Actress Angel Locsin pushed back against online comments labeling her stepson Joaquin Arce a “nepo baby.”
Joaquin is the son of film producer Neil Arce, Angel’s husband.
The latter’s reaction surfaced after seeing netizens seemingly implying Joaquin’s family influenced his rise in showbiz, prompting the actress to respond on X by defending the young star’s efforts to pursue opportunities on his own.
“Bihira lang akong mag social media ha. Pero nagulat ako sa comments ng ilang tao dito. Ano namang kasalanan ni Joaquin at naging asawa ko ang dad nya para ma-brand sya as nepo baby?” Angel wrote.
The actress also rejected claims linking her career to nepotism, emphasizing her early struggles in the industry and hard-earned success. She even jokingly compared herself to contractors Curlee Discaya and Sarah Discaya, who have been linked to the ongoing probe into allegedly anomalous flood control projects.
“Para namang hindi ako nag-dyip o bus papuntang tapings ko dati. Kalevel ko pala si Discaya? LOL. Pero ‘yung pera ko hindi galing sa nakaw. ‘Yung 12k na boto ko kay Joaquin sa buong journey n’ya, baka dagdagan ko ma-asar ko lang yung ibang makagawa ng issue,” she said.
Angel further stressed that Joaquin chose to audition to the reality program Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) rather than rely on family connections to land a project.
“My son could have asked me for a project, but ang hiniling nya is mag audition sa PBB. ‘Wag bitter. Nakakapanget ‘yan,” she stressed.
Joaquin, a talent under Star Magic, gained wider recognition after joining the reality show’s latest edition, PBB Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0, as a housemate.
He was recently named among the program’s “Ultimate Eight,” advancing to the final stretch where he and his fellow housemates will compete for a spot in the Big 4 ahead of the Big Night scheduled for February 27.
