Comments by Filipino TikTok users, seemingly unaware that “onion” is the English term for “sibuyas,” have drawn concern among some social media users.
An online user on X (formerly Twitter) noticed these comments, which appeared to show that some Filipinos did not recognize the English word for the vegetable.
The speculation arose after reading the TikTok comments.
“Open the schools,” the X user wrote on Sunday, April 5, sharing screengrabs of the comments.
The comments came from a TikTok video by @benjamin2007b, who shared a clip of himself eating onions with sauce.
“I love my hair! Onion boil,” he wrote as a caption. He also included the hashtag “#mukbang,” which refers to videos where someone eats a large amount of food while interacting with viewers.
@benjamin2007b i love my hair👄!onion boil🤤 #fy #fyp #MinMyatAung #mukbang ♬ original sound – MinMyatAung – Benjamin
“Sibuyas ‘yan eh,” a TikTok user wrote with loudly crying emojis.
“Onion boil, sibuyas edition,” another commented.
“Sibuyas ‘yan, ‘di ‘yan onion, yaaa,” a different Pinoy commented.
“Sibuyas naman ‘yan ehh,” another user said.
“Literal na sibuyas, hindi onion boil,” a different TikTok user commented with a loudly crying emoji.
Similar comments were compiled by the X user, who expressed concern that some Filipinos seemed unaware that ‘onion’ is the English term for “sibuyas.”
open the schools 🥀 pic.twitter.com/J1DWwF82Fm
— 🎲 limit (@eudrce) April 5, 2026
“Wtf… this is concerning,” another X user wrote.
“Bumababa na talaga comprehension ng mga bata nowadays,” another X user commented.
“God, this is concerning,” a different X user wrote.
Onion boil is a viral TikTok recipe featuring onions seasoned with butter, olive oil, salt and cajun seasoning.
Articles about the recipe have been circulating 2024.
“The funny thing about the name is that the onion gets roasted and we’re not actually boiling anything. Some think it came to be because the seasonings resemble that of a seafood boil,” health educator and recipe developer Elaine Gordon was previously quoted as saying.
A look at learners today
Meanwhile, reports said that 1.47% of learners nationwide are considered struggling readers, based on a previous assessment conducted by the Department of Education.
The study revealed that many elementary students still face challenges with basic tasks such as recognizing letters and sounds, reading common words, understanding short passages and performing simple numerical operations.
Proficiency further declines in secondary school, with only 0.4% of Grade 12 students reaching the proficient level.
At this stage, proficiency goes beyond basic decoding or arithmetic; it reflects higher-order skills such as problem-solving, managing and communicating information, and analyzing data to generate ideas.
