In finance, the seasoned investor knows to look past the razzle and dazzle of speculative stocks. The market has always had its “Neo-babies”—the flashy, overvalued tickers that skyrocket on hype, only to collapse when fundamentals are exposed as hollow. And then there are the blue chips: quiet, steady, sometimes even mocked for being “boring,” yet built on strong foundations. In the end, bubbles burst. Blue chips stay as blue as ever.
That logic applies far beyond the stock exchange. It echoes in our culture, our politics, and even in the way we choose whom to praise and whom to criticize. Too often, Filipinos lavish attention on the noisy spectacle of privilege while undervaluing those who quietly build their success through grit and discipline.
Overvalued stocks in the public square
Recent weeks have exposed how “overvalued stocks” in our political economy parade themselves. Social media was flooded with images of the children of politicians and contractors flaunting luxury cars, designer clothes, and lavish vacations. Rolling Stone Philippines reported on influencer kids tied to anomalous Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contracts. PhilSTAR Life highlighted the public outrage, and Bianca Gonzalez herself lamented on X how ordinary Filipinos—working hard without generational wealth or “nakaw na yaman”—sometimes even feel ashamed to post their modest joys, while the privileged flaunt excess without restraint.
The correction is now coming. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered lifestyle checks alongside the DPWH probe into ghost projects and luxury cars. The Bureau of Internal Revenue has announced audits of ostentatious contractors, with plans to extend to government officials. The market, as it were, is beginning to reprice. Some of these once-shiny “stocks” are deactivating their social media accounts, just like delisted equities vanish quietly after the bubble pops.
The silent blue chips
Contrast that with Bini—the country’s own P-pop group now hailed as global icons. Formed through years of training under Star Hunt Academy, they debuted in 2021 and clawed their way upward through discipline, humility, and cultural pride. From handing out flyers in their early days, they’ve gone on to sell out arenas, top Spotify charts, perform at KCON LA, and even bag the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Asia Act. They capped their Biniverse World Tour 2025 with a tearful, grateful fan meet at the MOA Arena, bowing deeply before the Blooms who stood by them.
They are the textbook definition of blue chips: undervalued at first, sometimes even ridiculed in their early days, but built on fundamentals—hard work, authentic artistry, and a mission to showcase Filipino culture. As one ABS-CBN feature put it, they carry “a very big responsibility” not just to perform, but to represent.
Why the market gets it wrong
And yet, how many times have we seen Filipinos quicker to criticize Bini’s accents, outfits, or supposed “arrogance” than to condemn those who flaunt wealth rooted in corruption? It is as if the market of public opinion prefers bubbles to blue chips, dazzled by noise and blinded to value.
But the fundamentals don’t lie. Just as Warren Buffett reminds investors to buy into companies with intrinsic worth, we too should learn to invest our admiration where it is deserved.
A call for smarter investing in admiration
The lesson is clear. Inflated privilege will always be exposed; it cannot sustain itself. Blue chips endure, not because they shout the loudest, but because they are built on real value.
As citizens, we need to refine our instincts. Let us not waste our applause on empty spectacle, nor our criticisms on those whose success is earned honestly. Let us celebrate the likes of Bini—our cultural blue chips—and demand accountability from those who flaunt ill-gotten gains.
In the end, the laws of the market apply. Bubbles burst. Blue chips remain. The only question is whether we, as a nation, will finally learn to invest our respect wisely—so that our applause enriches what is real, not what is rotten.
