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Apparently this Bench billboard is pissing off some people for sounding unpatriotic.
The campaign #LoveLocal shows three actors from GMA Network — Derrick Monasterio, Gabbi Garcia and Ruru Madrid — giving reasons why they love the Philippines.
Monasterio: “I love the idea of jeepneys in the Philippines.”
Garcia: “I love Boracay, sinigang and the way Filipinos are always smiling.”
Madrid: “I love the chocolate hill in Bohol. I love balut fishballs and durian.”
Totally harmless, we think.
Not for one Facebook user named Kix Panganiban, however, who swears he cringes everytime he sees the billboard at the end of NLEX near Balintawak Cloverleaf.
“Aren’t these kids Filipino? If so, why are their statements written like they’re not, and that they seem to be fascinated in Filipinos much like some random foreigners visiting the country?”
Instead of saying “the way Filipinos are always smiling,” argues Panganiban, Garcia should say “the way WE Filipinos are smiling.”
While we understand his frustration — don’t even get us started on private school kids who can’t speak a word of Pilipino — we’re cutting these guys some slack.
In the spectrum of Filipino-ness, we get all types: jologs, burgis, politicos and everything in between — and embracing all of that is what being Pinoy is about.
Photo: Kix Panganiban
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