Kim Chiu once again became the talk of the town after she turned her viral “classroom law” analogy, which was supposed to pertain to her home network’s shutdown and the quarantine rules, into a witty song as clap-back to harsh criticisms.
The hashtag #WeStanKimChiu and the phrase “Bawal Lumabas” made it to the Philippine trends list of Twitter on Monday evening following the release of the full version and music video of the song.
As of writing, the hashtag has more than 10,000 tweets and mostly containing praises to the actress who kept her cool despite being poked fun at in the past few days.
Chiu previously attempted to compare classroom dynamics to that of the state regulators’ decision to close ABS-CBN’s radio and television operations during the first Facebook Live event called “Laban Kapamilya” last May 8.
This online live stream was hosted by ABS-CBN celebrities and served as their platform to air their sentiments on the media giant’s franchise renewal woes and the government’s response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Of the meaningful statements she shared, Chiu’s classroom rules analogy became the most memorable among Filipinos online.
This remark was turned into various memes, remixes and song covers using Chiu’s words as lyrics. Others, however, left scathing comments against the actress on her social media posts.
After nearly two weeks of being silent about the incident, Chiu then released a music video out of it, titled “Bawal Lumabas: The Classroom Song.” This can be found on her latest YouTube vlog.
The vlog has more than 1.1 million views as of writing.
Chiu recorded it with DJ Squammy, one of the Filipinos who produced a viral song using the “classroom rules” remark, and Adrian Crisanto, an online user who wrote an open letter to her and encouraged her amid the backlash.
In the music video, Chiu used TikTok video clips of netizens who danced to the tune of DJ Squammy’s song, old videos as well as some scenes she shot inside her home.
Some Facebook users edited the part of the vlog where she premiered the music video and shared it on Facebook and Twitter.
Chiu’s unique and creative response to critics drew praises from both her fans and those who previously criticized her.
“Honestly, I did make fun of Kim Chiu’s statements. However, upon watching her latest video, I was actually touched. I can see the misery she endured. I felt downcast toward her situation. Despite the bashing and hate, she made a good response,” one user said.
Sorsogon Gov. Chiz Escudero and his wife Heart Evangelista also showed support to Chiu on Twitter.
Quoted by the government
It seemed that Chiu also made an impact on the government.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque quoted her classroom rules analogy when he described the difference between the modified enhanced community quarantine and the general community version at a virtual press briefing last Monday.
“Sabi nga ng isang nag-viral na post, at alam ko naman kilala niyo kung sino siya: bawal lumabas,” Roque said.
“Pero kapag nag-comply ka, at inayos niyo mag-obserba ng proper hygiene, tulad ng paghuhugas ng kamay, pagsusuot ng face mask or face shield, at pagsunod sa social distancing at iba pang protocols, mafa-flatten natin ang curve… ‘yung bawal lumabas ay magiging pwede na lumabas,” he added.
After the virtual address, Chiu shared and commented on Roque’s quote card: “Umabot ako sa Malacanang! Di pa ko nakakarating dun pero atleast yung salitang ‘bawal lumabas’ umabot na!”
The Department of Transportation also quoted Chiu in its post about MECQ on Facebook last week. The post also has an animated caricature that appears to be Chiu on its graphic.