Former Commission on Audit (COA) commissioner Heidi Mendoza has reacted to celebrity doctor Vicki Belo’s recent remark that a Filipina is reportedly the top buyer at the Hermès boutique in Paris. In a Facebook post, Mendoza questioned the moral undertone of such lavish spending amid the country’s ongoing struggles with disasters and poverty. “The top buyer of Hermès, a Filipina,” Mendoza wrote. “I don’t care if it’s her own money, but it feels off for someone with a true conscience,” she added. Belo made the comment during an interview in Paris, saying the realization struck her while inside the Hermès store on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The remark went viral on social media, earning both praise and criticism for its candid reflection on Filipino affluence abroad and hardship at home. Belo said the experience made her think deeply about the contrast between the spectacle of wealth and the realities of suffering back home, citing floods and disease outbreaks during the rainy season. “I just wish that they would have love for country,” she added. “And their country, in calamity, Sagana.” Mendoza wrote: “I don't care if it's her own money, but it feels off for someone with a true conscience.” “I just wish that they would have love for country. And their country, in calamity, Sagana,” Belo added. “I just wish that they would have love for country,” she added. “And their country, in calamity, Sagana.”
Quote: “I don't care if it's her own money, but it feels off for someone with a true conscience,” Mendoza wrote.
Quote: “I just wish that they would have love for country,” Belo added.
