According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2023 will be the year of the rabbit and will bring longevity, peace, and prosperity. But Oh, boy! It looks like this rabbit is a wild one because it seems like we will be on a trip down the rabbit hole.
So far, it's been a particularly awkward yet interesting first week. The first seven days of the year were shaky as a series of unprecedented controversies unfolded in front of our eyes. Literally! 2022 is not even hard cold on its deathbed, and 2023 is already making its statement.
From the NAIA fiasco to Donnalyn Bartolome's main character moment, 2023 is starting a little shaky, TBH. Well, if you haven't fully caught up yet, here's a recap of what went down on the local internet from Day 1 of 2023.
The NAIA Fiasco
Starting with a BANG! of disappointments. On January 1, 2023, approximately 60,000 passengers got stranded at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) due to a widespread airspace outage that led to a loss of connection at NAIA's control tower resulting in the cancellation, delay, and diversion of about 3,000 inbound and outbound flights throughout the country.
Our flight had to go back to HongKong because of the same. Captain said they cannot contact NAIA ATC, decided to go back to ensure enough fuel should there be longer holding pattern. https://t.co/VuRb0XFhFy pic.twitter.com/W18YeFLUND
— Marco (@marcohappie) January 1, 2023
The air traffic control system (ATCS) shutdown reportedly affected over 65,000 international and domestic passengers and about 3,000 overseas Filipino workers.
The BPI glitch
For some Bank of the Philippine Islands account holders, the year started with a glitch. Last January 4, BPI clients reported losing money from duplicate transactions and unauthorized withdrawals while not being able to access the bank's website and mobile app.
UPDATE: Following the double posting of ATM, CAM deposits, POS and e-commerce debit transactions from Dec. 30 to 31, 2022, please be informed that we expect correction of the duplicate transactions within the day. (1/2) https://t.co/ViIeILcwEq
— BPI (@TalktoBPI) January 4, 2023
The Mclisse split up
McCoy de Leon and Elisse Joson finally confirmed that they had broken up for good. After posting some cryptic posts on his social media, McCoy announced their split through a series of Instagram Stories on January 4, but both parties have not revealed the cause.
The couple, dubbed as Mclisse, started their romance when their paths crossed in 2016 after joining Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7. They have their one-year-old daughter Felize.
The Donnalyn Bartolome Main Character Moment
New year, new problematic take for Donnalyn Bartolome. Once again, the social media star drew flak after her post on her Facebook page on Tuesday, January 3, went viral, all for the wrong reasons.
In her now depeted post post, Bartolome advised her followers to be "grateful" for having a job despite returning to work after the holiday season. The vlogger also noted that employees should be thankful because having a job is a "blessing."
“Bakit may sad dahil back to work na? Diba dapat masaya ka kasi may chance ka na pagandahin buhay mo at ng pamilya? Trip ko pa nga may work ng January 1 dahil superstition ko may work ako buong taon pag ganun. Dapat grateful kasi may work,” she said.
Bartolome's post caught the attention of netizens, particularly on Facebook and Twitter, with some calling her out for being "privileged" and "out of touch."
To seemingly defend herself, Bartolome then posted a series of photos featuring herself, reasoning that she, too, "experienced the plight of everyday Filipinos."
Last year, the vlogger also drew criticisms on social media for holding a "kanto" birthday party and a sexy baby-themed photoshoot. She eventually apologized, saying that it was an "honest mistake."
