Pinoy celebrities and netizens were left unamused and dismayed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) attempt at humor in announcing class and work suspensions amid inclement weather.
The reactions stemmed from a Facebook post by DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday, July 22, which read: “Mga Abangers, sarap ng bogchi ko. Sa kabusugan ay naka-idlip nang sandali. Oh ‘eto na inaabangan ninyo!”
The caption, which appeared to make light of the delay in announcing suspensions, was met with sharp criticism online, garnering over 65,000 reactions with many of them being angry or disappointed.
Actor Jake Ejercito was among the first to call out the tone of the post, commenting, “There’s a time and place for trying to be funny—this isn’t one of them.”
Actress and celebrity mom Jessy Mendiola also pointedly reacted, “Is this supposed to be funny?”
The post quickly went viral as netizens expressed concern over the government’s approach to crisis communication.
Netizens also took to social media to criticize DILG approach to public service announcements as “mocking,” “unprofessional” and “insensitive.”
“Sir, public service requires professionalism, compassion, and timely communication—especially during crises. Mocking critical announcements undermines good governance and disregards public welfare. We urge a more dignified approach that prioritizes the safety, trust, and well-being of the Filipino people,” one Facebook user wrote.
Another user pointed out, “There’s a lot of way to make things lighter, but you’re not in the right position to make jokes in times like this. Just saying po.”
“Using humor in public service announcements related to disaster response and management operations is very unbecoming and insensitive, especially to those adversely affected by the typhoon. These messages should be handled with compassion, urgency, and respect for the suffering of the communities involved,” one netizen reacted.
A post from an user read, “Sana may magsabi sa [communications] team ng DILG na hindi nila kina-cool ‘yang pa-jeproks nilang pakulo sa pagpopost ng mga announcement. Cringe na nga, sobrang insensitive pa considering na baha at bagyo ang binabantayan ng mga tao. Tapos nacocompromise pa ‘yung clarity at urgency.”
“Pasabi naman sa [communications] ng DILG na hindi nakakatuwa ung posts pertaining to class and work suspension, seryosohin naman natin ang tono,” added another.
Shortly after the backlash, Remulla responded to criticisms of social media announcements in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
“Aang mahalaga at least na-inform ko ang public kung ano ang kailangan nilang malaman kung saan dapat ang hazard areas, sino ang dapat hindi pumasok,” he said.
When asked about Ejercito’s comment on one of his posts, Remulla answered, “He (Jake Ejercito) is entitled to his opinion, but sanay na ang tao sa akin with the way I am posting in Cavite, and I think the country will get into it eventually kung paano ako makipag-communicate sa tao.”
“Para sa akin, point taken na galit sila sa akin, pero point din sa akin na nalaman ng public kung ano ang dapat nilang malaman,” he added.
On DILG’s Facebook page, Remulla further clarified that his way of posting was not meant to make light of the situation or downplay the efforts of emergency responders.
“Hindi ko po minamaliit ang pinaghihirapan ng mga frontliners natin. Ang ginagawa ko lang ay gawing mas magaan ang paraan ng pagpapaalala—hindi puro pangamba. Kung may hindi nakaintindi, humihingi ako ng pasensya. Pero wala po akong masamang intensyon,” he said.
Remulla urged all local government units (LGUs) to remain on high alert as bad weather caused is expected to continue until early next week. He also emphasized the importance of preemptive evacuation and risk communication, noting that LGUs have been reminded of their responsibilities.
Meanwhile, President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. defended Remulla’s approach, saying it “helps cut through noise and misinformation on social media.”
“Criticize me, criticize him for the way we speak. But that’s the way he speaks. As long as he gets the message across. That’s what it’s for,” commented Marcos. “Para lang mas malinaw ang information. Para walang fake news. Basta sinabi na ng SILG, ‘yun na ‘yun. Iyon na ang totoo.”
“Minsan kasi hindi naman malicious, misinformed lang, tapos pino-post. Sinusundan ng tao, mali naman pala. We’re just trying to improve that system,” he added, citing a need for “simple” and “better” ways to disseminate public information.
The issue comes amid persistent heavy rainfall and flooding across Metro Manila and nearby provinces due to the southwest monsoon or Habagat with many citizens expecting timely announcements as floodwaters continued to rise in several areas.
Meanwhile, state weather bureau PAGASA is currently monitoring twin tropical cyclones, Dante and Emong, in the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) and another low pressure area with “high” chances of developing into a tropical depression.
