“Righoooour…”
If you heard someone else’s voice, associated a woman’s face, or read that in a specific way, chances are you have caught the “Lena syndrome” that is making waves on social media these days.
Don’t fret though, as that is completely harmless… unless you are part of the 90% of viewers who might need to monitor their blood pressure whenever a scene of former policewoman and mistress Lena Cortez (played by Mercedes Cabral) in top-rating primetime series ‘FPJ’s Batang Quiapo’ comes up.
As the hooking storyline involving her, Rigor (played by John Estrada), and the legal wife Marites (Cherry Pie Picache) and their lives under one roof continues, the popularity of the annoying and manipulative character of Lena also gains momentum.
On social media platform TikTok, numerous skits and shortform videos parodying the character and even teaching others how to speak like Lena.
Those clips could also be considered as the culprit as to how the now-popular one-liner “Rigor,” or “Righoooour…” rather, has been making rounds on social media as of late.
Some of Lena’s notable scenes, such as the one where she requested for liempo or pork belly, the petty fights between her and Roda (Joel Lamangan) who calls her ‘jumper,’ and the physical altercation that occurred when Tindeng (Charo Santos) went back home, all gained substantial views on social media.
In an interview with Julius Babao, actress Mercedes Cabral shared her reaction to her newly-bestowed title as the “most hated woman on primetime.”
“Hindi ko alam kung mao-offend ba ako or dapat ba akong mainsulto,” Cabral jokingly told Babao.
She continued: “Pero sa akin, ano yun, it’s a huge compliment kaso ibig sabihin nagagawa ko nang maayos yung in-assign na character sa akin.”
“In-expect ko na rin naman na may mga maiinis na tao sa character ko, pero siguro ang hindi ko expectation is yung laki o dami ng tao na naiinis.”
Amidst the virality achieved by her character, Mercedes says that while she receives hateful comments online, those she met offline even complimented her portrayal of Lena.