“No to fake news.”
Director-producer Neil Arce received support from some Filipinos after debunking false claims against him and his wife, Angel Locsin, online.
Talent handler Ogie Diaz shared a text message from Neil which reads:
“Me and my wife are charitable people. Donation na po namin sa fake news peddlers ‘yang kikitain nila sa pagpakalat ng fake news. Besides, deserve naman ng followers and subscribers nila makarinig ng kasinungalingan.”
The clarification came amid rumors claiming that the celebrity couple separated.
Circulating social media posts also claimed Neil supposedly impregnated his former girlfriend, Maxene Magalona.
The speculations stemmed from Angel’s silence on social media, particularly on Twitter and Instagram. She has turned her account in the latter into “private” mode.
Reports said that Angel’s last IG post was on August 13, while her last Twitter update was on August 6.
The months-long silence prompted fans to wonder earlier this month.
A few days later, Angel’s friend, Dimples Romana, said she has similar moments.
“Ako kasi, may mga moments akong ganyan, e, sa pamilya ko. Na, I just want to be able to focus on my family first, all my loved ones,” Dimples said on November 5.
“And I think, Gel naman, super earned that kind that of ano, ‘no… Kasi we’ve seen her and she has been non-stop working ever since,” she added.
“[If] for anything, we should give Gel that time [for] herself,” the actress said. “‘Yung kay Gel, napansin mo talaga kasi sanay tayong lagi natin siyang nakikita. Pero si Gel din kasi, as you know, is a very private person…” Dimples also said.
“When it comes to Gel, let’s give her the privacy because Lord knows she earned that for herself. I’m so happy that she gets the time for herself and for her family this time. Lalo sila ni Neil,” she added.
However, the speculations persisted online until Maxene’s name was eventually dragged into the rumor mill.
The actress did not directly address the claims but Maxene shared that she is “truly at peace” with herself.
“Nothing anyone says or does bothers you and no negativity can touch you,” she said on Instagram last Thursday.
By Thursday, Ogie shared a text from Neil which was addressed to the ones spreading false claims about them.
Neil’s response was lauded by fans and other social media users who took note of his reference to trolls and online users paid to spread fake news.
“Iba din mag-shade haha,” a Twitter user commented with skull emojis.
“Donation hihi,” another user said to Neil’s comment about paid fake news peddlers.
“Totoo, nasanay na silang pinagkikitaan ang mga kasinungalingan. Be strong always, my idol, Angel,” a Filipino from Facebook said.
“[Onga] kumita sila hahaha… Wawa naman, wala na mai-content … kaya ‘pag fake news, dami MARITES, at least nakatulong [sila] ANGEL… O, ‘yung mga vlogger na nag-marites, baka gusto [niyo] mag-thank you kay NEIL at ANGEL…” commented another Facebook user.
“No to fake news..We love Angel very much,” a different fan said.
As of writing, there are still no new posts on Angel’s IG and Twitter accounts.