Jake Ejercito throws shade at pols wearing ‘West Philippine Sea’ shirts at Gilas game vs China
Jake Ejercito, (left); Senators Bong Go, Bato dela Rosa, Joel Villanueva, Migz Zubiri and Sonny Angara (right) during the Gilas’ game vs China at Fiba. Images from Instagram / @unoemilio, @senatorbonggo
Jake Ejercito once again proved that he is a politically-aware celebrity after he seemingly threw shade at certain politicians who were seen wearing “West Philippine Sea” shirts during the Sept. 2 FIBA World Cup game between Gilas Pilipinas and China at the Araneta Coliseum.
FIBA stands for the International Basketball Federation, in which the Philippine team ended its losing streak with a sweet 96-75 win over China.
Ejercito was among those who watched the Gilas game against China, along with his daughter Ellie, and posted snippets of the game on his Instagram. However, he couldn’t help but take a dig at China as he cheered on the Philippine team.
“West Philippine Sea is ours!!” he captioned his Instagram post.
View this post on Instagram
But what captured the most interest by his followers was his post on X (formerly Twitter), wherein he appeared to troll some politicians who were also at the game and were seen sporting shirts with the words “West PH Sea” across the chest.
Article continues after this advertisementBut lol at those wearing “West Philippine Sea” shirts but were as still as the grave between 2016-2022 🤡
— jake ejercito (@unoemilio) September 2, 2023
While he did not mention any names, his followers happily supplied which politicians he could be referring to.
ito ba yun? Charr ahahaah pic.twitter.com/6jfFJLEVZg
— 🐰 (@belachiiing) September 2, 2023
well. you cant change clowns. pic.twitter.com/yHUBkdrz8J
— paulbonin | RNKND 🇵🇭 (@zebianmnl) September 3, 2023
— The Professional Heckler™️ (@hecklerforever8) September 3, 2023
Senators Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, and Joel Villanueva also gave clues in their own social media pages.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
The years 2016 up to 2022 was the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte wherein the Philippines’ pivot to China was observed worldwide, especially on the heels of the victory of the Philippines in its petition before the arbitral tribunal on July 12, 2016 against China’s nine-dash line on the South China Sea (SCS).
The West Philippine Sea, meanwhile, refers to parts of SCS that are distinguished to be territories that are part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, amid overlapping claims of other countries on the region. It was also meant to symbolize the country’s disagreement with China’s encompassing exercise of sovereignty over the entire SCS.
Ejercito’s dig on X has since garnered 765,000 views; 2,483 shares; and, 15,700 likes, as of writing.
Ejercito is the son of former actress Laarni Enriquez and ex-President Joseph Estrada, who incidentally is an ally of Duterte.
