Vice Ganda is drawing heat after publicly mentioning Heart Evangelista while describing a “bulok” public school in Sorsogon on It’s Showtime. The comment, which implied poor facilities in Evangelista’s hometown, prompted Bulusan Mayor Wennie Rafallo-Romano and Evangelista’s assistant, Resty Rosell, to issue clarifications and defend the actress from being wrongly associated with the incident.
In the now-viral segment, Vice recounted visiting a school in Bulusan and described it as “bulok” and lacking reading materials. The comedian added, “Si Heart Evangelista pa naman taga-rito,” which many interpreted as a jab at the actress, who is known for her charity projects and advocacy for education in the province.
Mayor Rafallo-Romano quickly responded, confirming that Vice had indeed visited Bagacay Elementary School on September 26, 2023, as part of an outreach event. She clarified that the comedian donated ₱67,360 to fund classroom tiling, materials, and an internet subscription—generous assistance that the local government appreciated. However, she firmly denied Vice’s claims about the school’s condition.
“Nagpapasalamat po ang LGU Bulusan sa ipinakitang malasakit ni Vice Ganda,” the mayor said. “Ngunit ang paraan ng pagsasambit ng kanyang donasyon na may komentong ‘bulok na paaralan at walang reading materials’ ay nagdulot ng kahihiyan sa Bagacay Elementary School, sa bayan ng Bulusan, at sa Department of Education.”
The mayor stressed that the school was not in disrepair, contrary to how it was portrayed on national television. She added, “Wala pong kinalaman si Ms. Heart Evangelista-Escudero sa isyung ito,” directly addressing the mention of Evangelista’s name.
Heart’s longtime assistant, Resty Rosell, also posted on Instagram to dispute Vice’s account. In a series of Stories, Rosell shared documents, receipts, and photos showing that the school had been properly maintained. She clarified that the classroom improvement project was a joint effort between the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and the Department of Education—completely unrelated to Evangelista or her husband, Senator Chiz Escudero.
Rosell also reminded followers of Evangelista’s history of charitable work in Sorsogon, including school renovations, scholarship programs, and donation drives. Her post ended with a note suggesting that spreading inaccurate narratives “hurts the people who are actually helping.”
The issue comes at a sensitive time, as Escudero’s name has been recently dragged into separate political allegations, adding more speculation to Vice’s on-air remarks. While Vice did not comment further after the episode, the Bulusan LGU and Evangelista’s camp have both maintained that the claim of a “bulok” school was misleading and unfair to local educators and residents.
As of this writing, Vice Ganda has not released any statement in response to the clarifications from Bulusan officials and Heart Evangelista’s team.
