Leah to Lea: ‘Call out what is truly wrong to make room for love’
Lea Salonga. Image: Instagram/@juansarte
Singer Leah Navarro has some “unsolicited advice” for Broadway star Lea Salonga.
Salonga pondered on Twitter last Monday, Oct. 29: “So… what can we do to fill this world with love? I think we desperately need it now.”
Navarro replied yesterday, Oct. 31. “Unsolicited advice, Lea: believe in the lyrics of many of the songs you sing and live by them. That also means calling out what is truly wrong to make room for love to grow.”
Image: Screengrab via Twitter/@leahnavarro
Salonga has yet to respond to Navarro’s comment, as of writing.
The theater veteran has been vocal about certain issues, including LGBTQ+ rights and ethnic diversity in the international theater community.
However, some of her stances on political issues have faced criticism, such as when she defended Aga Muhlach for his freedom to express his negative views on Duterte critic Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV.
READ: Lea Salonga: ‘Sen. Trillanes has right to criticize, it’s his job’
Some of her Twitter posts since then seem to have attempted to unify those with opposing views, but reactions continue to be mixed.
In the same tweet that Navarro responded to, some suggestions on how to “fill this world with love” were colored with politics.
Image: Screengrab via Twitter/@MsLeaSalonga
“You can start by not enabling dictators because they were good to you,” wrote netizen Angel (@angelonfire123).
“For one, to show genuine concern and speak out for victims of human rights abuses, calling out the leaders who enable such things to happen,” said one @matrapikba.
Back in 2016, Salonga was asked on Facebook regarding her thoughts about the Marcoses who reigned during former dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ regime.
“They have always been kind to me and my family,” she said, noting that former First Lady Imelda Marcos patronized artists, herself included.
After netizens argued that martial law abuses occurred during that period, she said, “And in celebrating the good, I don’t ignore the bad. The good and bad are part of the whole truth.”
Besides her comment to Salonga, Navarro has also shared tweets that have been critical of her.
“Why is there so much hate in the world?” the “Miss Saigon” star wrote on Twitter.
Image: Screengrab via Twitter/@leahnavarro
Navarro retweeted a response from one Twitter user Nik (@iwriteasiwrite): “Because people who benefited from that hate defend it.”
Last October, Salonga drew flak for questioning the outrage over inflation. In a tweet on Oct. 8, the award-winning actress and singer wrote, “If you want to be brought back down to earth, actively seek and find online exchanges where you are disparaged and even insulted. The moral of the story: not everyone will like you. And that’s perfectly okay.”
Image: Screengrab via Twitter/@leahnavarro
Navarro retweeted a comment from netizen Laurence Castillo (@benok_castillo) last Oct. 9: “But for someone with perfect pitch, your recent political comments are really tone-deaf.” JB
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