Influencer called out for flaunting wealth in ‘guess the bill’ video

Emmanuelle Atienza insists it is ‘our choice and our freedom to do what we want with money that we earned’

A Filipino influencer is being called out for her alleged disregard of the wealth disparity in the country after she posted a video of a dinner with friends where they spent ₱133,000 (£1,777).

In a now-deleted TikTok video, Emmanuelle “Emman” Atienza is seen with friends, including Filipino singer Rhaila Tomakin and reigning Miss World Philippines Krishnah Gravidez, at a high-end Japanese restaurant where they decide to play a “guess the bill” game: each of them takes a guess as to the total amount on their bill and whoever has the closest estimate is meant to pay.

The bill is eventually revealed to be ₱133,423.99, with Gravidez’s estimate coming the closest. The clip ends with what appears to be Gravidez handing over her card to pay for the meal.

The video has received significant backlash on social media, with people criticising its “tone deafness” and the extravagant spending, equivalent to a semester’s tuition. Many also called out the prices of the items on the bill: 11 bottles of Summit water cost ₱2,749.95 (£36.74) and nine Coke Zeros cost ₱2,249.96 (£30.06).

The daily minimum wage in Metro Manila is ₱645 (£8.62).

The poverty incidence in the Philippines was at 15 per cent in 2023, with some 17.54 million people living in poverty, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Atienza, 18, comes from a prominent family in the Philippines. Her father is TV personality Kim Atienza, who also served as councillor of a Manila district for three terms, and her grandfather is Lito Atienza, who was the mayor of Manila for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2007.

Atienza addressed the backlash in a video on TikTok claiming that the dinner was part of a friend’s birthday celebrations and her agency paid for the meal. She insisted though that she should be allowed to spend her money however she liked.

“I find it so stupid that I even have to address this but it has gotten to a point where I feel like I need to. One, the video was a joke,” she said. “I thought it was obvious because we were laughing and the bill was an outrageously high number. But apparently, it’s believable that I can pay that much for dinner.”

“We didn’t pay for that. We were celebrating my friend’s birthday, and her agency treated us to dinner. On top of that, even if I had paid that much, even if we did have that much money, it’s our choice and our freedom to do what we want with money that we earned.”

Speaking about a media report that suggested rich people like her should “redistribute their wealth to those most in need of it”, Atienza said: “Hypothetically if you won the lottery and received, let’s say, 1 million pesos, would you give all that money to everyone around you? No. You’d pay your bills, maybe enjoy a nice dinner, buy some nice clothes, and possibly donate some to charity. You wouldn’t give every single peso to others.”

“I, a singular teenage girl, am not responsible for the wealth disparity in the Philippines—contrary to current popular belief. I find it so stupid that people are picking and choosing what to be activists for.”

Addressing comments that asked her to “check her privilege”, Atienza said: “I have been so honest about the privileges I’ve been given, and the privilege that I have in my life. I’m also very open about the fact that I’m a nepo baby. I’m not ignorant, nor do I deny the privilege I’ve been given.

“If you are gonna hate on me ‘for being rich’, you need to do the same to everyone. Because guess what? Your favourite celebrities, not just in the Philippines but worldwide, make more, have more and spend more than I ever have. And on top of that, I doubt any of them are redistributing their wealth.”

Gravidez posted a message on her Instagram claiming the video was meant to be “satire”. She soon followed up with another message apologising for the video: “I realised that I need to be more careful next time of involving myself in these types of content. I should have been more sensitive of what is happening around us. I feel bad that this issue blew up and I might have disappointed some of you. I’m really sorry po.”