Actress Agot Isidro debunked a local news report claiming that she did not accept the loss of her boyfriend, senatorial aspirant Florin Hilbay, in the 2019 midterm elections.
The actress replied to a tweet of a tabloid newspaper that shared a report with the title “Agot ‘di tanggap ang pagkatalo ni Hilbay.”
Grabe. Tanggap na tanggap naman.
Check yung tweet. Kalmado.
Haaay đ https://t.co/vEP5CWTCj9
— Agot Isidro (@agot_isidro) May 17, 2019
The report claimed that it was supposedly evident Isidro did not accept the defeat of Hilbayâwho ran under the opposition slate Otso Diretsoâon the basis of her tweet after the preliminary release of the partial unofficial tally on the eve of voting day.
Isidro had tweeted that “China” was the one who won, a reference to most administration-backed candidates who entered the “Magic 12.”
Klaro kung sino ang nanalo dito.
China.
— Agot Isidro (@agot_isidro) May 14, 2019
The Duterte administration is known for its soft stance towards China despite the ongoing maritime territorial dispute over the West Philippine Sea.
Meanwhile, senatorial aspirants under the opposition slate have previously dared their administration-backed counterparts to sail to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in order to show their stance against China.
Hilbay had specifically mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Malacañang in November 2018 was President Rodrigo Duterte’s way of setting the “red carpet” for Beijing’s hold on the West Philippine Sea.
While Isidro might have been disappointed at the senatorial race’s results, she did not directly mention that she did not accept Hilbay’s loss.
In fact, she even posted a tweet full of hope with the hashtag “#kapitlangpilipinas” after she shared her sentiment on the preliminary results.
Postscript on the senatorial race:
I was expecting the worst but was hoping to be surprised.
The surprise didnât come but the hope stayed on. #kapitlangpilipinas
— Agot Isidro (@agot_isidro) May 16, 2019
Last week, Hilbay and some Otso Diretso bets conceded following the ongoing partial unofficial tally of the senatorial race that showed administration-backed candidates in the lead.
“This is not the result we hoped for, but it is the reality that we have to face with the optimism that we will have better days. In the words of Gabriel Gracia Marquez, âThereâs always something left to love,'” Hilbay said.
Agot in the oppositionÂ
Agot Isidro is known to be a vocal critic of the administration through her social media accounts. She has also expressed her support for the Liberal Party on certain occasions.
On May 2018, she supported Vice President Leni Robredo against the issue on vote recounting following former Senator Bongbong Marcos’ petition to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.
The actress is also against the administration’s detaining of Senator Leila de Lima for supposedly violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 during her time as Justice Secretary.
Isidro’s critical stance on several issues related to the administration has prompted the Liberal Party to include her in its 2019 senatorial lineup before.
Liberal Party President Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan previously admitted that they had considered the actress, citing the need for “more women to step up” from the opposition.
However, during the last day of filing for the electoral aspirant’s certificate of candidacy in October 2018, Isidro announced that she would not partake in politics.
âAng sarap gumawa ng pelikula. Gawa muna tayo ng pelikula. Ang sarap umarte, especially now that the landscape of filmmaking has changed so parang feeling ko, doon muna ako sa nag-e-enjoy ako. Parang hindi yata enjoy masyado ang Senado,â she said in an interview before.
