Tinawag na haka-haka ni Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Secretary Larry Gadon sa mga Pilipino na nagsasabing sila’y naghihirap base sa kanyang sariling obserbasyon.

Sa isang panayam sa public briefing ng Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon nitong Biyernes, ibinahagi ni Gadon ang pinagkuhanan ng kanyang konklusyon na mula sa kanyang sariling obserbasyon.

Ayon sa kanya ay marami paring mga Pilipino ang nagpupunta sa mga mall na isa umano sa mga senyales na hindi nakakaranas ng matinding kahirapan ang bansa.

Ginawa ring basehan ni Gadon ang traffic na dahilan umano ng pagdami ng sasakyan.

“Pero ang katotohanan, magpunta ka sa mga mall, punong-puno. Pumunta ka kahit sa mga probinsya, yung mga branches ng punong-puno. Ibig sabihin, mataas ang purchasing power ng mga Pilipino,” ayon kay Gadon

“Lumabas ka ng kalsada, napakaraming bagong kotse, napaka-traffic. Anong ibig sabihin niyan? Maraming nakakabili ng kotse, which means maganda ang ekonomiya,” dagdag pa niya.

Taliwas ito sa isinagawang survey ng Philippine Statistics Authority kung saan may mga nagsasabi na nakakaranas sila ng kahirapan sa buhay.

Ayon sa pinakabagong survey ng PSA na inilathala noong 2023 ay mayroong poverty rate ang Pilipinas na 22.4%

Sa datos na ibinahagi ng SWS survey nitong Abril ay sinabi na 46% ng mga Pilipino families ang sinasabing sila’y mahirap.

Sinasabi naman sa hiwalay na survey ng SWS noong 2023 na 12.6% na pamilya sa Pilipinas ang nakakaranas ng ng kagutuman sa Pilipinas.

Inulan naman ng batikos sa social media ang sinabing ito ni Gadon dahil sa tila ay binabalewala niya ang problema na siyang dapat sinosolusyunan ng kanyang opisina na ang trabaho ay iangat sa kahirapan ang mga Pilipino.

Wala pang pahayag ang palasyo tungkol sa sinabi ni Gadon.

Veteran showbiz reporter and talent manager Lolit Solis asked the netizens to give privacy to one of the actors she was managing, Paolo Contis.

In her Instagram post, Lolit expressed her sadness on the issues being thrown against her talent, saying that Paolo also deserved to be privy when it comes to his personal life.

“Salve naawa naman ako kay Paolo Contis na para bang nasa aquarium na gusto laging pinapanuod ng tao. Iyon kahit pa nga dapat pribado na niyang buhay talagang gusto parin kalkalin ng mga walang magawa. Tutoong public figure ang artista. Pero sana naman iyon gusto nila na sila na lang ang may alam hayaan na natin,” she said.

She argued that the public must stop interfering with Paolo’s private life and just enjoy his performance as an actor.

“Sana naman iyon na lang muna tignan natin. Kung anuman ang buhay niya sa labas ng kamera, pagbigyan na lang natin siya basta maligaya siya. For the longest time naging sad and lonely si Paolo Contis dahil sa ilang journey niya sa buhay na hindi niya na control. Ngayon meron siyang nadarama na konting happiness hayaan natin siya na enjoy whatever it is. Kawawa naman siya kung pati iyon aagawin pa natin sa kanya,” she stated.

It can be recalled that Paolo refused to answer some questions from the media about his rumored breakup with Yen Santos.

“No comment. As I always say, masyado na kayong may alam sa buhay ko so I’d like to keep my personal life personal,” Paolo told the press.

 

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Mystica was not impressed by how internet sensation Deo Balbuena, a.k.a Diwata, treated his fans now and how he manages his business.

Through a Facebook post, Mystica, who’s now living in the United States, criticized Diwata for being allegedly disinterested in interacting with his customers.

However, Mystica noticed that Diwata was more inclined to accommodate content creators who were giving him gifts.

“Yung itsura ni Diwata ngayon nandidiri na sa mga taong gustong magpapicture sa kanya, kitang-kita na ‘yan sa videos online. Iba ang trato niya sa mga bumibili ng pares niya na talagang sumusuporta sa kanya pero pag siya ang bibigyan ng blessing todo asikaso siya buong araw,” she said.

“Alam ko, napansin niyo rin na balewala na yung mga taong pumila at kumakain sa paresan niya, ang bilis niyang nagbago, papaano pa hahanga ang tao sa kaniya kung ganoon siya, akala mo kung sino na siya na hindi na maabot!” she added.

Mystica, who’s also working in the food industry, told Diwata to address sanitation issues at his establishment.

“Unahin mo ang sanitation at kalinisan ng mga kumakain sa iyo, yun ang dapat inaasikaso mo, hindi ang mangbara ng mga taong ikaw naman talaga ang pinunta, hindi ang pares mo,” she said.

“Hindi niya alam na ito ang magpapabagsak sa kanyang nilalangaw at dugyot na ugali, dugyot na katawan at pagmumukha at dugyot na paresan!” she added.

An establishment in Laguna was facing criticism from the netizens for posting a high requirement for a bagger position.

In a Facebook post, Newstar Calamba Laguna shared the available position for their establishment, which included a bagger tasked to pack the groceries being brought by customers.

Netizens raised their eyebrows due to the requirements posted by the establishment for the said job.

According to Newstar, a bagger prospect must be at least College level, but they also accept High School Graduates as long as they already have experience working in the retail industry.

Applicants must also have at least six months of experience in the retail industry.

They also indicated that people who wanted to become a bagger must have “passion for excellence in providing exceptional customer experience, interpersonal communication, multi-tasking and flexible & able to perform under pressure,”

Netizens criticized the company for being too strict on their requirements for a job with a very simple task.

“Sa ibang bansa tulad dito sa saudi kahit matatanda na basta lokal sa bansa nila at gusto pa mag trabaho tinatanggap parin nila. priority nila mga citizen nila kaya mga amo namin kahit magpa lipat lipat ng trabaho okay lang at isa pa wala silang kontrata magtrabaho sila hanggat gusto nila. kaya sa ibang bansa dami matatandang guard lalo na sa mga school isa pa mas mataas pinapa sahod sa lokal kesa sa mga expat. sa pinas lang tlga ata yung ganyan dami hinahanap. edad, pleasing personality, college level or grad etc tas sahod maliit,” netizen Jethroloyd said.

“Dapat pong ibagay naman po ng tama sa application sa work dahil kahit no read no write po ang applicants pwedi po give also the opportunity to those lack of education,” netizen Nora remarked.

Coleen Garcia denied the rumors that she was already separated from her husband, Billy Crawford.

It can be recalled that some netizens made several speculations about the celebrity couple after Billy’s video while eating went viral on social media due to his thin appearance.

Some of them attributed Billy’s appearance to the rumored relationship problem between him and his wife.

However, Coleen believed that there were other reasons why the rumors started to spread on social media.

According to her, people may already notice that they’re not really active on social media compared to before.

“Baka kasi tahimik kami. I mean, I tried to be more active on social media because it has become the extension of my job like a lot of work I get nowadays is from social media talaga. We’re moving houses and Billy has new businesses,” she said.

“Siguro kasi hindi kami nagpaparamdam online? Ever since we got married, walang naging mabigat na kasalanan sa’kin si Billy,” she added.

She also added that Billy was working abroad to provide for them.

It can be recalled that Billy had already addressed his thin appearance, saying that his change of diet was the reason why he had lost weight.

“I’m 148 lbs. I feel healthy and I feel good. I don’t necessarily exercise tremendously, but I eat right, drink enough water. And maybe my child is just heavy! It can get tiring,” he said.

“I used to do intermittent fasting and tried keto diet. Now I’m super healthy and can’t ask for more,” he added.

Many netizens were surprised when True Faith’s vocalist, Medwin Marfil, revealed himself as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community after marrying his boyfriend, Mark Angeles, last May 11 in California.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, Medwin and Mark shared that they had been high school batchmates since high school.

However, Medwin said that he didn’t really know Mark during that time.

“We really didn’t know each other. Kasi barkada niya (Mark) sina Nino Muhlach. Eh ako, introvert ako wala ako masyadong friends, busmates and villagemates na Bosconian din,” said Medwin.

Medwin said that they only became friends during the grand homecoming reunion of their batch, where his band became one of the performers.

“Doon kami nag-start. Nag-reconnect kami through Facebook. We were chatting for a bit tapos naputol siya. I think that was sometime in April 2021,” he said.

“Nung June, nag-usap kami ulit. I think around that time, meron nang naging serious na ‘yung usapan. Nagkaroon na ng revelation. At that point, sabi ko I feel something. And I feel na meron din siya,” he added.

According to him, Mark was the one who made the first move to him.

“I can’t remember the exact words, but I think it’s somewhere along the lines of, ‘I like you, I think I have some feelings towards you.’ Kumbaga sa nanliligaw parang ganun diba. Eh, biglang nagreciprocate naman, yes din daw siya,” he stated.

He also shared how Mark proposed to him during one of his visits to California in 2022.

“Sabi ko, ‘okay, nakakatuwa.’ Sabi ko, ‘I accept.’ Kasi parang he’s worried na baka hindi na ko bumalik. Sabi ko, ‘Mark, you’re worth coming back,” he stated.

After their wedding, Medwin admitted that he hesitated to publicize their relationship on social media.

“‘Are you sure? Are you ready? How the people… kung tatanggapin?’ Simple lang ang sabi ko kay Med about it. Sabi ko sa kanya, you just need to be true to yourself.” Mark said.

One of the most popular internet celebrities last year, Jhonwel Reyes, better known as “Green Soldier,” gave his thoughts on the gifts being received by Deo Balbuena, a.k.a Diwata, from other content creators.

In his Facebook post, Jhonwel told his followers that he was not planning to help Diwata like other content creators, not because he didn’t like the entrepreneur, but because he had received too many blessings already.

According to him, it would be better for him to help other people than Diwata.

“Kung ako talaga e me pera at natatawag ding isang Content Creator, kung papipiliin ako ng taong tutulungan e siguro hindi na si Diwata,” he said. “Baket? Sa dami ng blessings niya sobra sobra na ‘yun kung iisipin dahil may naumpisahan na siyang makakapagpabangon sa kanya ng husto sa kahirapan [at] yun ay ‘yung kanyang negosyo,”

He added: “Daming nagugutom sa kalsada, marami kang madadaanan para mabigyan ng munting biyaya hindi para makisabay pa sa alon ni Diwata. Hindi man lahat pero ‘yung iba makikita mo,”

He clarified that he was not yet capable enough to help other people, but if ever, he would choose those who deserved financial help.

Like Diwata, Jhonwel also received tremendous publicity last year, but his popularity didn’t stay permanently.

Many netizens believed that Diwata’s trend would also end anytime soon and advised him to prepare if his social media stardom ever ended.

Queenie Padilla revealed that she decided to part ways with her Pakistani husband, Usama Mir, after 12 years of marriage.

In her Instagram post, Queenie, also known by her Muslim name Mashel Khadija Mir, said that she decided to end her marriage with Pakistani husband Usama Mir due to ‘irreconcilable incompatibility,” which she didn’t elaborate further.

“Assalamualaikum, after much thought and consideration, my husband and I have decided to separate due to irreconcilable incompatibility,” she said. “This decision wasn’t taken overnight. It has been years and months of trying to work things out,”

However, she clarified that her husband was a responsible father to their child and still revered him.

“I will always have love, honour and respect for the father of my child. He’s a great father and responsible human being. Although life has taken us on different paths right now, I will forever cherish the 11 years we’ve had together,” she added.

Queenie and Usama were reportedly married in 2012, and since then, the former actress has kept many things about their relationship private to the public.

She was the daughter of Sen. Robin Padilla, who’s also a Muslim.

As of writing, Sen. Padilla has yet to give a statement following the decision made by his daughter.

Paolo Contis refused to speak about speculations about his relationship with Yen Santos.

In an interview, Paolo hinted that he was unhappy with the speculations about his relationship status, saying that he wanted to keep his personal life private.

“No comment. As I always say, masyado na kayong may alam sa buhay ko so I’d like to keep my personal life personal,” Paolo told the press.

He made the statement during the movie premier of his new film “Fuschia Libre.”

The speculations about their breakup started when Yen deleted her birthday message to Paolo, which was one of the common indicators if a celebrity couple was facing a problem or already decided to part ways.

Showbiz reporter Ogie Diaz also believed that the two have yet to end their relationship completely.

“Ako—feeling ko lang—siguro kaya nawala ‘yong birthday post ni Yen kay Paolo dahil baka nagkaroon sila ng misunderstanding,” he said.,

“‘Di ba may mga ganyan? Kapag nabubuwisit ka, pak alis! Delete. Tapos ‘pag okay na ulit, naka-archive lang pala. Balik,” he added.

Meanwhile, Yen has yet to give any statement to clear up the rumors.

It can be recalled that Paolo and Yen were rumored to be in a relationship since 2021 after they were spotted together in public places, even after finishing their project, A Faraway Land.

The start of their relationship also became rocky as many netizens believed that Yen was the reason behind the breakup of Paolo and his former partner, LJ Reyes.

In 2023, Paolo admitted that he was in love with Yen.

“Sa amin kasi, kumbaga, what you see is what you get na naman, di ba? Hindi na namin puwedeng ipilit yung tao to be happy for us. Hindi namin puwede ipilit yung mga tao na paniwalaan yung gusto nilang paniwalaan. Sana isipin lang nila na kung ano lang yung nakikita nila na naka-post, yun lang yung truth na alam nila,” he stated.

Paolo was then linked to his co-host, Arra San Agustin, but they clarified that their sweetness was only an attempt to form a love team, which was considered a flop.