5 Times Actress And Philanthropist Angel Locsin Wowed Us

Where do you even start? 

Actress and social activist Angel Locsin has been doing so many amazing things in the past year that it's hard to choose the top reasons to admire her. She hasn't only succeeded in showbiz, but she's also proven time and time again what it means to use influence and your voice for the good of others in issues that matter. 

As she celebrates her 36th birthday today, we list down why this Metro cover star deserves your attention—today on her special day, and all the days after! 

Today, on her birthday, instead of throwing herself a much-deserved party or celebration at home, the Iba 'Yan host organized a community pantry instead. Instead of receiving, she decided to give. 

Yesterday, she posted the announcement for the community pantry put up in Quezon City, saying, "Bilang pagpupugay sa bayanihan ng mga Pilipino at sa mga nagtayo ng mga community pantries sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa natin, I decided to celebrate my birthday tomorrow by putting up a community pantry here." 

Below are five more instances when Angel Locsin wowed us with her bravery and her good-heartedness:

1. She rallied behind #NoToABSCBNShutdown and #YesToABSFranchiseRenewal.

Filipinos everywhere banded together to rally behind ABS-CBN when Congress decided to deny its franchise renewal, but Angel Locsin had to be one of the loudest voices there was. 

Angel was consistently vocal on social media and attended noise rallies that appealed to lawmakers and to the public alike to counter the decision, and she always stood her ground despite unrelenting criticism. She brought attention to press freedom and she fought for the cause of her feloow Kapamilyas.

Months after ABS-CBN was shut down, Angel continued to speak up against injustices and developed her own opinions about current events; despite knowing she was, and still is, a public figure that many expect to be "neutral" or "safe" for the sake of pleasing her fanbase, she broke the mold by embracing her identity as a social activist. 

2. She was an active, yet low-profile, celeb who took action during the early days of the pandemic.

Everyone was at a loss and in a state of panic when the country went on lockdown in March 2020. Ordinary Filipinos were left without jobs and the healthcare system was overwhelmed. Many people of influence came to the rescue via donation drives, food preparation and deliveries, and face mask and face shield-making. As for Angel, she chose to spend her time by mobilizing a team to build makeshift quarantine facilities for Philippine General Hospital's workers in a fundraiser dubbed as #UniTentWeStandPH. This was crucial in the second quarter of 2020, as hospitals, the private sector, and the government alike were struggling to best address the gaps in the country's COVID-19 response. 

She expanded her efforts by scouting for smaller hospitals located in underserved areas in and outside Metro Manila. She included them as beneficiaries in a donation drive that targeted to raise funds for the construction of hospital tents that would house overflow patients and healthcare workers in need of quarantine facilities. 

Angel also supported jeepney drivers who were hardest hit by the lockdown. She spent time with them to understand their needs and encouraged the public to help them in whatever way they can. 

3. She never feeds body-shaming trolls.

It's not news that Angel Locsin has put on weight in the last year or so, but to her, it just isn't what's important right now—or ever, really. 

She's never called attention to herself that way, and she's mostly left it up to her fiercest fans and friends to do all the anti-body bashing defending for her. Long before COVID became our reality, we'd already seen Angel become the target of body shaming, with way too many people scrutinizing her for changes in her appearance. Even so, her weight has never been a hindrance to an illustrious career or her countless humanitarian initiatives. This definitely speaks a thousand words about who she is as a person and how success is measured. 

With the latest wave of body shamers she encountered, she flat out refused to react to them, or, in Internet/social media speak, to "feed the trolls." 

The worst of the body shaming came late in 2020 when none other than the Department of Education issued a public apology for giving the go signal for one of its online modules that described her as an "obese person." See what Angel wrote about it on Instagram:

This was one of the very few times Angel acknowledged chatter about her weight, and even so, it was not to talk about her personal issues, but to bring to light missteps in the educational system.  

4. She's been recognized by local and international agencies for her social activism and her work as an artist.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Angel Locsin (@therealangellocsin)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Angel Locsin (@therealangellocsin)

In less than a year, Angel Locsin was recognized at the 9th Eduk Circle Awards (award for Best Actress, The General's Daughter), by Forbes Asia (one of the few Philippine reps at the Forbes Asia’s List of 100 Digital Stars in the Asia Pacific Region), by the Philippine Red Cross (special Spirit of Philanthropy Award), and at the film event The Entertainment Editors’ Choice (Isah V. Red award, given to individuals who made real impacts in the lives of COVID-affected Filipinos).

But it was her Cinemadvocate award given by the Film Development Council of the Philippines early this year that truly touched her. The award is all about honoring individuals in the entertainment industry who use their influence for bettering society. To make it more special, Angel's industry BFF Dimples Romana, fiancé Neil Arce, and her partners in her humanitarian projects were invited to share their praises for the actress. 

With eight months left in 2021 and with Angel's exemplary work as a social volunteer and activist, we're sure that this award won't be her last recognition this year!

5. She's the queen of sassy social media clap backs and call outs. 

Exhibit A: 

This was an exchange that took place a whole year before COVID and the ABS-CBN shutdown, which tells us just how much Angel has been passionate about social issues. It's not that she waited for the world to be thrown into turmoil in 2020 to "care," but rather, people had simply just began to pay more attention to how individuals of influence like her took action and thus, discovered what a social justice warrior she really is. (This Twitter exchange was about the Philippine National Police distributing tabloids that contained dangerous and false information). 

Here's another conversation between Angel and musician Jimmy Bondoc that almost broke the Internet. In a nutshell, Jimmy Bondoc didn't mince words when he insulted ABS-CBN and its talents. He said that he was glad to see the network shut down.

Angel responded on Twitter, her platform of choice when it comes to sharing her thoughts on sensitive topics, beginning her tweet with lyrics from Jimmy's song "Let Me Be the One."

There have been many more "viral" moments between Angel and various personalities over the years, but you get the point. She's the kind of woman to say what many think to themselves but too afraid to say out loud.

On her 36th birthday, we celebrate the things Angel has achieved and stands for: quality work as an actress and all the good that can come if one's influence is used for the good of others. A real-life Darna indeed! 

Lead photos from @lalaflores2016