Kris Aquino, Boy Abunda back Joey de Venecia

MANILA, Philippines—Two of the country’s biggest show biz personalities—Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda—have endorsed the senatorial bid of Joey de Venecia III.

The endorsement came in front of hundreds of thousands who attended at the Bangus Festival in Dagupan City where Aquino and Abunda praised De Venecia for his “courageous battle against corruption and poverty.” The two also asked their fans to vote for the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino candidate.

The son and namesake of former Speaker Jose de Venecia thanked the pair, whom he admired “not only for their show biz savvy, but also for their business acumen.” Besides being prized talents of ABS-CBN, Aquino and Abunda are also among the top product endorsers in the country.

Same goal

“Kris, Boy and I have the same goal of trying to uplift the lives of our countrymen, especially the poor,” De Venecia said in a press statement. Kris Aquino is the younger sister of Liberal Party presidential candidate Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

De Venecia said wholesome entertainment figures like Aquino and Abunda play a large role in national development. “They serve as role models for their millions of fans.”

The De Venecia family has solid connections in local show business, with the former Speaker’s wife Gina being a member of the Vera Perez clan of Sampaguita Pictures.

TUCP backing

The backing of Aquino and Abunda came on the heels of the endorsement of De Venecia by the country’s largest labor organization, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

De Venecia said the TUCP endorsement and that of Aquino and Abunda has boosted his candidacy.

In response to the TUCP endorsement, De Venecia said he would redouble his efforts to encourage more investment in the local IT sector and to push legislation that would ensure more frequent minimum wage hikes to reflect the higher cost of living.

“Being the country’s largest labor organization, the TUCP endorsement will go a long way,” De Venecia said.

The TUCP announced this week that it was supporting De Venecia because of his pro-worker stand and goal of producing millions of new jobs through IT.