Actor Boom Labrusca called out the shirtless male dancers who took part in a fiesta celebration in Tondo, Manila, saying their actions were inappropriate given the religious nature of the event.
In a Facebook post on January 17, Labrusca expressed his dismay over what he described as a lack of respect during a celebration that coincided with the Feast of the Santo Niño.
“If sayaw dahil fiesta sayaw lang kaw naman may santo tapos huhubad ka haysss. Wrong venue kid,” Labrusca wrote.
While he did not name anyone in particular, netizens speculated that his remarks were directed at hunk models who joined the Lakbayaw (Lakbay at Sayaw) Festival in Tondo on the same day. Videos that went viral on social media showed several muscular men dancing topless along the streets as part of the festivities, which are traditionally held in honor of the Santo Niño.
The Lakbayaw Festival is part of the annual celebration of the Pista ng Santo Niño, observed every third Sunday of January. The event typically features a procession of Santo Niño images accompanied by dancing devotees as a form of prayer and thanksgiving.
Labrusca’s post drew mixed reactions online. Many netizens agreed with the actor, saying the focus of the celebration should remain on faith and devotion rather than spectacle.
“And to think na pista ng batang santo,” one netizen commented. “Imbes na ang Sto. Niño ang sentro, yung hubad na katawan na lang ang napapansin,” another wrote.
Others echoed the sentiment that the dancers’ actions distracted from the religious significance of the procession, with some calling the behavior disrespectful to long-standing traditions.
However, not everyone sided with Labrusca. One netizen pushed back, commenting, “Marunong ka pa sa tao,” to which Labrusca briefly replied, “Yan tyo eh.”
This is not the first time shirtless dancing during the Santo Niño festivities in Tondo has sparked debate. Similar incidents in previous years have also gone viral, prompting discussions among devotees and church leaders about maintaining reverence and decorum during religious celebrations.
As the conversation continues online, the incident has once again highlighted the tension between modern festival expressions and the traditional, devotional roots of religious events in the Philippines.