Sen. Robin Padilla said he chose not to publicly respond to Angel Locsin’s open letter criticizing his political views, saying she may have been “going through something” when she made the remarks.
Locsin earlier wrote a post addressed to Padilla, questioning what she described as a change in his principles and urging the senator to “wake up.” Her remarks came after Padilla admitted that he was previously a communist.
In an interview, Padilla said he and his wife, actress Mariel Padilla, decided not to engage with Locsin’s remarks because they consider the actress a friend.
“Si Angel Locsin, kaibigan ko ‘yan. Ang katotohanan ay sa aming dalawang mag-asawa, nung nabalitaan namin iyon, isa lang ang sinabi namin dalawa, Baka may pinagdadaanan si Angel. Kami naman wala, so siguro intindihin na lang natin,’” Padilla said.
“’Wag na kaming sumagot o magsalita,” he added.
Despite the exchange, actor-turned-senator said he remains open to discussing the matter with the actress personally.
“Kung gusto niya kaming makausap, bukas naman ang linya,” he said.
During the same interview, Padilla also revisited his past association with the New People’s Army (NPA), where he said he learned about communist ideology. This was among the issues raised by Locsin in her open letter.
Locsin also previously questioned why Padilla did not defend her when she was allegedly red-tagged by the government, despite his knowledge of her views.
Padilla said he had openly discussed his leftist views with Locsin when they were still close, noting that she was involved with Gabriela at the time.
“Noong panahon na ‘yon, Gabriela siya eh. So sinasabi ko sa kanya na leftist ako. Kasi wala namang masama kung leftist ka,” Padilla said.
He clarified that he distinguishes between holding a political ideology and engaging in armed rebellion.
“Anong ikatatakot mo kung leftist ka? Ang masama kung ikaw ay may dalang baril. ‘Yun ang problema,” he added.
Padilla explained that his current advocacy is focused on addressing poverty rather than fighting the government.
“Ang pakikibaka natin ngayon, kahirapan, hindi kapwa Filipino. Kailangan nating makidigma sa kahirapan,” he said.
He also criticized the idea of overthrowing an existing government to establish another one.
“Kasi kalokohan ‘yung may gobyerno na tayo, ibabagsak natin ‘yung gobyerno? Para magtayo tayo ng panibagong gobyerno?” Padilla said.
The senator maintained that he has not abandoned the ideology he learned but emphasized that he rejects violence.
“Hindi ko iniiwan ang ideology,” Padilla said.
Padilla also recalled his friendship with Locsin, saying they became close because of their shared interest in martial arts. He said he had always been open with the actress about his leftist beliefs and maintained that having such views is different from participating in armed struggle.
