Image: Instagram/@pepe.herrera
Pepe Herrera is back—not in the acting scene, but as a beach trash collector.
The actor said he is proud of what he does by picking up unwanted waste, saying he felt “really good doing it again” in a Facebook post Thursday.
While he declared his commitment in what he does, he admitted he still gets affected by other people’s reactions of not taking of what he does seriously.
“I have seen sarcastic facial reactions and remarks from people that for me seemed like a way of saying ‘you’re wasting your time and making a fool out of yourself,'” he wrote. “Minsan, naiinis pa din ako. At medyo napapahiya (At times, I get irritated, and a bit shamed).”
Despite the reactions he got from people, he is determined to carry on. “I’m way far from stopping,” Herrera said. “This is a lifelong commitment and I’m just getting started.”
Herrera also aims to encourage locals and tourists to do the same, “[i]n a non forceful manner.”
He added that he would be satisfied even if only one follows him. His reason? “Kahit isa lang ang gumaya masaya na ako. Hanggang sa dumami nang dumami ang gaya-gaya (Even if only one will follow me, I’d be happy enough. Soon, another one will follow until everyone does).”
Like Herrera, other celebrities such as Solenn Heussaff, Jericho Rosales and Luis Manzano have urged people to help take care of the environment. Meanwhile, some like Bela Padilla, James Reid, Nadine Lustre and Kiana Valenciano stepped up their game by participating in cleanup drives. /ra
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