MANILA, Philippines — The camp of Liza Soberano on Thursday came to the defense of the actress, saying that she is not affiliated with any organization.
Soberano’s manager Ogie Diaz, in a Facebook post, said the actress was only a guest in a webinar organized by Gabriela Youth.
“Hindi po siya miyembro ng Gabriela o ng kahit anong partido o partylist (She is not a member of Gabriela, or any organization or party-list),” Diaz later said of his talent.
“Nagsasalita lang po siya bilang babae at kabataan, dahil kilala siya sa kanyang advocacy (She is speaking as a woman and as a member of the youth because of her advocacy),” he added.
Soberano previously appeared on Gabriela Youth’s webinar titled “Mga Tinig ni Nene: Reclaiming Our Voices on the International Day of the Girl Child”, where she took a stand on the issue of violence against women and children.
But not everyone was happy with Soberano’s appearance in the webinar. A vlogger, named Maui Becker, previously accused the actress of being a member of an alleged communist front.
Meanwhile, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) member and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, in a statement posted on Facebook Tuesday, urged the actress to withdraw her support from Gabriela.
But for Diaz, he sees nothing wrong with Soberano airing her concerns on the welfare of women and children.
“Wala naman pong masamang sinabi si Liza patungkol sa mga karapatan ng kababaihan at ng kabataan sa webinar na ‘yon,” he said.
(Liza did not say anything wrong about the rights of women and children in the webinar.)
Diaz later added: “Saan pong organisasyon dapat magsalita si Liza na bagay pag-usapan ang tungkol sa women’s and children’s rights na kikilalanin at paiigtingin ang karapatan ng mga babae at mga bata na hindi po siya mare-redtag?”
(So should what organization should Liza speak to where she can talk about women and children’s rights without being red-tagged?)
Soberano’s legal counsel Atty. Jun Lim, in a separate statement, likewise slammed the supposed “red-tagging” on the actress.
“We denounce in the strongest terms the ‘red-tagging’ of our client, Ms. Liza Soberano, in some social media platforms. Expressing her love and respect for women and children is her personal advocacy,” Lim said.
“Ms. Soberano remains to be apolitical. She does not support nor antagonize any person’s political views,” the lawyer added. “The important point here is respect for others, a virtue she has conscientiously practiced all her life.”