Young star Francis Magundayao proudly wore a statement barong to the ABS-CBN Ball 2019 on Saturday (September 14).
His outfit was a collaboration between himself and Filipino designer Paolo Baltazar.
On Twitter, the Kapamilya star said the barong was inspired by the hard work of our Filipino farmers as it embellished real palay as part of the design.
“It is my duty as an artist to tell the truth and as a Filipino to stand by for those who can’t. Inspired by the hard work of our farmers, Mr. Paolo Baltazar and I made this outfit,” he said.
https://twitter.com/FrancisM79/status/1172876785580564481
“P.S. it’s made out of real palay para may 3D effect. I do not wish for clout, but to raise awareness for those who can’t be heard,” he added.
Francis is just seizing the occasion to raise awareness: “I’m going to try to take advantage of this. Our farmers are also being taken advantaged by big corporate capitalist powers. The feeders of our country can’t be treated this way. They are continuously cheated and robbed. Stand up for our farmers and be aware.”
https://twitter.com/FrancisM79/status/1172881559981965313
“When I was told of this year’s theme, the first thing I thought about was our farmers. For most of my life, I have been part of a large artist collective, and with it, I have realized that part of being an artist is to tell the truth. This is the truth. In light of Ms. Gina Lopez’s legacy, I was also inspired to share my own advocacy. Our farmers have long been oppressed by big capitalist powers, and it’s our duty as Filipinos to raise such awareness. Mr @paolobaltazar26 helped me pay tribute to the hard work of our local farmers by designing a minimalist piece inspired by the details found in grains of rice. He embellished it with real Palay for a truly eye-popping, 3D effect. Finally, He added the colors of our nation’s flag on the right arm to give thanks for the hard work and sacrifices of our farmers and show our pride in The Philippines!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2ZJtl1Fi66/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Farmers, especially those that focus on planting rice, are not really doing too well, financially speaking, these days. Planting rice does not really bring in a lot but things got even worse for these farmers since the Republic Act (RA) No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication law was recently implemented.
