Local indie musician Cloud Yuri Mendiola, who goes by the stage name ‘Chall,’ uploaded a livestream on Facebook where he was staring at a photo of Manila Bay’s ‘white sand’ as a way of silent protest against the government.
“Staring at white sand until my mental health is okay,” he captioned.
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The video went viral while it lasted for 5 hours. He also said that the video was actually on loop, therefore he did not literally stay in that position for several hours.
According to Chall, the reason why he did this video was because it was his reaction to a statement by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.
“The whole idea of the livestream is to show some sort of silent protest to the statement of Harry Roque. Although it is looped, I hope that I sent a message clear that he should be held accountable for such an irresponsible statement,” he said.
On September 6, Roque defended the issue about Manila Bay Sands by claiming the rehabilitation project will benefit Filipinos’ mental health.
“Kasi alam mo sa gitna ng pandemya. Kailangan din alagaan yung mental health. I think yung pagpasyal sa mga lugar tulad ng Manila Bay na may white beach, hindi mo maka-quantify ang epekto niyan pagdating po sa mental health,” Roque stated.
Crowds of people then flocked and did not follow physical distancing protocols after the grand unveiling of Manila Bay last September 19.
Chall’s stunt went viral on Facebook with more than 779,000 views as of writing. It also circulated on Twitter where it likewise gained interest.
There’s this guy doing a Facebook Live just staring at the Manila Bay Sands for almost 4 hours already. 😭 pic.twitter.com/PAmBmoGfaJ
— chino why aren’t u studying 🥑 (@martianchris) September 29, 2020
Some twitter users wondered if Chall’s mental health did improve.
“Okay but did he get better though? I need answers to see if I should do this well haist.” one user said.
At the end of the day, Chall’s 5-hour livestreaming is similar to what many have been feeling lately.
POP! Creator Community / Alexandra Del Mundo