Herlene Budol has gained mixed reactions from fans after the comedienne-turned-beauty queen posed for photos on top of her grandmother's grave.
Herlene's post, which showed her "sleeping" on top of the grave in a blue set of pajamas and could be translated as cryptic, reads, "Nasumbong ko nang lahat kay Nanay." The post included a teary-eyed emoji and a Saturn emoji.
The post drew mixed reactions from her followers as some netizens felt dismayed while others were sympathetic towards the beauty queen.
One netizen wrote, "Masyadong bad taste ang photos. Halatang staged," while another commented, "TMI. You could have gone doing it without [a] camera that would be realistic… Don't overdo it just to gain attention. You are already amazing for who you are, accept that."
Meanwhile, Herlene received more sympathetic comments. One fan wrote, "Can we just respect her way of expressing her heartaches, rants, or venting out her feelings?" While another netizen wrote, "For me, 'di naman masyado OA. Pinakita niya lang kung gaano niya ka-love Lola niya. Sobrang dami din kasi pinagdaanan ni Herlene sa buhay na dapat para sa Lola at Lolo niya."
Could Herlene's use of a planet emoji refer to the fiasco that was Miss Planet International? The pageant, which was set in Uganda, was to be Herlene's first international pageant but she met hiccups along the way. First, her national costume didn't arrive in Uganda in one piece, and delegates to the competition were allegedly not provided with food or accommodation during their stay as teams needed to book their own hotels.
These unfortunate events prompted Herlene to withdraw from the competition. As her manager, Wilbert Tolentino explained, "Due to uncertainties by the organizers, I have decided to withdraw Herlene "Hipon" Budol from the competition despite numerous [attempts] to fix some [pageant] debacles."
MORE ABOUT HERLENE:
Herlene Budol Claims Her Former Manager Took Her Earnings: 'Nagtiwala po ako sa kanya'
Herlene Budol Reveals The *Real* Reason Why She Joined Binibining Pilipinas
'Hipon Girl' Herlene Budol Is Now A College Graduate: 'Nanay, para sa iyo 'to'