Outrage in Philippines as socialite Heart Evangelista, ‘nepo babies’ return to spotlight

Filipino actress and fashion influencer Heart Evangelista’s reappearance at Paris-fashion-week" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="25770" data-entity-type="event">Paris Fashion Week following scrutiny over her lavish lifestyle in previous months has drawn sharp criticism amid “unprecedented” public outrage linked to an unfolding corruption scandal plaguing the country.Public sentiment in the Philippines has been particularly negative against influencers such as Evangelista and other “nepo babies”, a term referring to flamboyant family members of wealthy politicians, officials and businessmen.Evangelista attended the Paris show last month with her mother, after skipping previous Milan and Paris fashion weeks last year at the height of a billion-dollar corruption scandal linked to anomalous flood control projects.Her husband, former senate president Francis Escudero, is among those implicated. He has been accused of receiving kickbacks worth 160 million pesos (US$2.7 million) from the projects.As outrage over the scandal soared, Filipinos turned to social media to expose and “corrupt-shame” the lavish lifestyles of the children and kin of contractors and officials linked to ongoing investigations. Online communities emerged with videos and posts of ostentatious displays of influencer wealth, from flying on private jets and expensive shopping sprees abroad to luxury car purchases.Heart Evangelista poses with husband Francis Escudero. Photo: Instagram/iamhearteOne prominent influencer, Claudine Co, with over 300,000 followers on YouTube and more than 100,000 on Instagram, has since deactivated her social media pages.