Filipino-American actor Tony Labrusca is viral on social media once again but this time, it’s for all the wrong reasons.
Now a trending topic on local Twitter was his supposed bad attitude towards an immigration official in Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) yesterday.
The issue was made public after a netizen who said she witnessed the incident reacted to one of Labrusca’s tweets.
In the now-deleted tweet, the actor wrote: “Just landed in Manila and the Philippine immigration only gave me 30 days here . LOL . k.”
Feel the sarcasm through your phone screen?
The netizen took a screenshot of this tweet and posted her side of the story on Facebook. It turns out that she’s a NAIA employee who works under the official Labrusca allegedly snapped at.
According to her post, Labrusca allegedly shouted and cursed at her supervisor and even bragged about being a celebrity.
“You’re so good at making a scene. You didn’t even care about other people. You kept on shouting in front of the officers. Boo!” the netizen said in Filipino.
Her post is no longer available but other netizens have shared screencaps on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/glennpooot/status/1080776809749274624
Netizens are now calling Labrusca out for his privileged attitude, with some even suggesting that he has been “cancelldt.”
“May Tony Labrusca’s ‘cancellation’ serve as a reminder to all foreigners working or wanting to work in the country that Filipinos are hospitable people, just don’t push it. And don’t bite the hands that feed you,” Twitter user @hoysuing wrote.
https://twitter.com/hoysuing/status/1081100611049775104
Another netizen who goes by the handle @priozdy shared that he too has experienced Labrusca’s alleged bad attitude firsthand.
“Lol Tony Labrusca has been canceled ever since the day we worked together for a [photo shoot]. I asked him TWICE what food he wanted since I’m a production assistant. He stared and completely ignored me. Good thing his mom was nice. Ugh. He’s not even [an] established [actor],” the poster said in English and Filipino.
https://twitter.com/priozdy/status/1081016746964803584
@mrosemagpatoc just commented on the heated social media discussion. “Didn’t bother to get coffee coz we have tony labrusca for today’s tea 😌,” she said.
https://twitter.com/mrosemagpatoc/status/1081097610499317762
Oh, how the tide has turned.
Just in November, Labrusca was social media’s darling when the trailer for his film Glorious went viral. He was an overnight sensation because netizens couldn’t get over his steamy scenes with co-star Angel Aquino.
His current immigration issue has gotten so big that the Philippines’s Bureau of Immigration (BI) had to issue a statement about it today.
In the statement, the BI reminded that the “Balikbayan Privilege” had limitations.
“The privilege is for former Filipinos, and their immediate family members who are traveling with them only,” immigration spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval said in the statement.
According to the BI’s website, Balibayans (returning residents) are defined as “a Filipino citizen who has been continuously out of the Philippines for a period of at least one year; a Filipino overseas worker; a former Filipino citizen and his family who had been naturalized in a foreign country and comes or returns to the Philippines.”
Since Labrusca was born in the United States and is a U.S. passport holder, he is not a balikbayan. And because he was not traveling with his parents, he was not granted the Balikbayan Privilege and was instead granted entry as a tourist.
Sandoval also reminded that it is against the law to disrespect immigration authorities.
“[V]iolating aliens may be excluded and blacklisted from the Philippines,” she said.
