‘With millions of fans following their every move — and word — celebrities undeniably wield significant
soft power — Indre Krivaite’
The recent flood control scandal that further exposed the billions of taxpayers’ money wasted on ghost projects and substandard infrastructure has gotten everyone talking. Social media has been “flooded” — pun intended — with opinions and views on the issue.
Of course, Filipino celebrities have contributed their two cents’ worth.
Some of them include outspoken actress-turned-social media personality Rica Peralejo who decried the audacity of the well-connected individuals responsible for the ghost and below-standard projects. She said, “Pero dito sa Pilipinas, ang magnanakaw na may connection… nakakalakad na parang wala lang. As if hard-earned yung pera nila.”
On Threads, actor-entrepreneur Marvin Agustin’s dismay was very palpable as he wrote, “Lunod na lunod tayo ngayon — hindi lang dahil sa baha, kundi dahil sa matinding corruption.”
Actress Jodi Santamaria posted on Instagram photos of a dilapidated classroom, a road submerged in flood, a collapsed bridge and protesters calling for the abolition of confidential funds; together with the photos was this statement: “We work hard, give what we can, and pay our taxes trusting they serve the greater good. But when they uplift only a few, it makes me think — true change does not rest only in our choices, but also in holding accountable those who deliberately break public trust.”
Actor Edu Manzano turned to humor to contribute to the discussion. He used AI to create a series of images poking fun at contractors’ lavish lifestyle. One of the funniest was a poster supposedly advertising the course offerings of a “University of Contractors” with Edu in front of a university building, wearing a hard hat and carrying books and a rolled-up blueprint. Edu’s caption: “Dito sa University of Contractors, may diploma ka na, may kickback ka pa. Sulit ‘di ba?… Kaya enroll na!”
Are we seeing some form of activism from our local celebrities to raise awareness and push for reforms? Perhaps.
It’s a long-held notion that what celebrities say and do create ripples, sometimes positive. An article by Indre Krivaite on carnegieendownment.org, titled “The Double-Edged Sword of Celebrity Activism,” reported on the impact of Taylor Swift. The article disclosed that an hour after the singer posted an Instagram story encouraging her fans to vote in the US legislative elections, the site Vote.org received 35,000+ registrations — up by 1,226%!
Krivaite wrote, “With millions of fans following their every move — and word — celebrities undeniably wield significant soft power. Their massive reach makes them uniquely placed to mobilize audiences, shape public opinion, and draw attention to issues…”
Sometimes, the celebs also advocate through actions and not just words.
Last July, during the height of Typhoon Crising, Senator Bam Aquino, PBB’s Mika Salamanca and Will Ashley and Gian Bernardino of the band Cup of Joe, volunteered at the soup kitchen of Trining’s Restaurant in Marikina. The four were part of a group that worked shifts to prepare meals for the families in the evacuation centres. “They were asked to do what all the other volunteers did — chop veggies, wash stuff, organize relief packs, and even be in the kitchen,” Trining’s chef Jayson Maulit said of the celeb-volunteers.
Jayson felt their desire to help. He said, “I remember Mika saying, ‘Lahat ng tulong mahalaga ngayon. Kung makakatulong pa makakuha ng volunteers or resources and visibility, I will do it’… Gian, for his part, said, ‘We have this promise in the band that we will use our platform and our voices to do good. So I’m here.’”
Let these recent manifestations of celebrity activism not be buried in our feeds; let these push us to action and be involved in making a positive difference in society.
