Josh Mojica, the 21-year-old founder and CEO of Kangkong Chips Original, has sparked controversy after declaring on Facebook that he is already a billionaire.
On August 19, Mojica posted, “21 years old ‘bilyonaryo na,’ ikaw?”. The statement quickly went viral, drawing both curiosity and skepticism online.
Among those who reacted was former Commission on Elections commissioner Rowena Guanzon, who questioned Mojica’s claim and called on the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to investigate.
“Akala ko ang youngest billionaire ay may ari ng Mang Inasal? Bat nagc-claim itong si kangkong? Bureau of Internal Revenue Philippines paki check nga ang taxes ng tao na yan,” Guanzon wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, August 21.
She also posted a photo of Mang Inasal founder Edgar “Injap” Sia II, who was recognized as the country’s youngest billionaire at 34.
Netizens echoed her doubts, with comments such as “true rich does not announce” and “the really rich do not announce it.” Others dismissed Mojica’s statement as a “press release” or a “too good to be true marketing strategy.”
Harsher remarks also surfaced: “Even trillions of money can’t buy class,” “He’s so fond feeding his ego,” and “Kangkong utak nyan. Self-proclaimed billionaire.” One user commented, “Real rich vs fake rich… you can recognize by seeing who needs people to believe that he is rich.”
Some focused on taxation issues, writing, “Paimbestigahan sa BIR yan kung nagbabayad ba ng tax sa gobyerno,” while another added, “Ok naman din na nag-claim kang young billionaire, at least ikaw na nagtawag sa BIR para sa taxes mo… pwera lang kung may kausap ka sa BIR para sa taxes mo, baka may under the table nang nangyayari.”
A few defended Mojica. One commenter wrote: “Kinakapatid ko yan. Not only him, his younger brother also is one. Also my classmate.”
Mojica, who rose to fame as a young entrepreneur through his flavored kangkong chip business, recently made headlines for a different reason. The Land Transportation Office suspended his driver’s license after he recorded himself using a phone while driving a sports car.
He later apologized, saying he was “not here to play victim” and acknowledged that the video was a mistake, emphasizing that it was meant to celebrate a milestone and not to show off.
As of press time, Mojica has not directly addressed the criticisms or clarified his supposed billionaire status.
