BY MA. ANGELICA DEMEGILLO
Behind the rolling cameras and away from the limelight, heartthrob actor Donny Pangilinan is a staunch crusader against human trafficking and online sexual abuse among other things — all of which he battles alongside his father Anthony Pangilinan through Called To Rescue Inc.
Despite his phenomenal success and full schedule, “He’s Into Her” star Donny Pangilinan — who was recently nominated as “Outstanding Asian Star” at the Seoul International Drama Awards along with onscreen partner Belle Mariano — still manages to make time to support Called To Rescue Inc. (CTR), a non-profit that works together with government authorities, partner institutions to rescue victims of abuse and trafficking.
In an exclusive interview with PeopleAsia’s editor-in-chief Joanne Rae Ramirez, Donny’s father Anthony Pangilinan, who serves as officer-in-charge of Called To Rescue, shared that his son is one of the biggest supporters and benefactors of the organization — adding that his son often saw his work in the field, which included negotiating alongside authorities for the release of victims over the phone, or helping facilitate rescue operations.
Donny, who was probably aged eight or nine at the time, got to know the boys that the organization has saved through the years. He even developed a brotherly bond with them.
“Through the years, he’s been going back there, playing basketball with the boys, because they love basketball. Tumigil lang nung pandemic, but bumabalik-baling siya doon, taun-taon (It just stopped during the pandemic, but he often returns there every year) because he has a relationship with the boys,” Anthony said, further emphasizing that Donny’s support comes from the heart,. “He grew up with the kids. It’s not a sense of obligation, it’s [the] relationship.”
On a more somber note, Anthony further lamented that online sexual abuse and human trafficking are still, unfortunately, rampant in the Philippines. Archipelagic in structure, the country has long become an epicenter of these kinds of exploitation; a concerning fact that is further aggravated by the poor’s immense financial needs and struggles.
According to Anthony, children as young as infants, both male and female, are being sold and exploited in this illegal and inhuman trade. There are also teenagers who openly and freely ‘sell’ themselves on social media, particularly on Twitter, as a means to make a living or pay for their tuition fees.
For his part, Anthony uses his vast array of connections and contacts to help save more children from exploitative syndicates and individuals. “You just have to connect. They [perpetrators] thrive in this connection. The more disconnected the police [are] with the local government, with DSWD, with the parents… The more disconnected parents are from their children, the more likely human trafficking is to happen,” he said.
Silent victims who were abused, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Anthony, were even tougher to detect — which is why the organization aims to collaborate with more key stakeholders to rescue children from trafficking, violation and abuse by conducting awareness programs, facilitating legal procedures and contributing to the healing and recovery of the victims.
