MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Robinhood Padilla chose not to confront actress Angel Locsin following an open letter on her Instagram account where she criticized the politics of the actor-turned-politician and urged him to "wake up."
Padilla and his wife, Mariel, opted not to respond publicly because they considered Locsin a friend.
Locsin questioned what she described as the changes in Padilla's principles and expressed disappointment over his controversial remarks, saying she missed "the Robin Padilla who stood up for the oppressed and fought for what he believed was right."
The actress further urged Padilla to use his platform more responsibly, stressing that public officials should be held to a higher standard because their words carried weight.
Speaking in an interview with Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) on Saturday, Padilla said:
"Angel Locsin is a friend of mine. The truth is, when my wife Mariel and I heard about it, we both said the same thing: 'Maybe Angel is going through something. We're not, so perhaps we should just try to understand her. Let's not respond or say anything.'"
Padilla added that he remained open to speaking with Locsin should she wish to reach out.
"If she wants to talk to us, our line is always open."
During the interview, Padilla also addressed Locsin's reference to his past association with the New People's Army (NPA) and his understanding of communist ideology.
Defending his position, he said: "I have never abandoned that ideology."
Despite the criticism, Padilla said he harbored no ill feelings toward Locsin and would rather understand than engage the actress in public.
