Presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo recently gave a shoutout to University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons basketball player Ricci Rivero.
This was captured on the latest vlog released by Rivero’s girlfriend, Andrea Brillantes. She recently expressed support her support for Robredo.
Last April 23, Brillantes joined other artists in celebrating Robredo’s 57th birthday at a grand rally in Pasay City dubbed “Araw na10 ‘to!”
In her vlog titled “My First Grand Rally” uploaded on May 4, Brillantes, an actress and a TikTok star, shared behind-the-scenes footage of her first participation in a political rally.
The grand rally dedicated to the candidacies of Robredo and her running mate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan doubled as Robredo’s 57th birthday celebration.
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The vlog featured Brillantes personally meeting Robredo backstage.
After the pleasantries and exchange of hug, Brillantes asked Robredo to greet Rivero.
“Puwede po kayo mag-hi sa jowa ko… si Ricci Rivero?” Brillantes asked Robredo..
“Ay oo nga pala. Hi Ricci kasama ko si Andrea ngayon, hope to see you soon,” the presidential candidate responded waving to the camera.
Brillantes in her previous social media post asked Rivero to become a “kakampink,” the name attributed to Robredo’s supporters. Reports said Rivero is a supporter of Robredo’s rival, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In one of his previous Instagram stories, Rivero wrote “I’ll support you supporting whoever love,” adding pink emojis and butterflies.
Meanwhile, in her video, Brillantes cited the reasons why she is supporting Robredo’s presidential bid.
“Kutob ko pa lang sakanya ang gaan na e. At saka yung hindi namimilit. Hindi siya toxic. Isa sa mga pinakagusto ko sakanya pag pinapanood ko yung mga ginagawa niyang ads, yung kitang-kita mo sa mata niya yung sincerity,” Brillantes said.
“At saka antagal ko ng gusto ng presidente na mahal talaga tayo. Yun yung mararamdaman mo kay VP na hindi mo mararamdaman sa iba. Mata palang, alam mo na ang sincere sincere,” she added.
When asked if she also did her research before supporting Robredo, Brillantes shared that it was all thanks to her best friend and fellow actress Bea Borres whom she had political conversations.
“’Yung best friend ko kasing si Bea into politics siya,” Brillantes said.
Most of her Facebook friends who are also Robredo supporters had also been sharing “Bakit si Leni” infographics and posters which she was able to read and review on her timeline.
“Meron talagang gumagawa ng ‘Bakit si Leni’, ito mga nagawa niya, ito yung mga nagawa niya for COVID,” she said.
Brillantes, reported to be one of the most followed celebrities on TikTok in the Philippines with 17.6 million followers, also clarified in the video that she did not declare her support just for the “hype.”
“Hindi ako for the hype lang. Nung una nga pa-blue pa nga ako e. Kaso hindi rin e. Ayoko sa toxic masculinity. Red flag para sa akin yun,” she said.
Brillantes’ address to her fellow first-time voters during the rally was also featured in her video.
“Hangga’t na gating pinaglalaban ay para sa ating kinabukasan hindi tayo mapanghihinaan ng loob. Kaya sa aking kapwa Gen Z, sa aking katulad na first-time voters, eto na ang ating panahon, ang ating chance na mamili ng tama,” Brillantes said.
“Mamili para sa ating kinabukasan, sa ating bayan, para sa Pilipinas,” she added.
The actress ended her video with a message to her fans and other Filipinos educating them on what kind of candidates to vote for during the May 9 elections.
“Kung mapapanood niyo to na ‘di pa kayo kakampink, please ho pag-isipan niyo na ng mabuti. Karapatan natin at karapat-dapat din tayo sa tapat na gobyerno,” Andrea said.
So far, Brillantes’ vlog garnered more than 113,000 views on YouTube.
In the comments section, her fans praised Brillantes for the way she interacted with her colleagues in the industry as seen in her vlog.
“Kahit alam niya na sikat na siya pero the way she interacts with her co-artists talagang napaka humble lang niya,” one online user said.
“Ganda mo talaga Blythe. Pagpatuloy mo lang ang pagiging mabait mo sa mga tao. Stay strong sainyu ni Ricci,” another commented.