MANILA, Philippines — Prominent figures in the local entertainment industry have banded together to support GMA Network star Alden Richards following unverified online allegations circulating on social media.
Television personality Kim Atienza led the wave of public support by recounting the actor’s quiet generosity during a personal health crisis faced by a mutual friend, Ed Kalaw. In a social media post, Atienza shared:
”When we were raising funds for my friend [Ed Kalaw] who was dying of cancer, Alden donated 1M selflessly with no need for acknowledgement… Just putting it out there.”
Echoing these sentiments, entertainment executives and personalities—including Joy Romina Marcelo, GMA Films President and CEO Annette Gozon-Valdes, and actress Ai-Ai delas Alas—also stepped forward to vouch for Richards’ character and long-standing reputation for helping others.
GMA Network likewise stood by its premier talent.
The backlash and subsequent show of support followed claims made by social media personality Xian Gaza regarding an alleged condominium unit lent to the actor by a wealthy couple and six supposedly unreturned luxury watches. These claims remain unverified and have not been addressed directly by Richards in reports reviewed.
Gaza later issued an apology on Facebook for his personal attacks against Richards, specifically concerning remarks about the actor’s gender identity, and expressed regret for dragging the actor’s road manager into the controversy.
However, Gaza maintained that his claims regarding the properties and watches were sourced from industry contacts, though they remain unsubstantiated.