Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a resolution lauding Dolly de Leon for being the first Filipino artist to be nominated for the Golden Globe Awards and the British Film Academy Awards.
In filing Senate Resolution No. 453, Hontiveros lauded de Leon for embodying the Filipino spirit and talent in the international scene.
“Dolly’s nominations show that Filipino stories, experiences, and talent have a place in the halls of prestigious award-giving bodies,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“What a joy to witness the world fall in love with a Filipino actor. Nakakaproud maging Pinoy (It makes us proud to be a Filipino),” the senator further said.
The resolution also highlighted De Leon’s character, Abigail, in the film “Triangle of Sadness.”
The senator said ‘Abigail’ is representative of the diaspora of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who work thankless jobs away from their home and their family. In her resolution, she stressed that OFWs, like ‘Abigail and her Filipino colleagues on the luxury yacht, are essential to the Philippine economy, to the country, and the communities they serve.
“Having Dolly, an actual Filipino, play a role that speaks to the millions of OFWs around the world, in a film with a global audience, is a big deal,” Hontiveros said.
“She masterfully showed the complexities, the strength, and the agency of being a woman and a minority. Gamit ang kanyang husay sa pag-arte, naipakita niya ang hugis at lalim ng pagkatao ng isang babaeng OFW (With her acting skills, she was able to show the shape and depth of the personality of an OFW woman),” she said.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), in 2021, OFWs were estimated to be at 1.83 million, with female OFWs making up the lion's share of this population at 1.10 million.
The lawmaker said she hopes De Leon’s award-winning performance as ‘Abigail’ and her international recognition would spark more conversations about the conditions of Filipino migrant workers, especially women.
“They deserve no less than safe and secure employment, adequate and pro-active government support, and our collective respect,” she said.