‘Bakit malungkot beshie ko?’: How the viral meme featuring cartwheeling emojis started

June 30, 2023 - 3:52 PM
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Magpakailanman_GMA
A still from GMA Network's "Magpakailanman's" Dec. 3, 2021 episode "Baklash: The Viral Princesses of Navotas" as uploaded on the network's YouTube channel (gmanetwork/YouTube)

(Updated; July 4, 11:24 a.m)  Another viral phrase has taken over the internet.

Been seeing the phrase “Bakit malungkot ang beshie (or beshy) ko?” with accompanying emojis of a person doing cartwheels on social media?

Brands, shows, entities and some individuals are jumping (no pun intended) on the trend that is suddenly taking online Filipinos by storm.

It includes typing the phrase “Bakit malungkot ang beshie (or beshy) ko?” and inserting cartwheeling emojis between each word.

Others also regard it as a meme template by replacing some words.

Here are some examples:

GrabFood 

GrabFood Philippines, the food delivery service of ride-hailing app Grab, created their version of the meme by posting a graphic of an individual doing a cartwheel while getting their order from a rider.

“Gutom lang ‘yan, beshy ko,” it said with cartwheeling emojis between each word.

Katinko

The popular ointment brand also joined in the fun by promoting its product using some famous words of the meme.

“Bakit masakit ang likod ng beshy ko? Baka kulang sa Katinko,” it said with cartwheeling emojis in between each word.

Crescendo Ministries

A faith-based Facebook page used the meme as a template to remind its followers to pass songs for their Sunday worship line-up.

“Bakit wala pang line-up for Sunday si beshy kong song leader?” Crescendo Ministries Philippines said.

“Paalala: Maaga magpasa para maaga ma-sifra! Excellence comes through preparation!” it added.

Doc Gab’s Veterinary Home Service

Veterinarian Gab Albert Almera, whose team conducts veterinary services at homes of pet owners, also promoted the benefits of spaying through the meme.

“Bakit pinakapon ang beshy kong purebreed?” his page said.

“Hindi lang po para sa puspin (pusang Pinoy) o aspin (asong Pinoy) ang kapon, malaking improvement ang nagagawa nang pagkakapon sa over-health nila at sa pagkaiwas sa mga reproductive health issues na lumalabas kapag sila ay nagkaka edad,” the page added.

Your Millennial Psychologist 

Psychologist and content creator Riyan Portuguez used the exact words and presented a hypothetical scenario of Generation Z psychologists during a counseling session.

“Gen Zs sa role playing ng counseling: Bakit malungkot ang beshy ko,” she wrote.

‘Rookie’ film

Director Samantha Lee promoted her upcoming queer film “Rookie” by sharing some stills of the Cinemalaya movie on her Twitter with the caption: “Bakit nakangiti ang beshy ko? Kinikilig kasi ang lola mo.”

“August naaaa sa @cinemalayaoffcl,” she added, tagging the account of the independent film festival.

GMA Network

GMA Network also joined the trend by using it to promote their projects, namely the ongoing fantasy series “Voltes V: Legacy” and the upcoming romance-drama film “The Cheating Game.”

“Bakit nagulat ang beshy ko? Akala kasi nila panalo na sila, pero naayos pa ang volt machines ng Voltes team! HAHAHA,” the page of “Voltes V” reads.

For the promotion of the romance film, GMA Public Affairs shared some stills with the caption: “BAKIT ANG DARING NG MGA BESHY KO.”

“Hindi maka-move on ang fans nina @myjaps at @rayvercruz20
sa mas daring at mas mature na role ng dalawa sa #TheCheatingGame! Kaya naman todo ang panonood nila sa teaser ng pelikula,” it added.

Where did it come from?

The meme came from a scene in the Kapuso anthology “Magpakailanman,” particularly in its episode that premiered on YouTube on Dec. 3, 2021.

It aired on the GMA Network in November 2019.

Titled “Baklash: The Viral Princesses of Navotas,” the episode featured gay friends MJ Ortega and Lala Vileganio who try to survive the daily chaos of their lives as queers by looking at the bright side of things.

This involves flexing their talent in gymnastics, which eventually made them viral.

Entertainment website Cinema Bravo shared stills from the particular episode which featured dialogues that have now become meme templates. The exchange reads:

“Ba’t malungkot ang beshy ko?”
“Kasi malungkot ang lola mo.”
“Ano’ng tawag diyan?”
“Rolling in the deep.”

A Twitter user also uploaded a clip of the scene on Tuesday, June 27.

The video has reached a whopping number of 1.6 million views, 27,600 likes, over 7,000 retweets and more than 1,000 quote tweets.