Alden Richards stepped away from his boy-next-door persona to play a soldier who fought in the Marawi siege in a TV show. While he allegedly received messages that viewers will boycott the episode, fans still expressed their gratitude and praised his performance.
In the GMA show Magpakailanman, Alden played PFC Jomille Pavia, a suicide squad soldier who was stationed in Marawi. Based on the posters and screengrabs, you could see how Alden showed the pain and fear through his acting. There were a few action shots too featuring guns and explosions.
We are lost for words @aldenrichards02 👏🏻#MPKMarawiAlden
-RG pic.twitter.com/x7chEg5Slq— ALDENatics_UAE (@ALDENatics_UAE) November 25, 2017
Salute to @aldenrichards02 for taking this role and for honoring the soldiers of Marawi
ALDEN on MPK | #MPKMarawiAlden pic.twitter.com/f79qFcN7Ij
— 🅺 ♡ 🆁🅼 🦋🌧 ♡ 🧈 (@LaKarlita__) November 25, 2017
Abangan si Alden Richards, ang Best Actor for Single Performance sa nakaraang Star Awards, sa natatanging pagbibigay-pugay ng Magpakailanman sa mga sundalo na lumaban, sumaklolo at nagbuwis ng buhay para sa ating kapwa Pilipino at para sa kalayaan ng Marawi City. #MPKMarawiAlden pic.twitter.com/P2cj8FEYl2
— MagpakailanmanGMA (@Magpakailanman7) November 24, 2017
Aside from his acting prowess, many applauded Alden’s bravery in tackling this national issue. It’s also no surprise to some since Alden has been vocal about other matters in the past like autism and Martial Law.
Thank you, @aldenrichards02 for doing this for the Marawi soldiers. You did not deserve the hurtful words, accusations and boycott calls you all took in this week. God bless you.#MPKMarawiAlden
— 💙 TWISH 💙 (@pscd87) November 25, 2017
You are worth supporting for, @aldenrichards02. Mapa-Autism, National Hero, Martial Law, Mental Health, Barrio Doctor, Soldier.. these stories deserve to be heard, and thank you for doing it for them. ❤#MPKMarawiAlden
— issay 🖤 (@hirj_mineun) November 25, 2017
Kapatid
Doctor to the Barrio
Alaala
Love Is
Kwentong Marawi.All tackling issues relevant to the society. All happened in one year. You are an actor with a purpose, @aldenrichards02, and that’s what makes you stand out from your contemporaries. So proud of you.#MPKMarawiAlden
— jay (@maichardjpg) November 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/maichardism/status/934417203696242688
To PFC Jomille Pavia and all the soldiers who bravely fought in Marawi, we salute your bravery and selflessness.
And to you @aldenrichards02, for taking on a project that helped shine a light on our soldiers’ lives. #MPKMarawiAlden
— chu (@piecesofchi) November 25, 2017
The episode also created a conversation surrounding the soldiers’ experience in the battlefield. Fans also took the opportunity to educate the AlDub Nation on the disconnection between Islam and ISIS.
How painful it must be for soldiers to kill fellow Pinoys to protect our freedom. How doubly painful it must be to have to fight with children brainwashed to kill & fight.#MPKMarawiAlden
— 💙 TWISH 💙 (@pscd87) November 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/curiousambivert/status/934407715467681793
https://twitter.com/KrisAn_Dizon/status/934415241571717123
The hashtag #MPKMarawiAlden reached the top spot of the Philippine trends last night. As of writing, fans are still tweeting about Alden’s episode.
This isn’t the first time that Alden helped out and raise awareness about the situation in Marawi. He recently supported a garage sale, organized by female legislators, which raised funds for the families of Marawi soldiers. Alden also spoke about his role in a previous interview, saying, “After doing that, sobrang tumaas po lalo ‘yung respeto ko para sa mga kababayan nating sundalo. Talagang hindi madali ‘yung trabaho nila.” (After doing that, I respected the soldiers even more. Their job really isn’t easy.)
Congratulations on the successful episode, Alden! Don’t stop taking roles that start meaningful discussions.
Photo courtesy of Magpakailanman’s Facebook page
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