MATAPOS IPANGALAN SA IT’S SHOWTIME AT SABIHANG “BULOK ANG PAARALAN” SA KANIYANG PROBINSIYA, HEART EVANGELISTA HINDI NAPIGILAN—MATINDING RESBAK ANG ISINAGOT KAY VICE GANDA NA NAGPAKULO NG INIT SA SHOWBIZ AT SOCIAL MEDIA!

In a surprising turn of events, a light-hearted segment on the popular noontime show It’s Showtime has triggered a major stir across social media and entertainment circles. During the October 24 episode, one of the show’s hosts, Vice Ganda, shared an emotional anecdote — and named actress and public figure Heart Evangelista in the process, sparking immediate backlash and questions about motive, accuracy and accountability.

On-air, Vice recalled a visit to a provincial public school and described the facility as lacking reading materials, existing in a dilapidated state. “May pinuntahan akong lugar doon sa probinsya nina Heart Evangelista, na isang paaralan na walang reading materials. Pinagawa ko yung eskwelahan… Bulok yung paaralan doon,” she said, before adding “I cried so much when I saw that school.” (lionheartv.net)

By naming Heart and locating the school in what it called her home province, the comment instantly drew sharp reactions. Was this simply a narrative of charitable intervention, or a pointed message wrapped in entertainment? That question has dominated the trending conversation.

The Response: Heart’s Camp Fires Back

Within days, Heart Evangelista’s personal assistant, Resty Rosell, took to social media to publicly challenge Vice’s remarks. Rosell questioned why Heart’s name was dragged into the story if she had no involvement in the initiative. “@praybeytbenjamin, which province are you referring to? … What was your intention in mentioning Heart’s name?” she wrote. (SunStar Publishing Inc.)

She also claimed that the school in question — identified as Bagacay Elementary School in Sorsogon province — was already receiving support, including reading materials and classroom repair, prior to Vice’s visit. According to Rosell, Vice may have contributed funds to a project, but did not personally “build” the school as implied. (lionheartv.net)

Official Verifications: What the Local Government Said

The local government unit of Bulusan, Sorsogon issued a clarifying statement, confirming that the school did indeed receive donations — including P50,000 in December 2023 and P17,360 in January 2024 from Vice Ganda — totalling P67,360 for repairs such as window and door replacement, plastering, and tiling of a comfort room. (Philstar) The same statement also stressed that the school already had a permanent classroom building, reading materials, and had been included in the Department of Education’s reading programme before Vice’s intervention. (Philstar)

The message from the mayor of Bulusan emphasised:

“Ang paraan ng pagsasamadla ng kanyang donasyon na may komentong ‘bulok na paraan at walang reading materials’ ay nagdulot ng kahihiyan sa Bagacay Elementary School…” (Philstar)

Public Reaction: Shade or Spotlight?

Social media quickly lit up with reactions and debates. Some praised Vice for shining a light on educational neglect, while others accused him of using celebrity name-dropping and sensational phrasing:

“Live show kasi ang It’s Showtime, so minsan may mga biglaang nasasabi.” — Reddit user commenting on the incident. (Reddit)

Fans of Heart Evangelista and Sorsogon residents were quick to defend the actress, arguing the province and school were unfairly described. One comment sums it up:

“While the public officials ng probinsiya ni Heart busy mag-shopping ng Hermes bags, di man lang maipaayos ng asawa niya o kahit man lang tumulong.” (Reddit)

Others saw the issue as symptomatic of broader problems in Philippine public education and infrastructure: the fact that only 22 out of 1,700 planned classrooms were completed in a given year. Vice cited this stat during the episode to highlight the national scale of neglect. (PhilNews)

The Bigger Picture

This incident is more than just showbiz intrigue. It raises deeper issues about how public figures, philanthropy, and drawing attention to social problems intersect in the Philippines. When a celebrity inserts a name into a narrative about poverty or infrastructure failure, it invokes questions about power dynamics, responsibility, and impact.

Credibility matters. The local government clarified that the school was not as neglected as Vice described, pointing to existing reading programmes and classroom facilities. Public trust hinges on accuracy in portrayals of need.
Celebrity name-checking can backfire. While invoking a famous person may capture attention, it can also draw unwelcome scrutiny and side‐track the focus — from the issue (school conditions) to the personalities involved.
Structural problems remain. Even if a school has supportive materials and renovations underway, the fact that national data still reveals huge backlogs underscores the systemic nature of the challenge.
Storytelling versus service. Viewers are increasingly alert to whether gestures by celebrities are genuine efforts to help or moments to be used for content. The line between advocacy and performance is blurry.

Where Things Stand Now

As of this writing, neither Heart Evangelista nor Vice Ganda have issued a detailed public statement addressing the controversy. Heart maintains silence, while Vice has not publicly responded to the pushback from Heart’s camp. (lionheartv.net)

Meanwhile, the spotlight remains on Bagacay Elementary School, the public perception of Sorsogon’s education status, and the broader conversation about how media personalities engage with social issues.

Final Thoughts

At its core, this episode is a case of words, names and narratives colliding in a high-visibility space. A simple anecdote about a dilapidated classroom evolved rapidly into a high-stakes showbiz moment with real-world implications. The school-as-backdrop, the naming of Heart Evangelista, the emotional tone of “I cried when I saw that school” — they combined to create a story that felt personal, political and performative all at once.

For viewers and readers, one question remains: which should we hold more accountable — the conditions of the school, or the framing of the story? The answer may be both. In a country where educational infrastructure is still struggling, gut-wrenching stories of “bulok” classrooms resonate. But when narratives risk misrepresenting or dragging in uninvolved parties, they also risk diluting the real issue.

As the dust settles (or doesn’t), the lesson may be clear: if help is the goal, let the story serve the people and not the personalities. And if names are to be mentioned, make sure they’re part of the solution — not just part of the soundtrack.

For now, the cameras have moved on, but the questions linger: What’s really happening in Sorsogon? Who is helping? And who gets to tell the story?