy because they felt that
your love and concern for them is
genuine. They know you have no
other business on them or ulterior
motive. You are not politicians and
businessmen, but you traveled far
and made sacrifices.)
Pascual can be seen wearing
a black jacket and sunglasses as
a crowd swarmed around him for
pictures. In Jose Antonio Lopez’s
Instagram, on the other hand, he
posted picture of the group hav-
ing a meal.
Lopez also shared a picture
of them paying a courtesy call
to Marawi City mayor Atty. Majul
Gandamra.
Lopez also shared pictures
and videos of Marawi to his fol-
lowers. In Jan. 23, he posted a
picture of destroyed homes in the
distance, with the seascape and
landscape of Marawi as the back-
ground.
“Such a beautiful city de-
stroyed by war,” expressed Lopez.
“What a shame. #bangonma-
rawi.”
Lopez also posted Instagram
Stories of more roofless homes
as part of the widespread dam-
age during the war. Rubble and
wreckage litter the pavement; in
another, blasted walls with evident
bullet marks, fallen posts and
dangling cables can be seen
For his part, Padilla posted a
video of director Bernal and the
rest of the actors looking at the
destruction in “Ground Zero.”
Last year, Padilla also com-
mended Pascual and Bernal for
their generous donations for the
rehabilitation of Marawi. Pascual
contributed P1 million while Ber-
nal gave P500,000. ●
- C. Cepeda/JB, Inq
Actors Jose Antonio Lopez with Robin, Paolo, Nadia Montenegro and director Joyce
Bernal on Instagram. (below) The siege and aftermath in Marawi in 2017
Actors Robin Padilla and Jose Antonio Lopez paying a courtesy call to Marawi City
mayor Atty. Majul Gandamra (above). Actor Piolo Pascual on Robin’s Instagram