On Independence Day, Fil-Am comedian Jo Koy encourages Pinoys to ‘be free’

.@Jokoy would like to wish you a Happy Independence Day. pic.twitter.com/HNpUj1vvPf

— Netflix Philippines (@Netflix_PH) June 12, 2019

As the Philippines marks its 121st year of freedom from Spanish rule in 1898, Filipino-American comedian Joseph Glenn Herbert, popularly known as Jo Koy, encouraged his fellow Pinoys to allow themselves “be free” from these relatable ‘Filipino things’ that sometimes get into our nerves.

While telling Filipinos to not also forget the “true meaning” of independence aside from getting a day off from work which, he said, we all “really care about,” Jo Koy also told Pinoys in his Independence Day message to be free from their uncles and aunties who kept asking them about attending a nursing school, and  the pressures of the bidet and instead use the country’s “national treasure” or the tabo (dipper).

He also encouraged them to be free from being ‘deceived’ by “biscuit tins with no biscuits” and “ice cream tubs with no f*cking ice cream.” In the Philippines, biscuit containers are usually used by mothers as storage for their sewing supplies, while ice cream tubs are used as tubs for frozen Tilapia and other meat.

“Tell that paksiw, ‘Not today, Satan!’ Be free of the dreaded tsinelas (slippers) and sandok (ladle). Be free from the people who sing ‘My Way’ at karaoke. Be free from your carb-free diet. You’re not doing your duty as a Filipino if you’re not obsessed with white rice,” says Jo Koy, adding that Filipino people should also be free from the heavy “traffic on E-D-S-A.”

“Freedom isn’t easy. It’s a beautiful, complicated thing. But it’s worth fighting for. Because only when you are truly free, can you be the Filipino you are always meant to be,” the comedian said.

Jo Koy’s comical greeting was posted by Netflix Philippines and the comedian himself on his social media accounts on Wednesday, coinciding the release of Jo Koy’s stand-up special on Netflix titled “Jo Koy: Comin’ In Hot.”

You can also watch his “Jo Koy: Live in Seattle” on the streaming giant where he talks about his life being a son of a Filipina who thinks that Vicks VapoRub is a cure to all ailments, including pneumonia.