However tasteful (or otherwise) you may perceive the gesture to be, it’s not uncommon for public figures to congratulate members of their community for certain achievements such as passing the board exams.
So when Alexis Alegado, a cum laude civil engineering graduate from Ilocos Norte, topped the country’s civil engineering board exams, a banner of the area’s local politicians congratulating him for the feat was expected.
And true enough, Sen. Imee Marcos, sister of President Bongbong Marcos, commended Alegado for emerging as the board topnotcher — in a tarpaulin banner that allegedly had her name printed larger than his.
The banner also features her face, but does not feature an image of the topnotcher at all.
“Congratulations, Engineer Imee R. Marcos! TOP 1 — April 2023 Civil Engineer Licensure Exam,” Keitrick Ohmar Mamalo jokingly wrote online.
“How come the senator’s face is there but the topnotcher isn’t?” One commenter asked.
“Congratulations, senator! You’re an engineer now, too,” another joked, implying that the banner makes it look like Marcos passed the exams.
The post has been shared over 16,000 times.
The banner appears to have been updated since Mamalo’s post went viral based on photos in the comment section, showing Alegado’s name in a font size closer to the senator’s and now features his graduation photo.
