Why these halfie celebs shouldn’t be accused of Filipino baiting

While being Filipino is very “in” right now, thanks to social media and the crusade for diversity, it seems unfair for many celebrities with Filipino roots to be judged by anonymous and random online trolls of Filipino baiting.

So, what is Filipino baiting? Well, it is when one is accused of using one’s Filipino blood to gain clout online or in the real world. There are content creators who suddenly divulge that they are Filipino, especially when they want to get more likes or have more followers online.

While that can be very obvious, this also seems to be the judgement for Vanessa Hudgens, who visited the Philippines for the first time last week. Clearly, she came in for a job with PublicityAsia that has successfully brought in Hollywood stars in the past.

Vanessa also managed to score a Global Tourism Ambassador honor, thanks to Ten17Productions which is producing her documentary and has a government official at the helm of its production.

Up until this Holy Week, my interviews on the socials and television have been on fire because of some judgmental netizens shooting her visit down and a half of her fans finding Vanessa real cute while singing Itsy Bitsy Spider flawlessly in Bisaya (one of the languages spoken in the Philippines) along with her mom Gina.

Based on our experience, Vanessa was so professional, kind and poised during the whole press conference with the media. Me and my colleagues, who managed to have a one-on-one, also noticed this about her. Vanessa’s top was even similar to GMA 7’s Aubrey Carampel for its pearl embellishments and the actress giddily bantered, “Oh, it looks like we got the pearl memo.” As for us, she even asked for a retake of our selfie because she genuinely wanted a better one just like anyone else.

To think, the local team was rushing her but during her interaction with us, Vanessa was making us feel like she was giving her all and her time, specifically for our interview. For the record, I am not the anonymous witness in an online article published by our Philippine STAR regarding what happened during Vanessa’s press conference, but I am sharing my experience on another angle to share how I also found the actress so endearing.

Mind you, this is not the first time we interviewed Vanessa. We were able to have a one-on-one online chat with her over the lockdown for a film she produced and starred in, Princess Switch 2, on Netflix. There, she already talked about growing up with adobo, lumpia, pancit and all the relatable Filipino things. This was in 2020. The accusations of Filipino baiting Vanessa is receiving right now clearly shows that netizens who are accusing her did not do much research. Vanessa is just one of many Filipinos in Hollywood who are also finding out about their identity as they cruise through life just like you and me.

Another one is Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel. R’Bonney has been visiting the Philippines since she was little. She goes to Malate, sits through Manila traffic and goes bargain-hunting just like many of us when in town.

Though she grew up in Texas, she shared with us in a previous interview that her Filipino father and aunts have had an influence on her. She is coming over in May for the first time since 2019 and she is saying that she is indeed proud to be part-Filipina. Now, because of the sudden Pinoy bashers on her page, she has been extra-cautious about mentioning her Filipino heritage.

In the case of R’Bonney and Vanessa, the two clearly just had the spotlight on them to actually talk about that part in their lives. They are just doing their jobs that happen to make them share a part of themselves, which is being Filipino. Besides them, many Filipinos who are making a name for themselves abroad should be celebrated and not pulled down and apart. If we could also be kinder, it is certain that it would be easier for our people to fly high in the global scale of things.