President Duterte hosted on Wednesday night a thanksgiving dinner for the celebrities who supported him during his campaign for the presidency in 2016.
Based on official Malacañang photos, Duterte and his long-time partner Honeylet Avanceña hosted the dinner for a handful of celebrities.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar confirmed that the event was a thanksgiving dinner for the celebrities who supported the President in his 2016 campaign.
Among the celebrities present were John Lloyd Cruz, Toni and Alex Gonzaga, Paul Soriano, Robin Padilla and wife Mariel Rodriguez, Philip Salvador, Bayani Agbayani, Michael Pangilinan, Ryan Bang, and Dulce.
Also present were celebrities whom Duterte appointed to the government, including Ice Seguerra and wife Liza Diño, Jimmy Bondoc, Cesar Montano, and Arnell Ignacio. Diño heads the Film Development Council while Bondoc is the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s vice president for entertainment. Seguerra, Montano, and Ignacio resigned from their posts for different reasons.
In an Instagram post, Rodriguez said that the dinner consisted of salad, mushroom soup, fillet mignon, and strawberry cheesecake, which Duterte requested. A special menu of fish was prepared for Robin and Freddie Aguilar, who are now practicing Islam.
Rodriguez said that while Duterte was not the first president she campaigned for, she said he was the first one to invite her to Malacanang. “The room was filled with celebrities who supported him both silently and openly,” she said.
According to Rodriguez, Duterte thanked them for supporting him during the previous national elections. “When the President arrived he sat down and immediately said, ‘Mag-tatlong taon na akong presidente, ngayon lang ako makapagpasalamat sa inyo,” she recalled. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)