So… on October 7, Leni Robredo, former vice president of the Philippines and now mayor of Naga City, hosted Israeli ambassador Dana, with her LGU (via the Naga City Tourism) claiming it showcased “principled leadership”.
Leni was attacked. And rightly so. The “mother” of the kakampink “movement”, she was expected to know better – e.g. since Israel attacked Gaza on October 7, 2023, over 82% of all of the structures (approximately 201,000 buildings, and over 370,000 housing units) in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed; and since Israel launched its genocide against Palestinians, at least 74,000 Palestinians, including at least 21,000 children, have been killed.
In typical Leni fashion, she stayed quiet. Just as she did in 2025, when she supported the senate bid of Manny Pacquiao, who – in 2016 – actually stated that LGBTQIA+ people in relationships are “masahol pa sa hayop” (worse than animals). Fuck the LGBTQIA+ followers ba?
Funny – yet also sad in the audacity – were Leni’s defenders, e.g. Sen. Kiko Pangilinan and the Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) saying that receiving a guest does not mean an endorsement of genocide. Paulit-ulit nating ginagamit ang “silence empowers the oppressor” (a core moral principle articulated by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel), and yet here we are…
Too many of the “righteous” so-called “leaders” deserve to be called out, to be held accountable for actually enabling evil. Mga idolo who are not being called out (definitely not enough) even if they really should be.
There’s Risa Hontiveros and her silence on everything Marcos-related (after the ultra-loud “Never again!” crusade). She’s supposed to be the “opposition”, so… mag-oppose ka, ma’am. Kaya ang lakas ng loob ni Marcos eh, kasi nga ngangabels naman ang “opposition”. Otherwise, every bad thing that happens under Marcos is ALSO on her, particularly since she already expressed her desire to take over from him (wanting to be president).
There’s Apo Whang-Od, the tattoo artist from Buscalan in Tinglayan, Kalinga, who is not just known as the “last” and “oldest” mambabatok (though both claims need hard checking), but is also known for groping her male clients. Check online comments when videos of her groping are shared, and note that there are people who find this funny, endearing even, supposedly because she’s already old.
There’s the very public groping done by basketball player Emmanuel “Emman” Calo from Compostela, Cebu, deemed “funny” but should really be stopped. It was just right that Digong’s confession re SA of their maid was lambasted, but why is Calo’s seen as just being playful?
There’s Vice Ganda’s deafening silence re sexual assault allegations versus co-host Vhong Navarro (actually, the host backed Navarro when a second rape complaint surfaced in 2014). But the thing is, even if you don’t necessarily believe Deniece Cornejo, who accused Navarro of sexual assault in 2014, but… I don’t know… pakinggan din sana ang mga babaeng nagreklamo (?).
Marami pa yan, obviously.
Buod: Who you admire, idolize or whatever is up to you. But huwag naman sana blind. Call out din when necessary. Hold your idols accountable din. Because they’re on pedestals supposedly because they deserve to be there. If no longer deserving, ikaw na yata may problema sa idolatry mo kasi kulto na rin ang pananaw mo.
