Why Christian Bables came to Anji Salvacion’s defense

Christian Bables —CHRISTIAN BABLES’ FACEBOOK; Anji Salvacion —ANJI SALVACION’S FACEBOOK

While Christian Bables doesn’t personally know Anji Salvacion, he couldn’t help but come to the defense of the young actress, whose “uninspired” performance in the drama series “Linlang” has been a constant subject of ridicule and mockery on social media.

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Christian said he was excited for Anji to “unleash the brilliant actress in you.”

“For as long as you admit there’s a huge room for improvement, OK na ‘yun. The rest, ingay lang (it’s just noise). Please never give up learning your craft. Meron ‘yan, Anji. I believe in you,” wrote Christian, who’s an avid fan of “Linlang.”

Asked what prompted him to write the message, Christian—speaking to reporters at a recent press conference for his 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival entry, “Broken Hearts Trip”—said: “I’m not in any way connected to her. But I just really felt the need to speak up, and somehow, use my platform to give her some words of encouragement. I don’t think my conscience can bear seeing the kid’s dreams get crushed by hateful, hurtful comments she receives almost every day.”

Trending topic

With every episode drop of “Linlang,” Anji often becomes a trending topic on Twitter, with users taking screencaps of her unflattering facial expressions and making memes out of them.

“Ginawa kasing katatawanan ‘yung pagkakamali ng tao. And then, it kept piling up until it became viral. It’s never right to laugh at other people’s weaknesses,” Christian said.

Yes, criticism and suggestions are welcome and can serve as motivation for actors to improve and work on their craft, but there’s a kinder way to convey them, he added.

“I believe that one of our duties as artists is to inspire others. I think I can send my well wishes and advice better by giving her words of encouragement. Because that’s what the kid needs,” he said.

Not to be overly idealistic, Christian said, but he believes that it always pays to be kind.

“I think everything can be conveyed in a nicer way. I always say that we have a choice. Kindness is a choice. And it’s up to you if you will choose to hurt others, or be loving and understanding,” he said.

Words of encouragement

More than her acting, even the way Anji handles and shrugs off all the internet bile gets criticized by bashers.

“It’s her right to defend her mental health and her feelings. So, whatever she says out of self-defense, that’s understandable. Because she has been hurt so much,” he said.

For now, Christian can only hope that all the challenges facing Anji don’t end up breaking her, but instead, make her stronger.

“I know she still has a lot to learn. And I hope and pray she has the willingness to learn and accept that there’s still huge room for improvement. I know there is,” she said.

“I hope she realizes that this is not the end of her journey as an actress. We all learn. There’s a right time for everything. Maybe not now. But I know deep in my heart, someday, sometime, somewhere, she will be an amazing actress,” Christian added.