Actress, artist, and global fashion icon Heart Evangelista may be facing a storm of online bashing and whispered rumors, but her numbers—and the people behind her—show her influence is intact.
Talk spread online that some of her endorsements had been pulled and that sales of two brands she represents had dipped.
GMA Network senior vice president Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes quickly dismissed the reports, while Sparkle Artist Center posted a sharp warning on social media: “FAKE NEWS ALERT! THIS IS NOT TRUE! Don’t be fooled by fake news! Always be vigilant when reading articles online.”
Heart’s own platforms echo that confidence: she still counts 16.2 million Instagram followers, 7.5 million on Facebook, and 7.9 million on TikTok, hardly the profile of someone losing her audience.
Born Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco, Heart comes from a prominent family—her father’s Ongpauco side founded the Barrio Fiesta restaurant chain, while her mother’s del Gallego relatives own a sugar plantation in Camarines Sur.
After spending part of her childhood in the United States, she returned to Manila and rose to fame as an actress and singer before earning global acclaim as a style star who opened doors for Filipinos at European Fashion Weeks.
This season, however, she surprised fans by announcing she would skip Milan and Paris.
In an emotional Instagram Live she explained, “I’m sorry for my fans that I’m not going to Fashion Week. I know that you guys say ‘laban, laban.’ I really appreciate you. But honestly, I don’t think it’s the right time for anyone to, especially from our country, to be going to Fashion Week because I think we need to be here. Not necessarily to be in the rally… but it’s important that we open our eyes, and we truly become one and empathize and really see what’s going on, and see what we can do.”
She added that this is not a permanent break, hinting at a possible return “marahil sa susunod na season.”
Heart also addressed her personal life and finances, revealing she and Senator Chiz Escudero signed a prenuptial agreement arranged years ago by the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.
“Since I’ve been working for a long time, the late senator Miriam Defensor who is like a second mother to me, who handled most of my contracts when I was younger. She demanded that I get a prenup with my now-husband,” Heart shared.
Through it all, she remains unapologetically independent.
“The sad reality at this point, it’s very hurtful that as an independent woman like myself… goddammit, I am so independent… I am so hardworking and I have pride in what I do. I’m not the type of wife na nakatanga lang ako sa bahay, at nakikipag-chikahan lang ako sa amiga. I work. I refuse to just be a useless wife at home. I will continue to work,” she declared.
With her social media empire thriving and brands standing by her, Heart proves that even amid political noise and relentless bashing, she is far from losing her crown.
