By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
PHOTO: Screengrab from Young Public Servants (Facebook)

“Alamin at tingnan ang character references. Huwag magpapabudol, at huwag sa magnanakaw.”

Dubbed as “Hugot Queen” because of her wit and no-holds-barred-reactions, this is what Kapamilya actress Angelica Panganiban has reminded the public on choosing the country’s next set of leaders in the upcoming May elections.

In a collaboration with the Young Public Servants (YPS), a group of young dynamic individuals "focused on promoting good governance and democratic citizenship among the youth", Angelica paralleled the instances of being fooled by politicians to a failed romantic relationship she once had. 


“Ilang beses akong iniwan sa ere. Ilang beses din akong nasaktan. Lagapak, beh! Dapang-dapa! Ninakawan ako ng pag-asa at pangarap,” she said in a nearly two-minute video released on Tuesday, February 1. 

“Minahal ko, e. Pinagtanggol ko pa nga sa mga friends ko. Pero, wala! Nganga! Mambubudol pala! Nakakapagod din maging tanga,” the queen of candid remarks added. Angelica did go through a serious amount of heartbreaks in her past, one of which was the six-year relationship with Derek Ramsay.

In choosing who to vote for in the May 2022 national elections, she then reminded the public to be meticulous and to be a conscientious voter by checking the background of the candidates.

“Sa ganda kong ‘to? Hindi ko deserve. Hindi mo rin deserve. It’s not worth it! I’ve learned my lesson. Kaya sana, ikaw rin. Iwasan na natin ang mga manloloko…Ingat-ingat sa mga tao. Kilatising mabuti ang mga manliligaw. Halughugin ang bio data mula high school hanggang college. Alamin at tingnan ang character references,” she noted.

With at least 704K views in the original video posted in Facebook, Angelica’s video made rounds on social media, receiving different tastes of reactions from the netizens.

“Celebrity endorsements aim to evoke emotional responses, not critical thinking. So the idea of a starlet like Angelica Panganiban presuming to preach applying critical thinking to your vote is a DISHONEST pitch that does nothing but INSULT the intelligence of the Filipino Voter,” said a Twitter user. 

“A FORMER DDS has spoken who, according to her, has learned her lesson after having realized she was just fooled when she believed Duterte, Angelica Panganiban… The video is quite ingenious. Kudos!” reckoned another user in a tweet. To recall, Angelica is among celebrities that showed her support and campaigned to the then Davao City Mayor and presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte. 

A Facebook user commented: “By voting, we add our voice to the chorus that forms opinions and the basis for actions. Dapat lang na iboto ang nararapat iboto ang tunay na maaasahan.”

In the same bid, “Magnanakaw” is the top trending topic on Twitter Philippines after amassing at least 11.5K tweets as of writing. 

Twitter users are quick to respond on Angelica’s timely hugot by saying the “huwag magpapabudol, huwag sa magnanakaw” stint is connoted to presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, whose family is accused of amassing ill-gotten wealth. 


Edited by Nehmia Elyxa Relano