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After Raymond Gutierrez’s Taguig Party, Tim Yap Is Under Fire for His Own Baguio Birthday Bash

The global pandemic has robbed us of a lot of things including getting to celebrate special occasions with friends and family in person. For nearly a year now, we’ve confined ourselves to staying at home, occasionally meeting one or two friends for a short get together. But apparently, the same could not be said for some celebrities and influencers. Why exactly are netizens angered by Tim Yap and Raymond Gutierrez’s respective birthday bashes?

 

Tim Yap’s birthday celebration in Baguio

Photos and videos of Tim Yap’s birthday guests partying sans social distancing rounded the internet days after his mid-January birthday celebration. It was held in Baguio, at the prestigious The Manor at Camp John Hay. The events host and social media personality included elements of Baguio’s native crafts and culture in his celebration, even having Igorots dancing around the party. Yap was seen wearing “Cordillera accouterments” while riding a white horse led by a couple of Igorots. Needless to say, it was an attempt at a “cultural celebration,” as attendee KC Concepcion put it.

 


In the pursuit of promoting local tourism

In his interview with ABS-CBN journalist Jeff Canoy, Yap said that aside from celebrating his birthday, the party was intended to help boost Baguio’s local tourism. In fact, this (promoting local tourism) is what he’s all about the past few months. (Check his IG and you’ll find endless snaps from luxurious visits to Amanpulo, El Nido, and Boracay). Yap also assured the rabid internet that everyone on his guest list tested negative for COVID and that they secured the necessary permits to hold the gathering.

ICYMI, mass gatherings still aren’t allowed

So if he took the necessary measures of testing everyone and “securing permits,” what’s all the fuss about? Well, for starters, the Inter-Agency Task Force’s (IATF) latest guidelines on community quarantine still state that non-essential mass gatherings are prohibited even if it’s a crowd of COVID-negative partygoers. Especially ones where attendees aren’t observing the proper health protocols of social distancing and wearing face masks and face shields.

Baguio only recently opened its doors for tourists and has recorded 4,870 total COVID cases as of Jan. 26. Mayor Benjie Magalong is known for keeping a tight rein on the health measures in the city, ordering cops to arrest violators on the street — even random people putting their masks down to drink water. Ironically, Mayor Magalong, who is also the country’s contact tracing czar, was present at Yap’s birthday party.

“Nagkataon lang po na tao lang po tayo na sometimes when we’re so engaged in a particular po na activity na masayahin, minsan nakakalimutan po natin,” he said in an interview via Inquirer.

 


Raymond Gutierrez did the same thing a few days ago

Yap’s issue comes at the heels of a similar incident involving Raymond Gutierrez. On Jan. 21, Gutierrez celebrated his birthday party at La Picara restaurant in Taguig. It was attended by celebrities and influencers in the likes of Yassi and Issa Pressman, Sarah Lahbati, and Kobe Paras. Netizens were irked by the blatant lack of social distancing even though one photo had a tag “Note: everyone was PCR Tested!”

 


The repercussions

After Gutierrez’s birthday bash, Taguig City government slapped La Picara with a notice of closure for violating COVID protocols. Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano issued a statement that said establishments that endanger the city’s health and safety protocols will be dealt with accordingly. Netizens, in turn, were extremely dismayed by the repercussions of Gutierrez’s reckless partygoers.

Of course, Yap’s own partying had repercussions too. Department of Tourism-Cordillera Administrative Region (DOT-CAR) has launched an investigation on the incident and issued The Manor at Camp John Hay a notice to explain. Although unlike La Picara, The Manor might still get to operate since, you know, Yap “secured the necessary permits” for his party.

Netizens express their anger online

 

It shows the gap between classes…

Celebrities and wealthy families can afford to hold large gatherings, pay for COVID testing (with swift results too probably), and hop around the country in the spirit of promoting local tourism. Normal people “who do not have money, power, and influence are reminded to stay at home,” as one tweet put it. The pandemic has made a clear divide between the masses and people wielding power, who have gotten away with throwing “mañanitas” and “cultural celebrations”.

 

…And how out of touch celebrities can be


Celebrities are entitled to their privileges but not at the expense of others. Commenting on the recent incidents are well within the rights of normal netizens because, after all, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic. It will be the public’s business if those parties turn out to be superspreader events and even if they don’t, it doesn’t justify violating COVID protocols. On top of it all, these people are celebrities and influencers who should be setting an example for everyone else.

Stay at home. Everyone is itching to go outside and party like we used to, but if sacrificing another year is what it takes to get our lives back, we should all grit our teeth and follow the rules.

 

What do you think of these incidents of celebrities and influencers violating COVID restrictions?


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Kyzia spends most of her time capturing the world around her through photos, paragraphs, and playlists. She is constantly on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and a great paperback thriller to pair with it.

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