That’s entertainment

Imagine waking up with a huge top story of the day- the birthday of actress and vlogger Alex Gonzaga and her usual antics is now a national issue with almost everybody and equally powerful and famous vloggers and celebrities dipping their fingers on the cake icing-smearing issue.

The setting: A restaurant in Makati where the actress celebrated her 35th birthday. The plot: After blowing the candle on her chocolate cake, Gonzaga dipped her fingers on it and smeared it on the forehead of the food crew holding the cake for her. Everyone can be heard shouting perhaps cheering. The catch: She was rude and a bully. The storyline: OMG! It’s a story more important than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. silently pushing and crawling to realize the institution of the Maharlika Fund using the people’s money and even bigger than the prices of onions and the ASF faced by the hog industry.

Suddenly all else were forgotten as everybody started castrating the actress online.

I don’t personally know the actress but in one way or the other have seen how she handled herself in her vlogs and believe me I enjoyed it and I am enjoying it. She is the mini-me of a many of us-makulit and naughty and to hell cares if she starts training her antics on you. She did it with and on fellow vlogger Senator Raffy Tulfo, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto and a lot more.

Here comes the waiter story. On a personal note, what made it an issue are the netizens who were emboldened and empowered by social media and the approval (disapproval) they get from others. Somebody called her attention and labeled her act as “bullying” because she doesn’t know the person personally. BUT, was it really bullying or merely became one because a lot more people subscribed to the commenter’s perception of what is right and wrong? Gonzaga unlike her sister Toni who was aware that BBM whom she supported was the son of a tyrant and a dictator was simply a natural makulit and damul nawung especially in her dealings with other people and I have never seen her hide such traits so that people will like her.

I remember watching Alex on a reality singing competition interviewing a foreign singer and asking him if he is related to a Filipino personality whose family name sounded like the family name of the artist. The audience laughed, the production team and her fellow artists scolded her and the foreigner laughed awkwardly but that’s Alex Gonzaga.

“Unfortunately, the media including IMT NEWS is also suspect of empowering this nonsense thus clouding the real stories that need to be heard and read.”

Fast forward, she succumbed to public pressure and eventually apologized to the water posting on her social media account that on her birthday she learned the value of humility. What’s funny though was the manner of handling by her publicist of the problem. They had the waiter write a signed statement. That made it worst because in truth it’s really hard to contextualize and justify a joke coming from a natural joker. I mean, a joke is a joke, period. It need not be justified.

Poor Alex Gonzaga. Several colleagues came out accusing her of having attitude, bad habits and a lot more. Fellow influencers and celebrities like Ayn Bernos, Mo Twister and Janina Vela criticized her and made their statements known. Well, of course one can’t please everyone. But coming from these celebrities? They can readily afford to dip their fingers on a non-sensible issue though in the advent of social media engagement and income opportunities their statements are simply logical and understandable since Alex Gonzaga is a big name and everybody simply wants to take part of the pie.

But is it worth it? I mean, the country is facing several issues ranging from perceived and proven abuses including the uncontrolled prices of almost everything. Why can’t these influencers speak about these and stand for the voiceless instead of making a mountain out of a mole?