Veteran actress Lotlot de Leon responded to her daughter’s witty tweet about the Philippines falling short of winning the Miss Universe 2022 title on Sunday.
The matriarch quote tweeted her eldest, actress Janine Gutierrez, whose quip referenced Lotlot’s name in gay lingo.
“As anak ni Lotlot, sending all my love to everyone affected by today’s events,” Janine wrote on January 15 after Philippine bet Celeste Cortesi failed to make it to the Miss Universe 2022’s Top 16 semifinals.
Lotlot saw her daughter’s tweet and responded, “Mga anak! Okay lang ‘yan.. babawi daw tayo next year!”
The matriarch accompanied her post with emojis of a raised arm, a red heart and a crown.
Mga anak! Okay lang yan.. babawi daw tayo next year! đȘđ»đ€đ #staystrong https://t.co/fR2o9Ij3NE
— Lotlot De Leon (@lotlotdeleon) January 15, 2023
Their tweets, especially Janine’s, amused Pinoys who got the reference.
“Ang witty!!” a Twitter user commented with a series of crying face emojis.
“Hahahaha! Kaya super love na talaga kita, Janine! So witty!” another Pinoy wrote.
“Ghagha ka talaga, accla! Love it!” quipped a different Twitter user.
In local gay lingo, “lotlot” or “Lotlon de Leon” is used to refer to a loser, which is “talo” if translated into Filipino.
If there are many losers, the term being used is “Lotlot and friends.” Lotlot used to have a show with the same title in the late 1980s.
Meanwhile, Miss Universe 2020 top 21 semifinalist Rabiya Mateo also used the phrase when she shared a picture of her and her team after failing to secure the crown before.
“Lotlot and friends (peace finger emoji). Never a dull moment with these people. #teamphilippines,” she wrote in 2021.
Others were quick to dismiss Rabiya’s joke by saying that her placement was not bad at all.
“You are not lotlot, Ibyang.., You really did your best… You are the real Miss Universe,” an Instagram user previously commented.
“Rabiya, don’t say lotlot… because [you] gave so much passion and effort to this amazing journey of yours… to be on Top 21 is also a success,” another user wrote before.
In the 71st edition of Miss Universe, Celeste was bested by Filipina-American R’Bonney Gabriel, who represented the United States.
Celeste shared a book excerpt about happiness on her Instagram after failing to secure the crown.
The 25-year-old Filipina-Italian beauty also thanked her fans for their support following her Miss Universe 2022 bid.
