JUST paying respects, or downright disrespectful?
That is the debate that has started to circulate the internet after a number of Filipinos have started to post photos and videos of them visiting the late actor Rico Yan’s grave as if it were a tourist destination.
One such example is a video made by a user on TikTok, though the video can no longer be found once searched, and has since been reposted on the app by other accounts.
The video shows the original poster walking around Yan’s grave, placing his hand on his nameplate as well as leaning on top of him.
@trendingchikaph HAHAHAHHAHAHA BAKIT GINAWA NIYONG TOURIST SPOT SI RICO YAN??? #fyp #ricoyan #claudinebarretto ♬ original sound – Mikhaela Janna Jimenea Lim
This user, however, is not the only one who has visited Yan’s grave recently.
It seems to have become a trend on TikTok for people to visit their actor’s grave; whether it be to pay their respects or to see their idol, is what is unclear.
One Facebook user even made a post joking that Yan’s grave is a new tourist spot that has been unlocked, ending with the hashtag, ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines.”
The post now has over 8, 700 reactions, 496 comments, and 8, 700 shares. One photo even shows an Angkas driver who visited Yan’s grave, possibly while taking a break from work.
“Buhay na buhay pa si Rico Yan, kita [niyo] nakapag-book pa ng Angkas,” one user jokingly wrote in the comments.
The reason behind this sudden trend has yet to be revealed, though it is speculated that more people have been visiting his grave due to the emergence of clips of Yan’s filmography on social media websites like TikTok and X.
claudine barretto and rico yan as burgis conyo kids bickering in radio romance (1996) dir. jose javier reyes pic.twitter.com/VLGrAeEEui
— manic pixie dani girl (@denielemein) April 9, 2023
Rico Yan, born “Ricardo Carlos Castro Yan,” was a Filipino actor during the late 1990s to early 2000s.
He is best known for his loveteam with actress Claudine Barretto, as well as films and shows like “Got 2 Believe,” “Gimik,” “Mula sa Puso,” “Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay,” and “FLAMES: The Movie.”
He died in 2002 at just 27 years old. The cause of death was identified to be cardiac arrest caused by acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis.
Netizen reactions
While many have gotten a laugh out of this recent trend, there are others who have started to question whether or not this is respectful of the late actor. Others, particularly on X, see the trend as disrespectful.
“I don’t see anything wrong with visiting Rico Yan’s grave; if I [were] a fan, I’d want to grieve and pay respects din personally, however, with all these people filming and using his grave for clout and posting it on TikTok, yan ang walang respeto,” said one user on X.
“I don’t see it as genuinely grieving and paying respects to him.”
Another user on the site has called this behavior out as rather weird, asking what has happened to morale and decorum.
Another stated: “Tantanan niyo si Rico Yan at nananahimik na ang kaluluwa niyan. I find it disrespectful when they use someone’s son’s grave as a source of clout or content. If pumunta ba ‘ko sa puntod ng lola niyo at nagvi-video ako don kahit ‘di [ako] kamag-anak, ikakatuwa niyo?”
Others have even gone so far as to suggest putting a fence around Yan’s grave to avoid people trespassing and visiting his grave just to post TikToks of him.
