#PisayCulture | PisayTWT given proper care by Jesus
by Charly Viñas, Siobe Saavedra, & Katch Viernesto
This was the tweet that started it all, made by Quenso Tambalque of Batch 2025.
Upon release, the tweet caused an uproar on PisayTWT, a section of Twitter composed of Philippine Science High School (PSHS) students, and even caused others to “cancel” Tambalque for posting it.
Once on social media, it’s not hard to be subject to “cancel culture,” a means of holding people (often celebrities with social media presences) accountable for something they’ve done or said that’s generally deemed problematic. While this practice should supposedly be about educating people, it is mostly used to shame and jump on the bandwagon of mindless hate.
Any online community probably has its own “cancel culture,” and PisayTWT is no exception.
‘Given proper care by Jesus’
Last September 17, Tambalque was scrolling through his Twitter timeline when he stumbled upon a tweet showcasing two people wearing shirts that say “I identify as non-Bidenary.” This prompted him to subtweet about it on his account.
However, due to lack of context, this tweet was construed by Batch 2024 student Andy Ganancial as insensitive, thinking it was a comment on attractiveness. “I kind of interpreted it in a [deeper] manner[,] like not everyone has the privilege to look good and dress well,” she stated when asked about what started the conflict. She quote retweeted (QRT-ed) Tambalque:
Recounting the event, Tambalque shared: “When I got that QRT, I was taken aback because [my tweet] was supposed to be a joke.”
He then replied to the post with multiple tweets of his own, explaining the context behind the original tweet and that its wording was poor, but the intent was lighthearted. “[I]t’s [kind of] bold to just assume my [privilege] when [I] literally didn’t mention anyone in this post,” he wrote.
Ganancial responded by posting a link on responsible tweeting, prompting Tambalque to retaliate after she deleted her post. A brief back-and-forth occurred between both students.
Amidst all this, Tambalque constantly received subtweets and QRTs from private accounts. He expressed his concern for these, anxious about what these tweets could contain when all criticisms towards him could have been done publicly.
“It’s easy to talk about the drama, but I was actually really panicking,” Tambalque said. He added that it felt wrong to spend hours on Twitter defending himself, as he had other priorities too.
‘Pretty privilege’
Among the criticisms, the phrase “pretty privilege” was frequently brought up after Ganancial’s first QRT where she asked to “check [one’s] privilege.” It is a term used to describe the advantages that conventionally attractive people get just because they meet societal beauty standards.
When asked about her reactions to the QRTs mentioning “pretty privilege,” Ganancial replied: “[I] just kind of laughed it off in real life because we’re all beautiful naman in our own ways.”
Ganancial soon posted a short thread explaining how Tambalque’s tweet could be inconsiderate, particularly to people who struggle with insecurities about themselves.
Tambalque agreed that his tweet has the potential to be insensitive, but he believed that being uncomfortable with it does not justify the multiple QRTs he received.
He also addressed one of Ganancial’s statements on Twitter. On the thread, she wrote: “[W]ith . . . insecurities . . . it [really] takes a lot of toll [on your] mental health.” Tambalque pointed out that she did not consider how others canceling him could affect his own mental health.
“Putting someone down is not empowerment,” he said.
Soon after, Tambalque released his own statement addressing the issue. The term “pretty privilege” was mentioned once again, with him debunking the accusations against him. He goes on to share that having pretty privilege does not lessen the possibility of being discriminated, being an openly gay person in a Christian household.
In the thread, he added:
Calling the truce
As more PisayTWT users began to get involved in the situation, Tambalque subtweeted Ganancial, telling her to direct message (DM) him instead of looping her friend group into the issue. Ganancial also wanted to settle it privately because of the unwanted attention the situation was receiving.
In their DMs, Ganancial first gave her view on the situation, saying that while people are not responsible for what they see on their Twitter timelines, they will take it upon themselves to interpret it.
Tambalque expressed how upset he was with the way Ganancial handled everything: immediately taking her concerns to a public platform and tweeting at him with what he felt was a condescending tone. Upon learning each other’s perspectives on the issue, they both apologized and agreed on a truce.
Soon after, Tambalque tweeted that he and Ganancial already talked it through and resolved their issue in private.
“[I’m] thankful din actually na he tweeted [about] how we settled it na so people [would] stop talking about it,” Ganancial said.
Looking back
“People will believe what they [want to] believe,” said Tambalque. “I’ve heard a few people call me a bully because of this situation.”
Tambalque expressed how he gained notoriety from the situation and how people in the halls would still recognize him as “Quenso from Twitter.” He believed he didn’t deserve the kind of treatment he received.
He continued by saying that being targeted and QRT-ed by others who weren’t Ganancial hurt him, and that he would have been more comfortable with the situation if it had only been her QRTing him.
Ganancial, on the other hand, shared that they don’t regret the initial call-out towards Tambalque, as their differing perspectives sparked discussion and helped them both learn lessons on posting and reacting to posts on social media.
“Siguro the main takeaway [talaga] for me was that some things are better left unsaid. Although you’re entitled to your own opinion, still be sensitive [about] what you say online.”
Tambalque acknowledged that people may interpret his tweets and humor differently and oftentimes not agree with them. “People will mince my words to fit whatever rhetoric they want to preach about, and at this point, I simply do not care.”
PisayTWT community
When the situation was resolved, some students posted pictures of themselves or with friends with the hashtag #GIVENPROPERCAREBYJESUS as a way of saying that they’re attractive enough to have been “given proper care by Jesus.”
While the situation did revive PisayTWT for a while and inspire several jokes about it like the aforementioned hashtag, it’s important to remember that this all stemmed from a misunderstanding, as most conflicts do. We can only hope that this situation serves as a learning experience for all, especially taking into consideration both sides of the story. And now, we can move forward as one community — a community that is given proper care by Jesus.
*ERRATUM: The article tag/type has been changed from feature to #PisayCulture to more accurately depict the article’s content.
