BAWAL NA? ‘Pambansang Yobab’ posibleng ma-persona non grata sa Iloilo dahil sa kanyang food review

Residents of Iloilo City discussed the possibility of declaring influencer Euleen Castro, a.k.a. ‘Pambansang Yobab’, persona non grata after she posted a negative review against a local coffee shop.

It can be recalled that Castro received negative comments online and even captured the attention of the City Mayor Jerry Treñas after she declared that all the food she ordered in the said coffee shop was not delicious.

She even raised the eyebrows of the netizens because of her explicit-laden criticism against the coffee shop.

“Nag-try kami dito sa Coffeebreak. Andami. Out of all of you, all of you [mga inorder na food] walang masarap. Even the drinks. Even the lasagna. Lahat tab-ang… Ang dami n’yo diyan, walang masarap sa inyo? Ni isa? P*ta,” said Castro.

The comments made by Castro sparked an appeal to ban her from visiting Iloilo again.

However, a lawyer reminded the court that persona non grata was purely symbolic and that there was no legal basis for someone to be barred from entering a city despite the declaration.

“Declaring someone persona non grata through a local government resolution is purely symbolic—it merely expresses disapproval and has no legal weight. It cannot bar a person from entering or remaining in a city,” said Atty. Race del Rosario.

Atty. Del Rosario also argued that Castro didn’t directly criticize Iloilo, and the coffee shop had all the chance to defend itself from the negative review.