Satire

 

One Liner

 

Nepo Babies

 

Lavish Lifestyle of the Nepo Babies

 

I saw it coming.  I was right from the get-go when I made an on-the-spot reaction about Nepo Babies and the possible backlash when they continued flaunting their wares in their social media accounts.

We are not eavesdropping or spying on whatever activities they do in their online and digital accounts. Who cares? But let me tell you ... even GOOD things if done excessively will turn out BAD. Others will find it tacky and inappropriate.

Anything done in excess can be poison ... like gulping any vitamins na para bang wala nang bukas can lead to hypervitaminosis (a condition where there are abnormally high levels of vitamins in the body, which can lead to toxic symptoms and adverse side effects.  

Yon bang akala natin harmless lang ang vitamins ... pwede rin palang nakakasama sa katawan. Saan ka ba nakakakita ng vitamins na nakakamatay? Yon ang maling akala natin?

So the question is ... ano nga ba mga pinaggagawa ng mga Nepo Babies that annoyed and infuriate netizens na naligaw sa kanilang mga pages? 

Meron din silang mga followers ...  natutuwa sa umpisa .... pero kalaunay ang kanilang paghanga ay nauwi lang sa falling out ... at eventually nauwi lang sa wala.

Nagumpisa lang yan sa mga innocent posts nila. Being born wealthy and with a golden spoon in their mouth naisipan nilang magpost ng kanilang recent buys katulad ng branded clothes, bags and out of town vacations. Sa umpisa walang malisya ar wala naman silang masamang intention other than natutuwa lang sila sa mga binili nila. At gusto din nilang i-share ang little joys and happiness na bigay ng mga ito sa mga bumabasa ... whether kilala nila ang bumabasa o hindi.

Yong mga hindi nabahagian ng ganoong nga biyaya ... nagiging instant follower nila ... parang nakikita nila ang mga sarili nila sa kanilang mga iniidolo. Feeling nila para na rin silang mga prinsesa ... kahit sa pantasya lang.  

In the process, bigay sila ng bigay ng papuri ... which is considered a driving force and a motivation para ang mga nepo babies ay mag-post pa-more ng parehong content - branded clothes minsan ... sinundan ng isang mamahaling bag ... hanggang pinakita na kung saan sila nakatira ... ang mansion nila at kasuloksulokan ng kanilang bahay ... at saan sila pumunta sa latest adventure nila abroad.. 

Hanggang nagiging habit na ito. Para silang nasa cloud nine when followers idolize them. Nakikiliti sila kung kinaiingitan sila. Bawat bili ng luxury items ... share agad.  Kasi naghihintay ang followers ... or was it tickled pink na sila or worse tickto death na rin sila sa mga papuri. Those little praises are so addictng.

Noong nabalandra na ang flood control scams ... nag-iba na ang topography ng relasyong influencer-follower.  The current rage against their family has made a dramatic twist ... kung noon ay idolo sila ... ngayon napalitan na ng pagkayamot. 

In the mouth doon sa isang nagvandalized sa bahay ng mga Discaya, "habang ang mga mahirap na Filipino ay nalulunod sa baha ... ang mga pamilya nila ay nalulunod sa sarap." One could see in the scenario the disparity and inconruity between the haves and te have not.

Lalo na nang nalaman nila na mga anak pala sila ng mga senador at congressmen ... ng mga contractors at engineers ng DPWH na direktang involved sa mga flood control programs na nadeklarang tapos na ... pero hindi pala. NG mga projects na ginawa nga ... pero wasak na dahil substandard ang mga materials na ginamit. And worst mga project na bayad na lahat ... pero hindi mo makita kahit anong mapa ang gamitin mo ... baka naanod na ng baha at daluyong.

To the uninformed ... sino ba itong mga Nepo Babies at bakit pinuputakti sila ngayon? Masisi ba natin sila  or yong mga parents nila?

Nandiyan si Claudine Co anak ni Zaldy Co ng Ako Bicol Partylist. Nandiyan rin si Jasmine Chan - daughter of Mayor Cynthia King Chan of Lapulapu City. Gela Alonte is also in this distinguished group, the daughter of Binan mayor Angelo Gel Alonte and the girlfriend of River Joseph ng PBB. And Gela Marasigan is the daughter of Anthony Marasigan, the Vice Mayor of San Juan Batangas.

There was an observation na medyo misogynistic daw ang mga atake at ang mga target daw ang mga babae lang at medyo napabayaan daw ang mga lalaking anak katulad nina Tommy Tiangco, the son of Congressman Toby Tiangco of Navotas, Lemuel Lubiano - the son oof Lawrence Lubiano na isang contractor. Others mentioned is Danzel Fernandez - the son of Congressman Dan Fernandez.

One analyst commented .... kaya sila tinitira sa dahilan na they continue flexing their good life - their wealth ... at mukhang insensitive sila sa plight ng mga ordinaryong Juan de la Cruz whose houses ay lubog  in neck-deep murky water. 

Mukha silang walang pakialam at tuloy pa rin ang pagpakita nila ng kanilang karangyaan ... at kayamanan kahit starring na ang mga ermat at erpat nila at sinasabon sa Kongreso. Wala pa rin ba silang keber despite the ongoing probes and controversies both in the upper and lower house involving their families?

The aggrieved public wants accountability, and Nepo's incessant and continued display of luxury and good life irked them deeply..

In the hands of an aggrieved public looking for accountability, how can one display privilege and luxury when they have become symbols of dynastic entitlement and the widening gap between those who govern and those who struggle to get by?

“Lifestyle check na yaaaannn!" they chorused. And when the president okayed the greenlight, they heaved a sigh of relief: " It's about time!"

A "lifestyle check," also known as a lifestyle audit, is a verification process to determine if a person's observable lifestyle and assets align with their officially declared income or wealth. These checks are typically used by anti-corruption bodies to detect potential fraud, corruption, or unethical conduct by comparing declared information with real-world facts. 

Quotable Quotes

Sabi ni Karen Davila: "Kawawa tayong mga Pilipino.

Imbes na mapunta sa edukasyon, pagkain, librentg pagpagamot sa ospital ... ayun ang BUDGET nasa BULSA na ng mga politiko.

NINANAKAWAN na tayo ... tayo pa ang NAGBABAYAD ng ninakaw nila." 

Wow ... simpleng mga salita ... pero sapol ... hanggang bulalo. 

 Ini-ismol ng isang senador ... pero hats off ako sa kanya.  

Let the professionals, with no vested interest and no stake in something, say the right words. 

Our country would be better off if broadcast journalist Karen Davila were doing the talking.

Hindi yong mga onion-skinned na mga politiko na napaka-sensitive ... pero nagka-letse-letse naman ang bansa.All reactions

Definition:

WORD: Grandstanding

The reason why I want to discuss this word is that something amusing just happened.

My friend and I were listening to a blogger in his daily podcast, and he was using the word grandstanding. Wall to wall carpeting kasi ang mga inbestigasyon ng Senado at sa House of Representatives tungkol sa flood project scam ... so tanong ko sa kanya, "alam mo ba ang ibig sabihin ng word na yan?"

Sagot niya: "Gusto kong subukan i-explain ... wala naman masama siguro kung mali ang sagot ko di ba? College drop-out lang naman ako ... so what is there to lose?"

He continued ... "dahil hirap akong e-express ang aking sarili... I will just use it na lang in a sentence para madali mong ma-gets kung naintiendihan ko nga" hamon pa niya.

"Ito na nga: "STANDING room only ang FREEDOM GRANSTAND.. Maraming artista ang dumating at nagperform kaya puno ng tao." Tama ba?" excited niyang tanong.

Ang kaibigan ko talaga oo. May pagkatoso ... kasing toso ng mga involve sa flood project scam. He mixed GRANDSTAND and STANDING ... akala niya yon na ang sagot? What was funny was he thought SRO (or standing room only) and grandstand ang mga root words ... and mixing them together will guide him to understand what it means ... kaya ang pumasok sa isip niya JAMPACKED ng tao ang GRANSTAND?

"Dahil sa sinabi mong yan gagawa tayo ng post sa blog ha", sabi ko.Pag napublish na ... babasahin mo para maintiendihan mo ang word." Ok naman sa kanya.

DEFINITION: Grandstanding is the action where a person behaves in a showy or ostentatious manner in an attempt to attract favorable attention from bystanders (in the case of the DPWH and the contractors), ang target ng mga senators ay ang media, the Senate regulars, or the TV audience at home.

Other words for grandstanding include impressing an audience, showing off, playing to the crowd, showboating, attracting attention, and flaunting one's knowledge.

Grandstanding, as the word implies, comes from the idea of "playing to people in the grandstand" (may punto ng KONTI ang kaibigan ko) or in a stadium ... and is pejorative to describe someone's intent on drawing attention to themselves or hugging the spotlight to their advantage..

USING IT IN A SENTENCE: Here is one example. The congressmen and the senators in their committees (re congressional hearings on flood project scams) did not hesitate to GRANDSTAND in the most bombastic way possible, even if their temper tantrums ... their almost lachrymose tearjerking presentation and display of arrogance alienated and antagonized the audience and the TV viewers.

And while we are at it, since pinagusapan na rin lang natin ang grandstanding ... let me make these side comments.

I have seen all the histrionics and exaggerated behaviors (senators pounding the table, name-calling galore, complete rejection and outright denials ... and senators so emotional ... they are almost on the verge of a heart attack.)

They yell and shout ... all the drama and display of emotions, all seemed like an act ... it is like putting on a little show to highlight and showcase themselves. Or distance themselves from the heat.

The whole exercise doesn't look like the Blue Ribbon investigation anymore - it is all theatrics ... all noise ... with no accountability direction.

Some of the protagonists, whether they admit it or not (in their overt and covert behaviors), look like they are protecting fellow colleagues ... regardless of whether what they did is legal or not.

Like what de Lima said, the investigations are self-serving, and while the rest acted like they were there for the people's hard-earned money, the Filipinos did not feel the sincerity because they had done the same thing in a not-so-distant past.

An independent investigative body has to be formed ... if BBM wants the people's trust.

Pageant Result: Mr Earth Asia 2025

Vaughn Khiam Alam won Mister Earth Asia 2025.  Mr. Earth International 2025 was held in Bogota, Colombia last August 30, 2025.