MANILA, Philippines — A fierce public dispute has erupted between the camp of actress and style icon Heart Evangelista and comedian-host Vice Ganda, centering on comments Vice Ganda made regarding the state of a school in Sorsogon—the home province of Heart’s husband, Senator Chiz Escudero.
The controversy began after Vice Ganda reportedly made on-air remarks on It’s Showtime about a damaged school in Sorsogon lacking reading materials. Supporters of Heart Evangelista and Senator Escudero felt the comments were a thinly veiled jab or a form of passive-aggressive criticism, implicitly questioning their contributions to the province.
This perceived slight prompted an aggressive response from Heart’s long-time assistant, Resty Rosell, who took to Instagram with a series of fiery posts directly challenging and refuting Vice Ganda’s claims, turning the conversation from charity into a heated debate over public credit and sincerity.
II. The Assistant’s Retort: Fact-Checking the Donation
Resty Rosell’s rebuttal directly attacked Vice Ganda’s narrative of single-handedly repairing a school. Rosell accused Vice Ganda of grossly exaggerating the extent of his contribution, leveraging the good deed for self-promotion, and excluding the efforts of others.
The School Project Dissected
Rosell provided a detailed breakdown of the alleged donation concerning the Bagakay Elementary School, painting a starkly different picture from the one presented by Vice Ganda:
Not the Sole Builder: Rosell asserted that Vice Ganda did not build the school or the classroom; he merely contributed to an ongoing Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) project.
Credit Misappropriation: The school classroom was already under construction when Vice Ganda visited. Rosell claimed that 40% of the funding came from the PTA, and only 60% came from Vice Ganda. Despite this, Rosell alleges that Vice Ganda took full credit, completely excluding the PTA’s financial contribution.
The ‘Reading Materials’ Lie: Rosell further contested Vice Ganda’s statement that the school was “bulok” (dilapidated) and lacked reading materials. The school, Rosell claimed, already had the necessary textbooks. The only new project was a “reading kiosk” organized by parents, which was in its initial stages, explaining why it only had a small number of books at the time of the visit.
The Monetary Value: In the most stinging part of the post, Rosell questioned the scale of the donation, alleging that the cash amount given by Vice Ganda was only ₱6,000, which was then divided into “three gives” (₱2,000 each), questioning whether the public was aware of this seemingly modest figure.
Rosell didn’t spare the sponsors either, listing major companies like The Generics Pharmacy and Sterling Papers, suggesting the entire visit was potentially a commercially-driven effort rather than pure philanthropy.
III. Hypocrisy, Monetization, and Deflection
Rosell leveled accusations of hypocrisy and strategic use of charity for personal gain, stating:
“You took all the credit, excluding the PTA that also paid for the classroom construction, and then you put it on your monetized channel! You are already famous, and you still earned money from it.”
Rosell then pivoted to question Vice Ganda’s intentions regarding Sorsogon: “If Vice Ganda genuinely cared for Sorsogon, why agree to hold a show in that province knowing that it urgently needs funds for school facilities? You could have advised Governor Hamor to allocate the money for that instead.”
This rhetorical question suggests that if Vice Ganda’s concern was truly sincere, he would have advocated for a more substantial allocation of the show’s revenue towards the province’s needs, rather than a relatively minor donation to a single project.
IV. The Defense of Heart Evangelista: Quiet Generosity
The core reason for Rosell’s intervention was the alleged implication of Heart Evangelista. Rosell strongly warned Vice Ganda against dragging Heart’s name into the issue, suggesting that she is being unfairly targeted despite her significant and quiet charitable work.
Rosell vehemently defended Heart’s genuine nature, drawing a sharp contrast with the image of Vice Ganda’s public philanthropy:
Non-Public Aid: Rosell stated that Heart helps countless Filipinos every single day without publicizing it, suggesting Heart’s true generosity eclipses Vice Ganda’s public contributions.
Major Donations: Rosell even raised the stakes by referencing Heart’s previous, high-value donations, such as an Hermès bag valued at ₱1.5 million, which was sold for charity.
Long-Term Commitment: Rosell highlighted Heart’s consistent, long-term support for a family in need since 2017, even ensuring their child was sent to a prestigious medical facility like St. Luke’s Hospital—a level of commitment Rosell claimed was far beyond a single, transactional donation.
Rosell concluded by telling Vice Ganda to “eat a humble pie,” reaffirming that Heart’s charity is authentic, while the comedian’s actions appear to be driven by self-promotion. Rosell also used the controversy to launch his own public profile, sarcastically welcoming everyone to “Resty World” and declaring that the bashers were only making him more famous.
As of the time of this report, Vice Ganda has yet to issue an official statement regarding the strong allegations and accusations made by Heart Evangelista’s assistant, Resty Rosell. The public eagerly awaits his response to this explosive challenge.
