In today’s episode of politicians pulling a “How do you do, fellow kids?,” former speaker Alan Cayetano is attempting a comeback—by creating a BTS of his own.
After his stint as speaker of the House, Cayetano and his allies are launching an “independent majority” bloc called “BTS sa Kongreso” (Yeah, you read that right).
Like the Bangtan Boys, Cayetano’s supergroup consists of seven members. This includes Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte Jr (Camarines Sur 2nd District), Dan Fernandez (Laguna 1st District), Raneo Abu, (Batangas 2nd District), Mike Defensor (Anakalusugan), Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado (Bulacan 1st District) and Fredenil Castro (Capiz 2nd District).
Unlike the Bangtan Boys, news of their debut—and their chosen name—ranged from “meh” to downright “wait, what?” Before settling on “BTS sa Kongreso,” the team had gone through several potential names like “X-Men” (because they’re all former chairpersons and deputy speakers of the House, get it??).
However, rather than being on the receiving end of Marvel fans’ ire, they’ve been bearing the brunt of ARMYs instead. The hashtag #CayetanoStopUsingBTS trended on Twitter Wednesday morning, with several fans claiming that the bloc is capitalizing on the Korean group’s popularity.
These ARMYs have also cited a previous case with Big Hit Entertainment, the label behind BTS, which previously warned of the unauthorized use of the group’s trademarks.
“BTS sa Kongreso” is expected to launch its bloc on Jan. 14 when, according to reports, the bloc plans to further explain the meaning of the name they’ve chosen.
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Photo from Inquirer.net and “Life Goes on” by BTS music video