Angel Locsin, who turned 35 years old this year, no doubt ~*embodied*~ her fictional role in 2005 as Darna because she's been a real-life Pinoy hero and do-gooder for years. It's no surprise that the actress was named as one of Forbes' Asia's 2019 Heroes Of Philanthropy: Catalysts For Change in December 2019!
Forbes even writes that over the past decade, Angel "has donated as much as P15 million to causes such as educational scholarships for students, supporting the economic and political rights of indigenous people, and ending violence against women and children."
Angel often helps out during natural disasters—often in a low-key and sometimes even secretive way. That doesn't stop fans, however, from recognizing her efforts and thanking her as a *real-life Darna*! Here, we listed down some of Angel's most recent public projects:
1. June 2019: She helped give 31 students a scholarship.
To celebrate reaching a whopping five million followers on Instagram and 11 million on Twitter, Angel decided to hold a fundraising activity to help students with their education.
The actress wrote on IG: "I would like to share with you this simple celebration of helping 31 scholars through schooling. I believe that education is one of the best gifts we can share [with] others and that empowered individuals can help shape a bright future."
2. September 2019: Angel skipped the annual ABS-CBN Ball to donate to charity.
Instead of attending the much-awaited ball, Angel donated the money she would have spent on Ball preps to Bantay Bata 163, the child welfare arm of the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation! In an IG post, she explained:
"I salute my friends at the ABS-CBN Ball who are doing their share to promote awareness on children's rights and to help the beneficiaries of Bantay Bata 163 get the education that everyone deserves. As for me, I decided to do my share in a way that I could probably be more of use. I think it would be better for me to donate directly to Bantay Bata the amount that I'm supposed to spend [for] the ball. It's not much, but [it] will help make a difference [in] someone else's life."
3. November 2019: She donated P1 million for earthquake victims in Mindanao.
In October, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit Tulunan town, Cotabato, which destroyed buildings in Davao City and nearby provinces and left five people dead and nine injured. Aside from making a monetary donation, Forbes writes that Angel and her fiancé Neil Arce also distributed "truckloads of relief supplies" to affected residents.
4. December 2019: She distributed relief goods in Northern Samar.
Angel made a surprise visit to the provincial capital of Catarman and the town of Allen, she was spotted buying grocery items at a supermarket, and she reportedly distributed relief goods in person after Typhoon Tisoy hit.
5. January 2020: Angel helped source relief goods for victims of the Taal Volcano eruption.
When the Taal Volcano unexpectedly erupted on January 12, ashfall affected the areas of Batangas, Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal, and Metro Manila. Residents from several heavily affected barangays badly needed help, so Angel and Neil took to Instagram Stories to ask for donations for affected families. They later shared video clips of relief goods—which they helped repack themselves.
6. March to April 2020: The actress raised almost P11 million to help frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March, Angel helped provide sleeping tents for healthcare frontliners in Taguig City. She also asked some of her friends from showbiz if they could donate their taping beds to the cause—which they gladly did! Some of these celebs were Angelica Panganiban, Anne Curtis, Paulo Avelino, and Bea Alonzo.
Angel also set up the #UniTentWeStandPH campaign to provide more than 28 hospitals with specialized tents for their COVID-19 patients. The fundraiser was a joint effort between her and Neil, Dimples Romana, Dr. Marev Matic, and Gines Sarangaya of ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. They were able to raise a total of P10,956,702.98 for the campaign! WOW.
Apart from this project, Angel also helped acquire and distribute medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontliners in Manila and various other provinces.
7. July 2020: She continued to speak up for her fellow ABS-CBN employees, saying, "'Pag hindi tayo nagsalita, ibig sabihin noon kinampihan natin ang mali."
The House franchise committee denied ABS-CBN's application for a fresh 25-year license, and as a result, ABS-CBN announced that the company would start retrenching workers on August 31. Angel, who has always been very vocal about the ABS-CBN shutdown, was part of the noise barrage held by employees, artists, and supporters of ABS-CBN on July 18. Angel went onstage to urge her fellow celebrities to speak up:
"Sa mga kasamahan kong artistang hindi nagsasalita, ano, may career pa ba kayo? Wala na, wala na kayong network. Kahit magpa-cute kayo diyan sa Instagram, mag-send kayo ng mga sad face, hindi niyo nadadamayan ang mga katrabaho niyo na dahilan kung bakit kayo sumikat!"
"Naiintindihan ko tayong mga artista, expected sa'tin dapat tahimik lang kayo, dapat sweet lang ang image, dapat neutral para walang kalaban, pero 'pag hindi tayo nagsalita, ibig sabihin noon kinampihan natin ang mali."
She added that the real victims weren't the owners of ABS-CBN but the employees who would be losing their jobs. Watch her speech below:
Thank you, Darna!
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