As a taxpayer, Albie Casiño frustrated at gov’t response to coronavirus pandemic

Albie Casiño

Actor Albie Casiño believes that being the diligent taxpayer that he is gives him “the right to voice out my opinion.”

“That’s where my taxes go. Whenever my check and payslip arrive, I always get shocked to see how big my deductibles are,” he told reporters during a virtual media conference for his latest teleserye, “Init sa Magdamag.”

“When you see how much tax you pay and then see how the pandemic is being handled, won’t you feel angry and frustrated? I’m not really mad at the government. I just don’t like how the people behind it are handling things,” explained Albie, who is among the many celebrities who use social media to air out their sentiments on various social issues.

Focus on safety

Having said that, Albie is pleased with how Star Creatives, the production team behind his teleserye, has managed to finish production without any of its members getting infected with COVID-19.

“I’ve been part of several lock-in sets already since the pandemic lockdown, and this was my biggest. Others were for indie films, meaning the productions are smaller as well as the number of cast members. I don’t think we had a single positive case in the six months that we worked on the show,” said Albie.

“You can see that they really put focus on the safety of not just their artists but also of every single person in the team. You can really tell how well they followed procedures,” Albie recalled. “If you’re not taping, meaning you’re on a break, the nurse will knock on your door to check on your temperature, make you sign waivers and provide the medical assistance that you need for that day. I want to say congratulations to everyone. We were able to survive it with not a single positive case.”

Aside from Heaven Peralejo (“Bagong Umaga”) and Angeline Quinto (“Huwag Kang Mangamba”), who recently announced in their vlogs that they have been infected by the virus, there are also reports of other actors and production team members testing positive even while in the middle of taping for their respective TV programs.

“Init sa Magdamag,” directed by Ian Lorenos and Raymond Ocampo, concluded its taping in December 2020. INQ