Kris Aquino is no stranger to trolls. Back in December, she faced baseless accusations claiming that she stole from Imelda Marcos’s ill-gotten jewelry collection. While she stayed mum on that matter, “troll” responses to her Typhoon Odette relief efforts have prompted her to fight back. We all have our limits—and it seems the Queen of All Media has reached one of hers.
Following a series of Dec. 25 Instagram posts about providing aid in typhoon-ravaged Negros Occidental, the actress and host came under fire with negative responses from those she has dubbed as “haters, bashers, and trolls.” Aquino has also since removed images of fiance Mel Sarmiento from her Instagram feed. Does the move spell trouble in paradise or is it her way of protecting her fiance?
According to Inquirer, Aquino’s last Instagram post with Sarmiento was dated Dec. 25. In the now-deleted post, she shared how Sarmiento assisted her when she was about to faint from exhaustion during relief operations for areas in Negros Occidental. Though the Typhoon Odette relief effort was a collaboration with actress Angel Locsin, the provisions were distributed at a drive organized by the office of Vice President Leni Robredo. The post was met with accusations of politicizing donations; Aquino and Sarmiento were dressed in pink at the relief drive.
“Some are accusing me na namumulitika ako—hello? Kandidato ba ako? Purposely cropped out yung kandidato na kasama ko,” the multihyphenate further wrote in her latest post. “Pati relationship namin ni Mel may opinion kayo, nagmamahalan at nagkakaunawaan kami… Pinili nung mga nega yung [first two] parts, completely ignoring how I paid tribute to Mel and how grateful I am to have him and his love for me.”
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Apart from a direct message to folk whom Aquino calls “bashers and trolls,” she added a list of her late brother’s projects during his term. She stated that she added a list of “researched art cards” because she and Sarmiento are united in their support for former president Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III. However, she did edit out the part of her caption where she thanked Sarmiento for gathering facts on her brother’s achievements for her post.
One image of Sarmiento does remain on Aquino’s feed. A photo of the couple together is included in a video montage, posted on Dec. 25, which also contained photos of her brother and mother, former president Corazon Aquino.
“Umaasa ako na marami pang lalapit basta ilayo namin sa pulitika,” Kris Aquino wrote, adding, “Sobra na. Tama na. Right choice to help more, you agree [with] me, it’s what I should do NOW, correct Mom?”
In the posts, Aquino voiced her frustration over criticisms against her late brother, seemingly alluding to jabs about his “inefficiency” compared to other politicians from different parties. Perhaps instead of comparing typhoon relief efforts of one president to that of another, we should focus on further optimizing the recovery of affected areas at the moment. Being open to criticism is imperative for incumbent government officials to better serve their constituents.
As of writing, Aquino and Sarmiento have yet to comment on the deleted photos. Preen has reached out to Aquino for a statement.
Photo courtesy of Inquirer.net
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