A social media post by a Swedish furniture retailer generated buzz among Filipinos, who speculated it was a reference to former president Rodrigo Duterte.
A Reddit user on Saturday, February 21, uploaded a screenshot of a social media post from IKEA Philippines featuring its product: a stuffed toy orangutan, hugging another stuffed toy.
It was accompanied by text within the graphic that read, “We’re here until you find your way home.”
“Sometimes the best kind of comfort doesn’t say a word. Hang in there, Panchi-kun!” IKEA said in the caption of its post, accompanied by a hugging emoji.
The post earned 23,000 likes and reactions, 2,000 shares and more than 600 comments.
It also made its way to Reddit, where a Filipino claimed that Duterte supporters thought it was “throwing shade at Sara again.”
Sara refers to Sara Duterte, Rodrigo’s daughter and the vice president.
Rodrigo has been in the custody of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, since March 2025.
He is accused of three counts of the crime of humanity against murder in connection to his “war on drugs” campaign as president, as well as other killings when he was still mayor of Davao City.
Supporters have been using the tagline “Bring him home” to call for Rodrigo’s release and return to the Philippines.
DDS thought Ikea throwing shades at Sara again
by
u/kakkoimonogatari in
Philippines
Similar to the Facebook post, the Reddit post has earned 7,300 upvotes, six awards and almost 150 comments.
Others understood the reference and said the retailer was referring to Punch, a young Japanese macaque at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, who was spotted hugging an orangutan toy as a substitute for his mother.
“It’s definitely Punch, but the fact that it works for Sara and Robin too is just perfect. Some people are so wrapped up in their own narrative, they miss the obvious joke. Classic case of seeing what you want to see, I guess. Either way, it’s a hilarious and well-deserved roast,” another Redditor said.
Robin refers to Sen. Robin Padilla, another Duterte ally, who said he is open to potentially running as Sara’s vice president in the 2028 elections.
Sara recently announced her decision to run for president in the national elections.
READ: VP Sara to run for president in 2028 elections | Timing of Duterte’s 2028 presidential bid announcement raises questions
“Ikea playing riddles,” another Reddit user commented.
“Bato bato sa langit, ‘pag tinamaan ‘wag magalit,” a different Pinoy said.
IKEA was referencing Punch, an abandoned baby monkey at Ichikawa City Zoo, who went viral after videos of him playing with a toy given to him by zookeepers were posted online.
The stuffed toy was given to him as a substitute for his mother, who had abandoned him.
Videos of Punch being attacked by other monkeys in the enclosure also circulated, showing him running to his stuffed toy for comfort.
On February 18, IKEA also uploaded a social media post that gained traction. It was posted on the day Sara announced her presidential bid.
It featured a table lamp with an owl design and the text, “Really, friend???” It was also captioned “#IYKYK” which is short for “If You Know, You Know.”
Similar to the Punch Monkey reference, it also went viral, earning 56,000 likes and reactions, 10,000 shares and 1,500 comments.
In 2023, Sara launched a book titled “Isang Kaibigan,” which featured a parrot helping an owl rebuild a home destroyed by a typhoon.
Her office said the book drew from her personal experiences and portrayed the essence of true friendship.
