Klarisse De Guzman’s long-time dream came true on Friday, Sept. 26, as she staged her much-awaited The Big Night concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum—her first solo show at the iconic Big Dome.
Directed by John Prats, the concert marked another career milestone for the Kapamilya Soul Diva, following her 2022 major solo show at the New Frontier Theater, which was produced by Vice Ganda. True to form, the Unkabogable Star not only lent his support as a guest performer but also drew cheers with his trademark humor and fearless commentary.
During their duet of Gloc-9’s ‘Sirena’, Vice praised the production’s grand setup before pivoting to a pointed message that the audience quickly picked up on.
“Tingnan mo naman ’yong stage. Ang ganda-ganda ng stage n’yo. Ang taray, hindi substandard,” he quipped, to loud cheers. “’Di ba? May budget. Tinodo ang budget, hindi kinupit ang budget. ’Pag hindi kinupit, maganda ang kinalalabasan.”
He added: “’Yong mga people behind, sila ’yong pagod, lapot. Kasi gano’n talaga ang serbisyo. Sa likod, pagod ka, lapot. Ang nakikinabang, ’yong mga naririto. Sa ibang bahagi kasi ’di ba, ’yong mga dapat makinabang—lapot. Pero ’yong mga dapat magserbisyo, sila ’yong fresh.”
The lines, which many interpreted as a jab at the government amid ongoing corruption controversies, drew loud reactions from the crowd.
Vice has been outspoken on issues of corruption, most notably during the Trillion Peso March on Sept. 21, where he challenged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to hold erring officials accountable.
“Kung gusto mong magkaroon ng magandang legasiya ang pangalan mo, ipakulong mo lahat ng magnanakaw!” Vice said at the rally. “Kami ang nagpapasahod sa inyo. Tapos na ang panahong natatakot tayo sa gobyerno.”
He even went further, calling for the return of the death penalty for those proven guilty of large-scale corruption: “Ikulong ang mga magnanakaw… dapat patayin ang mga korap na magnanakaw. Ibalik ang death penalty para sa mga korap, para patayin ang mga magnanakaw, ikulong pati pamilya nila.”
Vice Ganda, recently recognized as one of the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s top celebrity taxpayers, continues to balance entertainment with fearless social commentary.
