Veteran actress and former senatorial candidate Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo has revealed her realizations about Martial Law as she endorsed the candidacy of Vice President Leni Robredo.

“Ngayong 2022, ang presidente ko ay si Leni Robredo. Boots Anson-Roa-Rodrigo po. Dating naniwala sa pangako ng disiplina at pagkakaisa, pero nakita at naranasan ang katotohanan,” Anson-Roa said in a video.

The actress, who ran for senator under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) ticket of the late Fernando Poe Jr., also found fault in the the regime of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. 

She debunked claims that the Philippines had its “golden years” during the Martial Law years under Marcos.

“Sabi ng lola mo, maganda ang panahon noon? Yung more than 20 years ng diktadurya? Naranasan ko lahat ‘yan,” she said.

Initially, Anson-Roa said she believed that discipline under a Martial Law rule would lead to a better Philippines.

“Pero nakita ko, with my own eyes ang pagbagsak ng ekonomiya. ‘Yung gutom at kawalan ng trabaho. Naranasan ko magkaroon ng mga kaibigan na bigla na lang nawala,” the actress said.

“Mga simpleng tao, ‘yung iba natagpuang patay, karamihan hindi na nakita,” she added.

The actress is hoping the current generation of Filipinos would never experience the horrors of Martial Law by fighting for the country and choosing Robredo as the country’s next president.

“Diyos ko, mga apo. Sana hindi niyo maranasan. Sana hindi na natin maranasan muli.  Nobody recovers from that pain. Take it from me, mga apo. Hindi natin golden years yon,” Boots added.

Aside from Boots, several celebrities recently expressed support for VP Leni, including host Vice Ganda, actresses Nadine Lustre, Kathryn Bernardo, Maricel Soriano and Liza Soberano, and actor John Arcilla. [Press release]