Politicians are often the focus of memes created by netizens, and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is no exception.
Despite this, Mayor Joy mentioned that she no longer takes offense when encountering such memes online.
"Ay, hindi na," she told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in an exclusive interview on Thursday, November 16, 2023.
The interview took place at Esquire Philippines' Man At His Best 2023 Party hosted at the Gallio Events Hall in Pasay City.
Mayor Joy has come to terms with the reality that her role inevitably attracts both constructive criticism and outright mockery or memes.
Understanding this helped her to distinguish the feedback that would improve her work from the noise.
"Siguro nung simula ay katulad ng pangkaraniwang tao, nasasaktan ka minsan.
"Pero alam mo, kasama iyan sa trabaho ko at kailangan, depende lang naman sa lente ng pagtingin mo, e, di ba?
"So kung yung lens mo ay tinitignan mo yung criticism mo bilang pakakataon para mapabuti ang inyong trabaho, ang inyong sarili, ang pagkatao mo. Then that's a good thing.
"Kailangan, you have to turn the negative into a positive.
"And that's what happened to me."
She continued, "Sobra yung criticism sa akin noong panahon ng pandemya. Ibang klase, ibang level. But I used that to strengthen myself.
"And I was able to focus on my job. And at the end of the day, pagkatapos ng pandemya, tayo sa Quezon City, kinilala tayo among the most responsive.
"And I feel that without that criticism, hindi po natin maabot yun."
MAYOR JOY BELMONTE: GHOST FIGHTER
Mayor Joy is conscious of the memes that feature her, yet she stays focused on her core objective: bettering the lives of the citizens in her community.
She said, "I saw them all. Pinakita sa akin. Masakit siya noong simula.
"Pero after a while, alam mo, kahit pakitaan mo ako ngayon ng mga memes, wala na.
"Hindi na ako apektado kasi medyo nagiging confident ako sa mga gusto kong gawin, yung mga napagtagumpay ko, yung mga tao na natulungan ko.
"At I don't let the negativity affect me anymore. I just always think I have to focus on the goal.
"And the goal is the people. And the lives of the people have to get better. And that's it."
Is she aware of the meme about her voice and comparing it to the character of Koto, the announcer in the anime series Ghost Fighter?
"Yung mataas na squeaky?
"Well, I haven't heard that criticism. Pero madalas akong i-criticize sa boses ko because it's high and squeaky.
"And they always say, 'Sana kung hindi ganyan yung boses niya, iboboto ko siya, gugustuhin ko siya.'
"Pero ganun talaga mga tao. Ok lang iyan. Wala naman tayong problema diyan."
Mayor Belmonte is aware of the frequent comments about her "squeaky" voice. Some netizens compare it to Koto, the announcer from the anime series Ghost Fighter.
JOY BELMONTE: MAN AT HIS BEST 2023
Meanwhile, Mayor Joy also expressed her honor and privilege to be recognized by Esquire Philippines as the "Maverick of the Year" in its annual Man at His Best list.
"Well, I feel greatly honored and privileged to even be recognized by Esquire.
"Because ang paniniwala ko, una kung narerespeto ka ng Esquire, ay okay ka na, you know.
"That's a wonderful accomplishment.
"Pero kung politiko ka na narerespeto ng Esquire, ibang klase na iyan.
"Kaya alam ko na yung Esquire, hindi laging pumupuri ng mga politiko."
Mayor Belmonte is aware of the importance of her recognition and the obligation to fulfill the expectations that come with it.
"I feel so flattered with this recognition.
"And I feel that I have a great responsibility now to live up to the expectations of the Esquire readership.
"Because I have so much respect for this publication.
"For me, if you make it to Esquire, that's the pinnacle. So, maraming maraming salamat."
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